If You Want Women to Lead, Give Them Reps w/ Tim Bittle & Banning Liebscher

What does it actually mean to champion women in leadership, not just say that we do? In this Men of Faith and Project Sisterhood crossover, Chrissy Cole sits down with Caleb Cole, Tim Bittle, and Banning Liebscher for an honest conversation about men and women leading together in the church, ministry, and the marketplace.  They unpack why women often enter leadership without the same years of experience or “reps” that men have been given, and why healthy leaders have to intentionally create opportunities for women to develop, fail, learn, and grow. Tim shares the moment his wife wanted to quit preaching after a difficult message and why he refused to let one failure become her off-ramp from leadership. Caleb challenges leaders to let obedience trump insecurity, trusting God with the results instead of allowing fear or criticism to determine whether they step into their calling. The conversation also gets into some of the harder tensions surrounding men and women working and being discipled together, healthy boundaries, cross-gender mentorship, equal authority in leadership, and the church culture many Christians are still having to unlearn. Rather than pretending those tensions do not exist, this conversation asks what it looks like to become healthy enough to navigate them while building churches and organizations where both men and women can fully lead. (00:00) - Why Male Voices Need to Champion Women (01:05) - Why This Conversation Needs Men and Women (03:36) - Women Already Leading at the Highest Levels (05:58) - Why Tim Wrote a Position on Women in Leadership (07:54) - Healthy Leaders Matter More Than Gender (09:40) - Choose the Best Person for the Job (11:13) - Women Need Reps to Grow as Leaders (14:18) - You Don’t Get to Quit After a Bad Sermon (16:19) - Leadership Requires Playing the Long Game (17:04) - Obedience Has to Trump Insecurity (19:34) - The Real Tension of Men and Women Leading Together (24:09) - Objectivity, Discernment, and Healthy Leadership (25:29) - Rethinking Cross-Gender Discipleship (30:09) - Equal Authority Means Releasing Control (32:37) - Unlearning a Male-Dominated Church Culture