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When God called a pastor’s wife to start a women’s ministry, she found help and community through the SBTC
Long before Elizabeth Mathis knew the direction her life would go, God was preparing her.
She was raised in a “house of ministry” by parents who eventually became church planting missionaries in Mexico. Along the way, she earned a degree in biblical studies with an emphasis in counseling and met her husband, David, who attended a different university.
Little did she know, David would begin to feel a call to ministry in 2017, four years after the family moved to Texas.
“Unbeknownst to us, our church was deciding to plant a church across town,” Mathis said. Not just that, she said, but God started making it clear that David was to be the pastor of that church—Hope Church in Kyle.
The bilingual congregation of 80-100 attends either English or Spanish services on Sundays. Church members translate the sermons during the Spanish services, but the pastor reads the Scripture in Spanish. Fluent in Spanish from frequent visits to her missionary parents in Mexico, Mathis finds her language abilities help her connect with the congregation.
After Hope Church started, Mathis filled several volunteer roles, starting the women’s ministry with a variety of programs from Bible studies to retreats. Mathis credits the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Women’s Ministry as a source of renewal and resources. The SBTC Women’s Ministry model—”She Goes. She Grows. She Gathers. She Gives. She Glorifies.”—is particularly helpful, she said. “The curriculum helps us so much.”
“SBTC Women’s Ministry provides invaluable support. Without the retreats, I would probably just work, work, work, and never take a break.”
Mathis regularly attends SBTC Come Away retreats geared for the wives of senior pastors. She said these retreats include a core group of ladies who attend each year, as well as new faces.
“It’s really sweet to get to know them. Not a lot of things are set up for pastors’ wives to have time to themselves,” she said. “Come Away is always very encouraging. Pastors’ wives are in charge of so many things. [At Come Away], we kind of relax. There’s a lot of prayer for one another, too.”
Mathis also attends the She Stands women’s leadership conferences, sometimes bringing groups from Hope Church. A few years ago, She Stands was held in San Antonio, with English speaking at one church venue and Spanish speaking simultaneously at another church nearby for reasons of space, allowing Mathis to bring both language groups.
“SBTC Women’s Ministry provides invaluable support,” she said. “Without the retreats, I would probably just work, work, work, and never take a break.”
The She Stands Ministry Model consists of five core components that make up a women’s ministry program, regardless of its size, location or unique circumstances.
