Yesterday evening on a whim, I put up a post on facebook and twitter asking for help with a title for a book on women. I was totally delighted with the incredibly creative responses I received.
Let me back up a bit.
A few years ago, I realized that many women in leadership do not have mentors or peer accountability relationships. The other leaders in their area are men, and cross gender relationships are deemed inappropriate. So I pulled together a group of women leaders–mostly apostolic and prophetic–and we’ve been meeting together for several years via conference call. Naturally over time, the conversation turned to the situation of women in the church and we found ourselves with a passion to do what we could to redress the marginalization of women.
As the conversation continued, we realized that we could not do this alone–if we, as a group of women, tackle the issue, we will be perceived as raging feminists. But if we include men who are willing to stand with us, it has the potential to become a Kingdom movement. So we asked some men who we know sympathize with our position to join us.
The upshot of all this is a book–one that tackles the gender debate and examines what could happen if women were empowered to do anything and everything the Lord is calling them to. There are multiple contributors, each handling a different aspect of the issue.
What could happen if both men and women co-labored together for the sake of the Kingdom? What if the barriers that prevent women from fully using their giftings were torn down? What characteristics do women bring to leadership? What might happen in terms of harvest?
The book has been using the working title of The Role of Women: Fifteen questions crucial to the future of the church. However, this seems lacking in imagination–hence yesterday evening’s request for help. (Another thought I’d had–The Hemiplegic Bride (hemiplegia being a medical term for paralysis down one side of the body such as happens after a stroke). But is this too technical?)
I received more than thirty suggestions–many of them excellent. Here are a few of them. I’d love to have some input from you as to which you think is the best. If we choose a title you suggest, (actually a publisher has the final say on titles), I’ll send you a free copy of the book when it comes out. And if you have any more ideas, let me know.
- The Better Half: Restoring the Role of Women in the Body of Christ
- Ladies of the Light
- Modern Day Junias (there were several suggestions using Junias)
- Aslan’s Daughters: Lionesses in ministry
- The Church’s Buried Treasure
- Seen But Not Heard: A Travesty
- And Your Daughters Will Prophesy: Eve in the Last Days
- Women: Can’t Live Without Them
- “She Said…”
- All About Eve
- For Christ’s Sakes, Choose Her
- Who me? But I’m a Woman
- Church Lady
- Silence of the Ewes
- Where is the God of Deborah?: sub-title How an army of women are advancing the Kingdom of God around the world
- Paul has Left the Building
- The Other Half
So what do you think?
22 replies on “Title for a book on women–I need your vote”
Why not expand on the Simply Church theme to “Simply Women”.
Other than that, I liked Church Lady.
I like:
Where is the God of Deborah?
How an army of ordinary woman are advancing the kingdom of God around the world
Can’t wait for the book!
Because my daughter has forced me to wrestle with this issue… And because she has been right, I vote for “And Your Daughters will Prophesy” –From a guy trying to get over his complementarian baggage.
The Other Half
Aslan’s Daughters
Hi Felicity,
–Simply Women. What a lovely and apropos title.
–Church Lady is simple, hilarious, it’s light hearted and it peaks my attention.
Along that same line of thought / at the risk of being divergent:
–“Masculine Church / Feminine Church: Fifteen questions crucial to the future of the church”
— Purple Church (playing with the idea of cultural/gender-based color mixing, and purple is the royal Kingdom color)
Each time we’ve seen each other, you exude all that is feminine so beautifully. Your title will reflect that. Keep up the good work. Excited to read the new book!
I’ve thought and thought about this, and although it’s a new suggestion I think ‘Sideline Sisters’ might capture the essence of not being allowed on the field of play. I very much like ‘Seen but not heard’ and you might combine these into…
‘Seen but not heard: sideline sisters’ or ‘Sideline sisters: seen but not heard’.
But actually, all the suggestions are great, any of them would work well!
I say, “Who Me? But I’m A Woman”. This title that will leap off the bookshelves. You may want to add a subtext, but keep it very short. Book cover with a woman looking perplexed a little like the child above with the questions above her — looking to heaven perhaps.
Yes, several were excellent. My top pick: And Your Daughters Will Prophesy. But I might modify that to And Your Daughters Will Prophesy…REALLY? There’s a double emphasis or meaning by asking the question that demands folks think about that scripture and take a second look. Just my two penneth worth. 🙂 So looking forward to the book!
I like the modification. Or something like… No, seriously, I mean it. Really. I did mean to say that. It didn’t just slip out in a what-was-I-thinking moment -God 😉
And Your Daughters Will Prophesy: Eve in the Last Days
Difficult to choose, though. Lots of good ideas here.
I like the most ‘Where is the God of Deborah? How an army of women are advancing the Kingdom of God around the world’
It brings light to the character God, but also to the role of women in the Kingdom work.
If the main aim is to encourage women, ‘Who me? But I’m a Woman’ would also do, but isn’t the aim to address men as well?
Concerning ‘And Your Daughters Will Prophesy..’, as a non-charismatic, I feel the tasks of women somewhat narrowed to prophesying.
It’s a quote from Acts 2 regarding the last days. If the book should be more inclusive, “Even on My Servants Both Men and Women” might work. A good sub-title might be: What Don’t We Understand About The Phrase Both Men and Women?
What about your blog series “Kingdom Women: Revisiting Woman on Mission with God?”
I have really learned a lot through your blog these past few weeks and will be in prayer for the work of this book. Thank you for speaking out for Kingdom Women, Felicity.
What about your blog series title? “Kingdom Women: What if they were empowered?”
I have learned so much from your posts over the past several weeks. Thank you for speaking out and for Kingdom Women, Felicity.
1. The Church’s Buried Treasure
2. Kingdom Women: In Today’s Church
I think already the title should show the importance of men and women working together. Some of the titles sound to exclusive for me.
let’s work together! – women and men in kingdom leadership
or:
the church’s burried treasure – the unity of women and men in kingdom work
kingdom women – kingdom men
in the unity God is displayed most
I look forward to the book. (and hope shipping to Switzarland will be possible 😉 )
Thank you all so much for your ideas and comments. They’re hugely helpful. One of the things I’ve done over the weekend though, is to check out on Amazon which of them have already been used. Unfortunately that’s a lot of them. So, for example, many of you liked ones that mention Eve–those titles are already taken. The same with And Your Daughters shall Prophesy. The ones that are still available are Aslan’s Daughters, Silence of the Ewes, The Church’s Buried Treasure, Who me? But I”m a woman, and Where is the God of Deborah?
Not sure if you’re still taking suggestions but here’s mine:
The paralyzed bride
The bride who can’t walk
The bride who can’t stand
Let the bride walk
More than potlucks
The Unopened gift (referring to women who haven’t been allowed to use their spiritual gifts)
Thanks April. I like your suggestions. What do you think of the title “Why would God Pick a Woman?” It has a kind of double meaning.
I like, ‘where is the God of Deborah.’ chris bailey
I think you should have a name that isn’t something that only women would be drawn to read.
* For instance, anything with “Aslan” in it is just too cute for this sort of thing, we’re not evoking a fairytale here. Women, can’t live without them – is also too cutsie.
* It also shouldn’t be something we hear a lot of already from other corners of the body or that sounds like a women’s conference (Women of the Light anyone? no – sounds like a conference title.) ,
*nor anything that puts down Paul because you’ll lose everyone who thinks Paul is awesome before they’d even read the book (thus, Paul has left the building wouldn’t be a good title.)
* “Church lady” evokes roles I’d rather leave in the dust of history. So does
* “The church’s hidden treasure” – well, no one reading that title would have any guess that the book was about women.
* “Seen but not heard: a travesty” – too much of a victim mentality. You don’t want your title to be sad, but something with power and bite to it.
* All about Eve – well, I’m not Eve, are you?
* Where is the God of Deborah? – nah, the issue here isn’t God, He’s been with Deborah the whole time.
* The Better Half – This is denigrating to men and self-aggrandizing on the side of women. We don’t want to be tit for tat here.
So, there’s my deconstruction – forgive me for starting in the negative, but we want this book to be popular, right? 🙂
Some of the others have potential. We’re not SURE that Junias is a woman – her name could go either way (male or female) and being of notoriety among the apostles doesn’t necessarily mean she WAS an apostle, but only that her name was of good report among them. So I don’t know if we want Junias to be the main attention getting title here – although, most people do associate her with being a female apostle, so I guess it could have potential in the mass market.
How bout,
“She Should Speak”
“Both Halves – a reexamination of the scriptural place of women in the body of Christ”
“The Second Eve”
“Poured out on Women” – a reexamination of the way the Spirit desires to move in christian women
“Sisters AND brothers – how both sexes are called to fulfill the intention of God’s Kingdom together”
And Your Daughters will prophecy (no subtitle, or a ‘mellow’ one)
Personally, I like some of the more creative titles, but this is a grabber for anyone with a high view of scripture that is sitting on the fence at all, and a wake-up call even for those whose minds are made up complementarian but are uneasy about verses like this. Some of the other titles would be a turn-off to non-charismatics and immediately perceived as ‘feminist.’ Sad, but true.