Called & Gifted

Sharon Cairns Mann

Call & Gifted Series
by
Sharon Cairns Mann

Sharon Cairns Mann wrote the first in this series in 2004. It was a booklet entitled: Called & Gifted: A reaffirmation of the biblical basis for the full participation of women in the ministries of the church.  This booklet has been surprisingly popular around the world. It has been translated into Spanish and Korean, and was licensed by the Mennonite Brethren Church of Canada to re-use the content.  Its first printing of 10,000 is sold out, and it is well into its second printing.

This booklet was so popular, that many people requested a more-detailed study of the subject.  After undertaking a thorough search of existing material to make sure that something didn't already exist, Sharon wrote the Called & Gifted Study Guides in 2005. These guides are intended for group study (the orange cover for the participant and the purple cover for the group facilitator). People as far away as India are using this material!  The jacket blurb describes the books as follows: 

"Written in an engagingly clear and irenic style, the Called and Gifted Study Guide may easily be the most concise overview available today on the subject of women's roles in the church. Created specifically to help facilitate group discussions, the nine sessions move participants through a systematic study of the various positions on this important subject in an even-handed way, while still being clearly egalitarian. Simple, readable, yet thorough, it provides a first look at the issues involved, and provokes readers to rethink issues they may have thought were settled. 

These books are available at http://www.covenantbookstore.com/ and http://www.cbeinternational.org/.