Challenges of Teaching the Bible to Other Women

Teaching the Bible as a woman to a group of other women comes with a unique set of challenges and anxieties. According to Melissa Kruger, Nancy Guthrie, and Jen Wilkin, concerns ranging from “What will others think of me?” to “Will I say what is accurate?” and “How much should I write out?” can inhibit preparation and increase nerves. Even experienced Bible teachers like these women face these worries and must fight for confidence in the Holy Spirit as they prepare to open God’s Word to other women.

Watch (or listen to the podcast below) to this nine-minute roundtable as these three teachers share their experiences. They address some of the particular struggles women Bible teachers confront, outline strategies for improving communication of Scripture, reflect on the privilege of teaching God’s Word to others, and more.

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For more on this topic, be sure to pick up a copy of Word-Filled Women’s Ministry (Crossway, 2015) [review]. See also Wilkin’s book None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and Why That’s a Good Thing) (Crossway, 2016).

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Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. An advocate for Bible literacy, her passion is to see others become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God. You can find her at her website.

Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Melissa Kruger serves as the vice president of discipleship programming for The Gospel Coalition (TGC). She’s the author of multiple books, including The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World, Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests, Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know, and Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age. Her husband, Mike, is the Samuel C. Patterson chancellor’s professor of New Testament and early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary, and they have three children.