International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge and we’ve invited women leaders here at the BUV to share with you their thoughts about choosing to challenge the status quo to create change.

Interview with Megan Stock

“There is something special in position that allows you to help others and you shouldn’t forget that.”

Pastor Megan Stock is the Associate Pastor for Operations and Integration at Narre Warren Baptist Church and is currently its acting senior pastor.

Having freshly returned from a restful and rejuvenating long-service leave with her husband as they traversed the Northern Territory and Western Australia on the road, Megan handled the challenges of her new role–from staff transitioning to the pandemic–in stride. Apart from crediting the incredible teams at both her previous church in Crossway Baptist Church and at Narre Warren Baptist Church, Megan knows full well that she would not have been able to do what she had to do (and still does) if it weren’t for God’s grace, wisdom, favour and leading in her life.

“Be confident in who God made you to be and be confident in His timing… not necessarily your ambition.”

Megan recognises that she could never have “orchestrated” the path that she finds herself in now in service, and she acknowledges that if she had seen the advertised position description for her role now, in her human thought-process, she would not have actually taken it on. But she is thankful for what she calls the “God process” wherein God, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge of not just her as a person but of His greater plans, made a way for her to be where she is now in a way that she least expected.

Much like many women pastors in ministry, Megan understands the challenges that they face in their positions of authority. Without having been officially voted in at her church, Megan sometimes questions herself as a pastor sharing the Sunday message and whether she truly does have the authority to make certain decisions for the congregation. But as she continues to grow and develop in her walk with God, she finds peace and confidence in knowing that she only needs to rely on and trust in God and not on other people’s feedback and opinions, and that it was Him who has called her to serve where she is.

As she continues her journey in servant leadership, investing in others and living a Christlike life, she encourages women, in particular, to find love and support from the truth found in the Scriptures when it comes to their calling within or outside of the church. She quotes that Jesus spent a lot of time “raising the profile of women” as He spent time with them, talked to them and treated them with love, care and respect despite their social status.

She challenges women to not fall for the lies of the world in terms of “title, the admission…or [having] the name on the door” as those are the things that get in the way of what God is doing and wants to do in their lives. Instead, she draws upon her time spent travelling where she found a rhythm of listening to messages, playing worship music and enjoying and interacting with God’s beautiful creation. Finding “real rest” in God’s presence is an imperative, particularly for those serving in full-time ministry, and she encourages others, particularly women serving in ministry, to find a time of “just being instead of striving for something”.

“We need to really recognise why God positions us in place because sometimes that’s to help other men or other women along their journey and it’s not necessarily all about us; it’s actually about helping them up. [Don’t let] yourself miss that; seeing who God wants you to help, seeing who God wants you to invest in.”