The quiet, shaping power of Spiritual Mothering often goes unnoticed when people are considering the various things that take place within a church. Yet by God’s design, it is one of the most profound and life giving roles a woman can embrace in the body of Christ. Whether a woman is single or married, 18 or 88, a child rearing mother or has no plans for children, God’s design of the church invites every woman to have a life of intentionality with other women within her church’s body of believers.
🌱 Spiritual Mothering Defined:
Spiritual Mothering is the encouraging, guiding, nurturing, wisdom sharing and modeling of one’s faith journey with other women. The call of Spiritual Mothering is rooted in Titus 2, where spiritually maturing women are instructed to “teach what is good” and leverage their intergenerational influence in the lives of other women within their church. Throughout scripture you can find many examples of women living deep, intentional lives with one another.
This role is not just for women with a crown of gray hair or with grown children. Spiritual Mothering has nothing to do with age or marital status or life stage. It is a deepening spiritual maturity and a willingness to walk along side other women with authenticity, compassion, truth and wisdom.
The verb of “mothering” is very nuanced in this day and age. Some women have a complicated relationship with it because of their life experiences and heartache. In some circles, women prefer to use “spiritual auntie” or simply “spiritual nurturer.” The role titles do not change the heart behind God’s plan for women to care for women in the church.
🌱 4 Key Elements of Spiritual Mothering:
- Biblically Foundational Relationship
Spiritual Mothering helps women develop and grow by sharing biblical truth as well as life experiences together. We see it modeled throughout Scripture as Christ is the center of women’s relationships in the church.
- Modeling Christlike Behavior
Spiritual Mothering demonstrates authenticity, compassion, hope, humility, integrity and love. It models what it means to follow Jesus day to day, not flawlessly but faithfully.
- Encouragement and Support
Spiritual Mothering offers steady encouragement through life’s changes and various trials. A Spiritual Mother is a safe and trusted source to feel known, be prayed over and to seek wise counsel from when life feels tricky.
- Nurturing Gifts and Callings
Spiritual Mothering helps women identify and use their spiritual gifting in the church. This kind of mothering builds up the whole body of Christ and recognizes a woman’s strengths when she may not be able to quite see them in herself yet.
🌱 4 Important Effects of Spiritual Mothering:
- Strengthening the Church
Healthy churches are built on strong relationships. When women intentionally pour into one another, the church becomes more than a weekend gathering, lives are deepened and shaped.
- Bridging Generational Gaps
Many women today are spiritually hungry but isolated from other women in different seasons of life. Spiritual Mothers bridge the gap by offering life experience, love and relationship.
- Reflecting God’s Familial heart
Throughout scripture, God uses family language to describe His people. Spiritual Mothering reflects the nurturing, guiding and discipling love that mirrors God’s own care for His children.
- Multiplying Faith
When one woman pours into another, the gospel spreads not just in knowledge but in life on life transformation for generations to come. Faith multiplies through relationship.
🌱 What can Spiritual Mothering look like?
Spiritual Mothering flows from a heart to see all women in the church flourish in the ways God has designed for their lives. There is no formality as to how it needs to happen within the church. As a woman makes herself available, encourages and intentionally lives life with other women in the church… she is living out Spiritual Mothering.
Circling up with the women in one’s Life Group, serving on a team with women in a variety of life stages, intentional conversations with women when one naturally interacts with them, praying for and following up with a woman who is struggling, and building an intentional female friendships within the church are all examples of where the natural rhythm of Spiritual Mothering already exists.
Some of the most impactful Spiritual Mothers have never stood on a stage or had a lot of followers on social media- but they’ve asked God for eyes to see other women, chosen to enter in to another woman’s life, had developing conversations over time, actively listened then faithfully prayed, and unconditionally loved women in their church.
Jesus, give us fresh eyes to see the women You’ve placed in our churches and the willingness to enter in however You ask of us. We need only to be is available and intentional with the women in our lives and we know You’ll do the rest!
