"Women in the Word" is an annual, practical, hands-on, two-day conference.  The sixth Workshop will be held on October 14 & 15, 2011 at Calvary PCA in Willow Grove, PA.  See weekend details in the Bible Teaching section of the "Resources" tab.

 

Women in the Word: A Workshop

Mission Statement and Goals 

Purpose of the Workshop

The purpose of Women in the Word: A Workshop is to help women who love God’s Word improve their ability to interpret, apply, and present Scripture to others.

  

Structure of the Workshop

 The Workshop consists of two interspersed parts – large plenary sessions and small study group sessions.

 

Plenary sessions are dedicated to modeling and teaching principles of biblical interpretation and application from a Reformed redemptive-historical perspective.

 

Study Group sessions provide women hands-on practice with interpreting and applying a pre-assigned biblical text. Foundational work on an assigned passage is done at home during the two weeks before the Workshop.

 

Each Study Group is led by a trained leader and consists of a maximum of eight women. Two Study Group tracks are available: one for women who are teaching the Bible, and the other for those interested in strengthening their personal Bible study skills. Both tracks will discuss the assigned texts at length, exploring their meaning in the immediate context and in relation to the greater biblical story. Leaders will seek to incorporate the interpretation methods and scriptural concepts being taught throughout the Workshop.

 

The Teacher Track

The teacher track requires each participant to craft a lesson for her assigned passage and present a 5-minute abridged version to her Study Group. Guided by the leader, the group will constructively critique the material presented, and further explore the text.

 

            The Personal Study Track

            The personal study track requires each participant to complete a worksheet for her assigned passage and present a summary of that worksheet to her Study Group. The leader will facilitate discussion of each text, further exploring its meaning.

 

 

 

Participants: Any woman dedicated to studying the Scripture, either for the purpose of Bible teaching or personal study, is encouraged to attend.  In the case of a waiting list, women with less background or training are given preference.

 

 

Involvement in the Workshop

 

Planning Committee members:  Women of spiritual integrity and maturity who have been approved and invited by the Committee, understand the distinctives of the redemptive-historic method of biblical interpretation, have participated in a previous WiW Workshop or the British conference, and have a vision for equipping women in the local church with sound Bible interpretation skills. 

 

The Planning Committee is responsible for:

 

Ø  Establishing the date and place for the Workshop

Ø  Identifying and inviting the plenary speaker(s) and selecting topics

Ø  Selecting, inviting, and training Study Group Leaders

Ø  Establishing a calendar, budget, and tasks for committee members

Ø  Preparing materials for promoting and conducting the Workshop

Ø  Advertising, registering, and communicating with participants

Ø  Coordinating details for the Workshop (e.g., schedule, food, housing, worship, etc.)

Ø  Assessing how well the goals of the Workshop are being realized by following up with participants

Ø  Identifying and inviting new committee members as needed

 

Study Group leaders:  Women of spiritual integrity and maturity who ascribe to a Reformed understanding of Scripture, have experience teaching the Bible in a Reformed context, have participated in a previous Workshop or the British conference, and have completed the annual training sessions conducted by the WiW Committee.

 

Plenary speaker(s):  A dynamic speaker, preferably a woman and seminary graduate, trained in the redemptive-historical approach to biblical interpretation, in the Reformed tradition, who can teach and model hermeneutics in a way that is accessible to lay women. 

 

Goals of the Workshop

Ø  To equip women in the local church with practical biblical interpretation skills from a redemptive-historical perspective

Ø  To spread a redemptive-historical method of biblical interpretation to a wider audience

Ø  To train Study Group leaders for equipping participants

Ø  To provide participants with the opportunity to network with other like-minded women

Ø  To share titles of good Bible study reference books and materials