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| Rev. Denise Posie/Chris Meehan |
In my 21 years in
the Christian Reformed Church in North America, I have had the privilege of
serving in the following roles:
- Pastor
of Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, MI, an urban church with a passion for
multiculturalism located in a predominately Black community. 13 years, longest
serving pastor in the history of the church.
- Congregational
Consultant, denominational staff in Grand Rapids, MI, 2 ½ years
- Co-Director,
Reformed Leadership Initiative,
a Christian Reformed and Reformed denominational collaboration for cultivating
leaders in six networks in the U.S. and Canada funded by a grant from the DeVos
Foundation, 2 ½ years
- Director,
Leadership Diversity, Women’s and Ethnic Ministry – roughly eighty percent of my work
focused on developing a Women’s Ministry. The rest of my time focused on the
Black and Reformed Leadership Network and five other ethnic ministries and
several other projects. 2 ½ years
I think it is
important for women and ethnic minorities, more specifically Black women, to
know that God has a plan for our lives. He will open and close doors according
to his plan. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent God’s will from coming
to past. God has a way of surprising us sometimes!
In each role I
brought passion, aspiration and God-given gifts. I welcomed an opportunity to
serve in positions in the CRC, in my case, never filled with a Person of Color.
It is an honor and adventure sometimes to be the first. These positions could
be a pathway to new ways of thinking and doing things. One of the challenges is
whether or not your presence and voice will be taken seriously. Another challenge
is not to allow gender, racial and theological differences to hinder your
efforts. Lastly, it is a challenge sometimes to always remember who you are and
who called you. Otherwise, barriers or
disappointments may be discouraging. Embracing these realities enable you to
influence the culture and to stand no matter what. I am reminded of the
biblical metaphor of one body with many parts serving in different capacities,
but one in Christ.
I do not take it
lightly that God has a plan for my life. This was not always true for me. There
were a couple of times in my journey that I fought for a higher-level position
at IBM or relied on someone else’s solution to a difficult situation in
seminary without seeking God’s guidance first or along the way. Neither
situation ended well and was a costly lesson ordained by God. We do not naturally
know how to follow Jesus; it requires times of testing in nurturing our faith.
These situations can be quite painful or emotional, but God works all things
for our good. I truly believe this and “know” that it is true.
In 2017 you
were picked to head the CRC’s Leadership Diversity: Women’s and Ethnic Ministry
efforts. What were the highlights of your leadership there?
One highlight of
my leadership was creating space for women and ethnic minority leaders to
network, learn, share experiences, fellowship and worship together. Some of
them worked in isolated situations and these monthly or annual gatherings
connected people for meaningful purposes. In 2021, the recognition of the 25th
Anniversary of the ordination of CRC women will happen at synod in June and
there will a celebration for these women later in the year. The 25th
Anniversary is a major milestone, particularly because the CRC holds two biblical
perspectives about ecclesiastical positions concerning women. I am again
reminded who is in control as I stated in a recent interview, (Posie) “There were a few
resources for men and women to use in learning how to work better together that
I am pretty excited about. With input from our fabulous Advisory Team, we
created Ten Ways for Men and WomenThriving in Ministry Together. We also made available a resource created by
two exceptional leaders in the field, Drs. Jim Herrington and Trisha Taylor, Gender Dynamics in Church Leadership (SharedLeadership).
I had the privilege of serving as leader of two Formation Groups at Calvin Theological
Seminary in Grand Rapids for four years. What an amazing time in each of these
lives of men and women being prepared for serving God’s world. What an honor to
reflect on personal life experiences and biblical teachings. This was life-giving!
You didn’t
start your career by working in ministry, or in West Michigan. Could you tell
us a bit about what caused the switch from corporate culture (at one point
working for IBM) to church service?
By no means can I
say that I was not surprised by the switch from corporate culture to church and
denominational service. I have held
several positions in the public and corporate sectors and landing at IBM was
the bomb! It represents excellence in customer service and employee training!
These two areas were important to me then and even now. Within a couple of
years before I left IBM, I started losing interest in my work. This was
surprising because I graduated from high school a year early because I was
anxious about working and making a life for myself. It was quite clear that
God’s hand was moving me out of corporate to something else. At the time, I did
not know where I was going. I became like a sponge in absorbing as much as possible
in knowing God. I attended several bible studies at my home church and with a
well known retired bible scholar and teacher in the Brethren faith. It was
apparent to my church family and friends that God’s hand was on me. He
eventually led me to seminary in Columbia, SC at Columbia International
Seminary in 1999.
You seem to
have a heart towards leadership mentoring. Why is this so important to you?
I never would have
made it without special leaders and people in my life to nurture and shape my
identity, understanding of God and leadership style. In the chapter Preparing to Meet the King of my book, Consider a Greater
Purpose, Vashti, Esther and the Courageous Women Who Followed, I
recall the words in a sermon, “embrace the thoughts of who God wants us to be.”
I included my reflections. “Sometimes we
are so busy doing and we don’t take time to discover God’s hand at work in
molding and shaping us…we must shift our focus from who others want us to be to
who God shapes us to be.” It is important to have an open heart to God’s
will and his work through others, if at times difficult conversations are necessary. Trust is a key factor. I have several “go-to” people as mentors.
You’ve noted that part of the
mentoring process involves “creating space for identifying leadership
challenges, sharing experiences and personal transformation.” Could you go a
bit further with this thought?
In 2015, when I was appointed Co-Director in the Reformed
Leadership Initiative along with Dr. Ken Eriks of the Reformed Church in
America, whom I regard as mentor and coach, this was a pivotal moment for me in
learning how to prepare leaders for mission and ministry. It was not a
leadership development program but a leadership development process. Ken and I witnessed
co-leaders creating space in learning networks for discovering leadership
challenges. I was amazed by leaders’ transparency and willingness to discuss
their failures and successes. Once again, trust is a key factor. I do not
believe that leaders naturally trust each other; however, I believe if the
right space is created, with the enablement of the Holy Spirit, the right
conversations and learning take place. Contextualization is also important in
order to meet people in helpful ways instead of imposing our one size fits all
approaches.
I can say with integrity, conviction and encounters in
previous settings that I am passionate about inspiring and growing leaders by
creating space for identifying leadership challenges, sharing experiences and personal
transformation. Whether this space is created for one-on-one, small or large group
settings, it is my aim!
Do you mind
sharing an important life lesson you have learned? How about one piece of
advice for leaders?
I have so many
life lessons I have learned. What comes to mind is the Apostle Paul’s testimony of his
weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10: “ Three
times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all
the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in
insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I
am weak, then I am strong.”
In the past, at
times I unconsciously or consciously allowed negative thoughts about myself and
oppressive spirits to linger as I compared myself with other people’s
accomplishments or when I felt unqualified to do something. I had to remind myself
of God’s strength and calling. The Holy Spirit is the Enabler, not me. I am
weak. My strength comes from him. My lifetime scripture is another reminder, Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the
clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
We must learn to let go of our
securities and insecurities and find our strength in the One who shapes us for mission
in life and eternity. In this way, he receives all the glory!
Here are some link references to additional information on a few of the interview questions:
Question #2
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