Women's Ministry Blog September 2026 - WHAT IS IT? DISCIPLESHIP?

Years ago, or maybe I should say decades ago, I was sitting in a Bible study with one of my dearest friends, Jeanne, at a church across town. Jeanne had invited me to attend the women’s study at her church that fall. While I was hesitant, I loved being with my friend and wanted to spend time with her. Little did I know what God had in mind.

The room was dimly lit so we could view the video. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, all because of this teacher’s style and the way she taught. The woman on the screen had blond hair and a Texas accent. She was a Bible teacher you would know by name: Beth Moore. She was teaching the book of Daniel.

She was fun and made jokes about her hair, but she also carried a deep conviction about what she knew of God and His Word. The way she taught was new and amazing—unlike anything I had ever seen or experienced. As I completed the homework and watched those videos with my friend each week, I found myself wanting to understand what this new teacher was teaching. How did she know the Bible so well? I desired to understand it the way she did.

A few years later, another friend invited me to join her Bible study in someone’s home. I resisted for a while. To be honest, I was afraid of the study style and didn’t understand it, so it was easier to say no than to admit my feelings of insecurity. But she kept asking me. She told me how much I would love it and how much she wanted to include me in her group.

I finally went with Lauren, who attends Woodmen. The study was led by a woman named Lorna, who attended another church. I will admit that I loved simply going to Lorna’s home in Black Forest for the study. I have a deep love for tall trees and quaint home settings.

It was an intimate group of about 10 to 12 women on any given night. Lauren kept telling me, “I know this is different, but keep coming. I’ll help you. You’ll love this.”

Lorna was deeply knowledgeable, passionately committed and enthusiastic about God’s Word. This was a Precept Bible study. It was challenging, but I had lots of help and was surrounded by a group of caring women. I stayed with this group for several years. We talked around Lorna’s table, asked questions, cross-referenced passages and shared prayer requests. We were taught by a patient woman who loved us.

More recently, I’ve been involved in a study here at Woodmen, now going into my 11th year. It is also an inductive study, led by another woman who is deeply knowledgeable about God’s Word, Patricia. At this point, we have studied almost every genre of the Bible.

Each year, we are taught in a large group and then break into smaller groups. We gather to answer questions, ask questions, examine God’s Word and consider things like:

What is revealed about God in this passage? What do I learn about people and about relating to God? What do I learn about relating to others?

God, what do You want me to understand or think? Father, what do You want me to believe? God, what do You want me to desire?

Lord, what do You want me to do?

And finally … How will I respond to what God has revealed to me?

I would be remiss not to mention the other Bible study writers who have nurtured my learning as well, including Jen Wilkin, Elizabeth Woodson, Courtney Doctor, Kristi McLelland, Kelly Minter, Jackie Hill Perry, Lisa Harper and others. For the last few summers, I’ve also shared sweet times with my dear friend Linda as we’ve spent time together in His Word, learning through studies written by some of these teachers and writers.

Now, ladies, I understand—there are a lot of questions. I understand how intimidating certain books of the Bible can feel. I am humbly brought before the LORD, knowing there are still so many things I don’t understand about Him. I sometimes feel lost as I try to understand what God has for me to learn. I get confused by some of the biblical writing, genres, hyperlinks, themes and so much more.

I can become overwhelmed by the many layers of learning. I can cry over the things the Holy Spirit reveals through the teachings of Jesus. There are times when simply touching the red-letter print in my Bible causes me to cry.

I am passionate about learning, humbled by all I don’t know and blessed by friends, teachers and leaders who have patience with me. I am grateful for the women—and men—who are not simply doing a “job,” but are called and gifted to teach, helping others read and understand God’s Word. I have been discipled by so many people in so many different ways.

What do I know? I know that I will always be learning. I will always need someone who understands more than I do about the Bible and who God is—someone who will help me understand what I don’t yet know.

I treasure the hope that I will always be surrounded by other women who want to talk about Scripture and share how God has revealed Himself in their lives. I want to continue discovering new ways to learn and study. I am also in awe of how difficult it can be to change study or learning styles from one teacher to the next—and how worthwhile that challenge can be.

Family, ladies, that’s you. We are all sisters in Christ, learning together. We are all taking one step at a time to grow deeper in our love for the Lord, discover His radiance and worship Him. With each step, we experience the deepening humility that comes through learning.

We begin to grasp that He, the Creator of all things, is madly, wildly and deeply in love with each of us. He invites us into relationship through a friend, a group, a video teaching, a book or a workbook—all so we can understand His Word, the Bible, and know Him, the LORD.

Discipleship … what is it?

It’s the life He gives us. It is sweet. It’s the next step for each of us—reading His Book with a friend or a group. It’s a field open to us for discovery. It is vast, deep and wide; unending, comforting, nurturing, loving and kind.

It’s spending time in a book—a series of stories that are all connected. It is the best book ever written, filled with layer upon layer of themes, stories and care. There are flawed characters, connections from one part of the story to another, suspense, drama, action, history, guidance, love, affection, prayer, healing, death, tragedy, sacrifice and redemption.

We get to ask questions, have discussions and share long talks. It’s about relationship, sisters. It’s being with friends and gathering together—and you and I both know that we love some time together! Whether we prefer one-on-one time, a few sisters or a large group, we are all doing this together.

Or dare I say that, in the depths of our hearts, we were designed to be a family—sisters who desire relationship and long to know that we are loved by our Redeemer and by one another.

What is discipleship?

Join a group and be part of discovering your heart’s desire. Be open. Ask questions. Answer questions. Talk. Have coffee. Spend time with the One who pursues you.

You, sister, are invited in.

- Traci Hollingsworth