Q began seven years ago as a way to gather Christian leaders and influencers to mobilize around the common good in our cities. My husband Gabe and I cofounded the organization, and over the years, we have had significant numbers of women participate as speakers and attendees.
While some Christian conferences and events face criticism for underrepresentation, our national gatherings are a refreshing exception. In fact, women made up half of the more than 10,000 participants in our recent Q Commons event, held in more than 60 cities across the globe.
So it makes sense to ask: Why would an organization like Q have a gathering specifically for women?
Q Women held its first national event last year in New York City, and we are preparing to gather hundreds of women together for our second annual event, this time in Nashville.
We are always grateful when we have an equal amount of men and women in the broader conversation, and I don’t ever want to take away from that. But we believe also that talks geared around women can create more space for them to respond.
After all, Q stands for questions, and there are a lot of questions that women today are asking, specifically around embracing their God-given calling.
Last year at Q Women, we defined calling and why it matters. We gave action items for the room to explore what this looked like for each of them. Some women came with a complete understanding, others were wrestling through what that looked like.
This year will be encouragement and tools on how to live faithful to the call we’ve been given. What are the ingredients for sustaining this? How can we see calling as obedience instead of our agenda? How do we humble ourselves to the One who calls?
We’re going to raise relevant questions for women regarding identity, purpose, calling, sexuality, responsibility, and stewardship because we believe we grow and hear from God when we are willing to ask questions.
The approach of a believer should always be teachable and humble. Scripture says “to clothe yourself with humility,” and the posture of asking questions demonstrates that. It means we want to learn, we seek to understand and we choose to trust before we criticize or make a declarative statement. That doesn’t mean that we don’t hold convictions or that we don’t seek truth with grace, but the curiosity itself gives room for growth.
I am continually inspired by women who brave new things, sacrifice in new ways, and risk personal comforts on behalf of others. There’s a spirit of generosity in this group, as well as a surrender and patience for God to enact what he has begun. I see less anxiety around what is next, and instead, more patience for waiting on that clarity. In return, I see women rising up that are grounded from a place of rest and emboldened by the healing and freedom that has come from their journey. I believe women in the church will be a beautiful force for good that the enemy will have to reckon with.
Rebekah Lyons is the cofounder of Q Ideas and the author of Freefall to Fly. She now lives in Nashville with her husband Gabe and their three children. You can find Rebekah on Twitter and Facebook.
Her.meneutics is a partner in the upcoming Q Women event, to be held Nov. 3 in Nashville. For more information and to register, visit Qideas.org/Qwomen.
