Empowered and Equipped: Bible Exposition for Women Who Teach the Scriptures

by Julia B. Higgins, Jen Wilkin (Foreword)

“Jesus commissioned disciples to teach the nations, and women of the church must take his call seriously.”
 
Men and women alike are given the spiritual gift of teaching, yet few resources are designed specifically for women who exposit the Scriptures. In Empowered and Equipped, Julia Higgins steers women through the steps needed to faithfully interpret, apply, and teach a passage of Scripture. By examining both the principles and practices of teaching of Bible exposition, Higgins seeks to prepare women in the local church to make and mold disciples.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Theology

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Julia Bickley Higgins (MDiv, PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Ministry to Women and Associate Dean of Graduate Program Administration at SEBTS. Her ministry focus is college and adult young women. She has authored several journal reviews and blog posts that primarily focus on women in ministry.

Reviews

[Rebecca Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a great mix of theology, principles, and applications. And it was encouraging to read a book that is complementarian that has an extremely high view of women and the need for them to be trained and equipped as Bible teachers.

[Natalie Herr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid introductory resource for female Bible teachers! Gives practical frameworks for deep Bible study as well as crafting a talk and living what we teach. The writing style was a bit repetitive (I’m going to tell you, I’m telling you, I told you style) — but I don’t think it takes away from the content.

[Madison Ewers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very practical and helpful book about women teaching - the why and the how. It was easy and enjoyable to read! Whether you’re talking about the Bible in a one-on-one setting, teaching Scripture to a group, leading a devotional, or writing content about the Bible - any woman would benefit from reading this book!

(Read the physical book)

[Victoria Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very dense and helpful book with the overarching topic of women teaching in the church based on God’s good design! I am so encouraged faithful women like Julia Higgins breaking down things like church history, doctrine, and hermeneutics. I will definitely keep this book around for future discipleship planning!

[ME · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. As with many others that attempt to teach biblical exposition, exegesis, hermeneutics, and/or teaching (of which, this book attempts all!) it is sometimes too technical, but more often, does not go far enough to be practically helpful. It's a strange paradox; it is both too much and too little. And my biggest issue with the book is that it reads very impersonally, as if it is a doctoral paper rather than a book from one woman teacher to another fledgling teacher. There is absolutely no warmth here, and I prefer a technical book over one of high emotion, but this comes off as clinical and cold.
I originally bought the book because I am teaching some of these principles to women in a group setting, hoping to raise up others to do the same and looking for a sound resource to put in their hands. I can do that with this book, but only with reservations, and only, I think, if we were to read it together so that we could chart a practical course through its material.
So, in the end, while it is a helpful resource, I think it will be shelved long before it is finished if there is not some accountability for finishing and some way to practically implement the principles it presents.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to finally have finished this book! It puts in to words so many things I’ve noticed or have wanted to learn more about. It was written with much clarity and it got me excited about studying the Bible. It also makes me want to scream on a mountain to every Jesus loving woman in the world how important the Scriptures are! You can tell the author spent a lot of time trying to convey as much as possible. My only hesitation is that it feels very academic and at times it was hard for me to connect with the author because it read like a textbook.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a woman that desires to teach the Bible in any capacity, this book is gold!!! Each chapter is well-written and broken into manageable chunks. I read this along with The Gospel Coalition “How to teach the Bible” cohort and it was a vital asset! I would encourage you to read it, while taking parts and implementing what you are learning on a short passage of scripture!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to any woman who teaches or hopes to some day teach in any capacity in the local church.

[Christy Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful for women wanting to teach the Bible well, walks through the steps of handling Scripture appropriately in context. A good compilation of information from other sources, feels like I got snippets from lots of other books and not a ton of content from the author, but it was a helpful read.

[Lauren Ducommun · Rating 5 out of 5]

While specifically written with women in mind, every believer should read this book! @juliabhiggins , an assistant professor at @sebts , is a gifted communicator and has written a lovely book with almost everything you need to know to study and teach the Scriptures. From Haddison to Helm, I feel like Higgins has concisely summarized everything I’ve learned about hermeneutics and homiletics from seminary and Simeon Trust into this one book.
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After briefly sharing why women should read and teach the Bible, she moves right into important topics such as how the Bible is the revelation of God, the metanarrative of Scripture, genres, history of hermeneutics, Bible translation (form and meaning), exegetical ideas, and more.
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I also appreciated her ending, asking pastors whether or not there is space in their church (yes, complementarian churches) for women to teach God’s Word. “If not, how can you become an advocate for helping the church understand where it might be lacking?”
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As Jen Wilkin succinctly challenges us, “It is one thing to say that women are permitted to teach women, and quite another to deliberately cultivate and celebrate their teaching gifts."

Favourite quotes:

✨“When a woman stands and teaches the Bible in this manner, the women who watch and hear another woman who is capable of discerning and articulating the meaning of the Bible hopefully will be enlightened to the idea that she, too, should take seriously the study of the Scriptures.”

✨“While qualified men are responsible to teach and oversee the local church, that does not negate the fact that both men and women are given the spiritual gift of teaching.”

✨“The Christian teacher, then, must be committed to more than just proper hermeneutics and faithful exposition; they must also consider the way they live out what they teach."

✨“While the pastors/elders of the church have been given the responsibility to shepherd churches through biblical teaching and protecting doctrine, each church member must know true doctrine, have the ability to discern false doctrine, and teach sound doctrine to others."

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book to read as part of a cohort on how to teach the Bible. She gives a really helpful overview of the Bible, its genres, its overarching story, and then gives practical help on how to study a passage and prepare to teach on it. I have used it to prepare teachings over the last year a half and have found it extraordinarily helpful. I do want to work on tweaking some things to make my study method work better for me, but this is a great starting point. While this does seem focused more for women that are teaching other women, I would highly recommend it to any woman that is teaching through Scripture in any context and for any age. There are definitely gems here.

[Melanie Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest. When I started this book, I was under the assumption that it would basically be review for me. I love studying Scripture and I’ve spent time through the years teaching others how to rightly interpret passages using the inductive method. But Julia Higgins humbled me with information that will help me dig even deeper and to develop more excitement through the reading and digestion of the Word. I would recommend this book for ALL women (not simply those who teach), but also to all men!

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best book I’ve read on the topic of women teaching women. I’ve looked for a book like this for years. Now, as a retired pastor’s wife who has spent a lifetime teaching women, I’ve finally found it. I am still leading a women’s Bible study group and working with new teachers. I’m so happy to recommend this book to both new and seasoned teachers. It is theologically sound, academic, as well as challenging and heart-warming. The book is well-written and clear. It is a must read!

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot of information in this book that I was already familiar with but also a good amount to think through. The resources she referenced were helpful as well. The church needs women who are committed to teaching biblically and intelligently. Too long women have been focusing on topical studies that are Gospel light. Hopefully through this author and others like her there will be a new generation of women who seek to grow deep roots in Christ.

[Anlee Fekkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best books out there for equipping women Bible teachers and for pastors to support women teaching the Bible to go out and serve the great commission. If you loved Jen Wilkins women of the word, this will take you to the next level and give you glimpses of seminary-like courses made simple (not lay)…just not overly wordy or complicated. Women can handle and should handle teaching the word of god to the people (women make up half of gods people) of god. So good. So thankful.

[Hanna Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as the title implies, This book walks clearly through what it looks like for a woman to be empowered and equipped for teaching and discipleship. It reads a bit like a textbook, but is very helpful and practical. It would be a good read for anyone involved in women’s ministry of any sort or hoping to grow as a disciple/teacher in the local church.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful book that brings seminary level expositional teaching to an accessible level for lay teachers. Higgins pushes you to the next level without leaving you behind in confusion!

A must-read for teachers in women’s ministry who often have little access to seminary-level training!

[Sarah Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. The advice was so encouraging and tangible. An absolutely incredible resource for any woman (or bible student in general) who wants to be equipped to faithfully teach the Word. Definitely something I will return to time and time again!

[Hannah Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the end more practical chapters most. I understand the reason to lay down the foundations (very important) but sometimes felt very wordy. The ending was encouraging and challenging in a great way!

[Hannah Vanderpool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an important topic for Christian women who have been giving the gift of teaching.

[Debbie Brooker-hurteau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I will go back to often as I continue to grow in expositional teaching. Very practical and easy to read with many helpful tools!

[Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read on the topic of expositional teaching, and how to prepare your heart AND your mind for teaching the Bible.

[Monica Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for a book club bible study

[Nikki Shores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was useful for me to think about how to better study the Bible and also share what I have been learning. It gave me a fresh way to think about inductive Bible study.

[Bonnie Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful with a practical guide to hermeneutics and exegeting the Bible, as well as writing and presenting an expository teaching.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely helpful resource. Provides vision, framework, and practical tools for women seeking to teach the Bible.

[Jenna Hardister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this for Christmas and I’ve already finished! Definitely will be reading! Great book for women who want to go into ministry or just for women to read in general!

[Sophie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Excellent content, reads like a textbook.

[Jenny Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as the main resource for How to Teach the Bible with The Gospel Coalition. Julia did a great job covering how to do inductive Bible Study along with preparing expositional teaching.