The Beckoning of the Lord –
Should a Woman be a Pastor?
Testimony of Rev Cheryl Birch
Recently, I was asked, “When did your heart start to burn in you to become a pastor? How long did you desire to do that
before the Lord established you?” My answer surprised the young man who asked. I told him I never desired to be a
pastor. I added that being a pastor was probably last on my list of ministry desires and I never asked God or man to be
placed in that position. Yes, my heart burned within me to touch people lives for the Lord, but never to become a
reverend; never to hold the office of pastor or to plant a fellowship or take charge of a fellowship. Yet, in 2005 the Lord
called me to become an ordained minister. He followed that call by asking me to plant a para-church ministry and to
pastor a fellowship in Modesto California. This call was one of the most challenging and deeply life-changing personal
growth times of my life.
In fact, I fought the very idea of becoming a licensed minister or being ordained. It did not appeal to me. I attended Bible
School classes for personal growth and considered finishing, but decided not to. It didn’t seem necessary for what I
desired to do. I liked the evangelistic ministry the Lord had birthed in me and actually thanked the Lord many times in
prayer that I could go into a place, release His message and leave. I even told friends that I would do anything for Jesus
except be a reverend or a pastor. It truly was not a hearts desire, ever.
Additionally, for much of my Christian walk, I was not fully convinced that the Lord called women to be pastors. I was
never part of the group of women fighting to get to the pulpit and shepherd a church. I admired their spunk, but always
wondered if they were truly called to pastor or if they had carried some of the women's rights ideas into the church. I did
not doubt the Lord called women to preach. Dynamic women serve as teachers, evangelists, faith-based organization
leaders, and prophetesses as well as missionaries and other callings of the Lord. I admired them all. Their role was fine
with me, even inspiring, but pastoring, except in partnership with ones pastor husband, was a questionable position in
my mind. I never spoke against it as I was quite sure all the women pastors I met loved the Lord and truly believed they
were called. Also, since I never wanted to be a pastor, I never put any bible study time to the question. I had no biblical
basis to debate their position... I guess I really didn't care. It was between them and God, not my decision to make.
So, with that kind of attitude, how did I end up a Reverend who planted and pastored a Fellowship? You might ask, since
it wasn’t my idea or desire, what changed my mind and heart? I can only describe it as beckoning. The Lord Jesus
poured out His Spirit upon me and beckoned me to serve His sheep and fulfill the Father's plan for my life.
Of course, the first step was salvation. I was apprehended by the Lord Jesus in March 1990. (Click here to read my
salvation testimony.) In May of that year I was filled with the Holy Spirit. From the moment the Holy Spirit filled me, before
I even fully understood the Great Commission, I began to overflow and shared the goodness of our God. Testimony to
Him poured out of me. The Lord had planted something in me that just had to come out.
He first let it be known that He had called me to ministry through three scriptures: Revelations 12:1, Matthew Chapter 10
and Isaiah 61:1-6. When I was about 4 months old in Him these scriptures deeply touched me. Those of you that know
the word of God, the scripture in Isaiah is the same one Jesus read in the Temple proclaiming His ministry. Matthew
Chapter 10 was the first prophetic word spoken over me as a promise for my life. The one in Revelation was the first
rhema, life giving word, the Lord gave me personally. It set in motion deep perseverance and dedication in my life that I
can only describe as supernatural. These scriptures are now the very foundation of the ministry the Lord has given.
Being such a new Christian, these verses seemed like an immediate mandate to me. I understood by the Spirit that I
was called to do what the verses said but I tried to make it happen in my flesh. That miserably failed. So, I retreated and
I hid the call on my life in my heart. I got involved in the prayer group at church and attended faithfully, but soon could
not contain my excitement. Something was burning in my bones. So, I spoke to my pastor two months later and he
prayed with me and he said he could see the call on my life. We both thought I would eventually make a good women’s
event speaker since I could combine fashion knowledge with sharing my testimony. I was a color and image consultant at
the time. He asked me to share my testimony about coming out of New Age (not the color and image part) one Sunday
night and a mini- revival broke out. The altar filled with people repenting. The Holy Spirit moved dynamically to confirm
that there was a call to be His voice on my life.
But, it was still too soon for a ministry to be birthed. I was only 6 months old in the Lord and still had some stinky grave
clothes on. My husband was not in agreement with the idea of me ministering in church and that pressure made it
difficult for me to dedicate the time that a ministry would require. Also, God is about the business of building character
and redeeming the gifts He has given us that were twisted by the enemy. And He wants folks that humble themselves
before Him and don't minister in their own pride. I had a long way to go before I fully met His qualifications.
After sharing testimony in my church twice in 1990 with explosive results, I got a little puffed up and thankfully, I was put
on the shelf so to speak. The Lord took me out of my first church to prevent the inevitable prideful destruction that
comes when anointed people are placed in leadership positions too soon. I needed to grow into the spiritual fruit of
Galatians Chapter 5. Now, I can look back and see that it was also to stop me from being out of agreement with my
husband.
To make sure that I matured to His liking, the Lord put me in quite a different environment. He corrected me and tested
me and held me for two years in a church where women were not allowed to speak or teach or minister. There I learned
submission and humility. I also learned that even in that kind of environment, if it is where God wants us, we prosper. My
husband was happier and my walk with the Lord grew stronger.
Before I left that church, the Lord opened up a door for me to teach both men and women about prayer. I missed the
prayer group of my first church and asked the Pastor of the new one if I could start a prayer group. It was eventually
approved because no man in the church desired to take the lead. The Board of Elders petitioned the denomination’s
main office in the Midwest and the answer came back that because Deborah was a judge when no men would take the
job, that it was biblical to let me lead under the watchful eye of the Pastor and Elders. I liked that little church and I was
very happy being the prayer group leader of 7 folks. In addition, I prayed with 5 friends on Wednesday nights and I
volunteered at the local women’s mission and led simple devotions. That was enough ministry for me. My husband fully
supported me in that level of ministry. I was happy and content in an intercessory and serving role.
Most likely, I would still be there today, but the Father had other ideas. When He saw how comfortable I was, He shook
things up. He hates any environment that breeds complacency or will prevent us from fulfilling His plan for our lives. The
prayer group at the church suddenly fell apart a year and a half after its inception. Folks either moved or got a job that
prevented them from coming and in a matter of a couple of weeks there were only two of us. I became dissatisfied when
no one else showed interest or had the time to join us in prayer. This caused me to seek the Lord for direction.
He answered quickly and connected me with a new church through a special program I attended there. In just a few
weeks I joined the morning prayer group at the other church. Three months later, I left the safety of my little church and
started attending one of the Mega-churches in town. I continued praying on Wednesdays and going to the women’s
mission to share devotions. The devotions were changing as I grew in the Lord. At first I read bible verses and excerpts
from books. Then I began to teach the word of God at the mission. Women were receiving Jesus as Savior and growing
in their faith on Monday nights. It was a training ground and a place the Lord used to redeem the teaching gift He had
given me from birth.
At the new church, I was still on the character building shelf. It was a big church of 4,000 people. It was overwhelming at
first and I preferred a low profile. Though I stayed faithful to Friday morning prayer for 2 years, I didn't seek involvement
in any other programs the church offered. Then we got a new pastor and the church started a Wednesday night
women’s prayer meeting that my friends and I joined. There I began to help the leader with whatever was needed. Soon
I became a prayer circle leader and helped to disciple women new to intercessory prayer. Out of my circle came many
circle leaders. I was learning to disciple and mentor and raise up other leaders. It was a very satisfying experience and I
was once again quite content.
The Lord sent me out on the road for the first time in 1994 to a church in Sacramento to share my testimony at a
women's luncheon. It was an awesome experience ministering to about 50 ladies. It stirred up a desire in me to share at
more places. But, back on the shelf I went. That was hard. I could really see that preaching the word of God was
something that was beyond fulfilling. It was part of the high call of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though I remained obedient to
Him and didn't do anything to try to make a ministry happen, I began to pray earnestly and asked my Lord to open the
door for more opportunities to share. Still, no new opportunities came. Obediently, I continued at the mission, in the
prayer group and started to work in the altars as a prayer counselor at my church.
It wasn’t until 1997 that the Holy Spirit called me out. He gave me a plan to teach in my church. That made me very
nervous. I was afraid to ask the Pastor about it. Yes, the gift to teach had been there from birth and I was a national
speaker and seminar leader by profession in the past, but my experience as a bible teacher was one women's meeting,
the women’s mission and my prayer circle. It scared me to even think of teaching at such a big church. Still, I could not
let the thought go that I needed to teach. So, I approached my leadership with the plan for a 3 part class on prayer for
beginners. They were excited about it and set the date, announced it and put me in a small classroom set for 30
people. The Lord sent over 70 the first week and over 100 the second. The third week they moved me to the main
sanctuary and asked me to teach 7 weeks instead of 3 weeks. There were about 400 in the class. It was repeated 3
more times over the next two years and then became an annual prayer boot camp with multiple speakers.
Doors opened all over Central California from that class. By the end of 1997 the Lord began to build a team of women
and we traveled everywhere together. At first we shared at women’s events and retreats and then what were suppose to
be women’s events ended up being all church events or men asked to come. Suddenly, under the Lord’s hand of grace
we became an evangelistic team ministering to men and women.
In 2001, with my husband's encouragement, Cheryl Birch Ministries, Inc was formed as a nonprofit evangelistic outreach.
The ministry was growing leaps and bounds. My husband had grown and so had I. We were ready for the new
adventure. I continued as a teacher, intercessor and deliverance counselor at my church as well as teaching at the
mission. Once again, I was very content. Running CBM, teaching the word of God and praying for people at my church
was more than fulfilling. Since I worked full time as well, it was all that I felt I could handle. Then, in 2004 the Lord looked
at us with His eyes of love and shook things up again.
It is hard to explain what the Holy Spirit was doing in me at that time. It is best described as being driven into the
wilderness. I felt alone and I didn’t want to go into the wilderness, but it was an experience that Jesus had and I believe
we all go there in our lives to better understand the fellowship of His suffering and the trials and testing He went through.
It is part of becoming more like our Lord. The Holy Highway headed that way and since I refused to leave the Holy
Highway, I simply had no choice but to follow where the Spirit led. So, into the wilderness I went.
In that place nothing in my life worked anymore. Everything I thought I understood, I realized I only had partial revelation
or none at all. My faith was sorely tested. Pressures came upon me at work that I never expected. Calls to speak began
to taper off until there were none. Changes took place in the church. As a result the prayer group I was leading on
Mondays needed to close down. It was due to circumstances beyond my control. There was nothing we had done to
deserve being shut down and it broke my heart. At the same time, the leader of the Wednesday group became ill and at
her request I took over for her. I did that for 1 year with each month becoming more and more difficult. The group was
thriving, and I had grace to lead when I was there, but personally I was going deeper and deeper into a dark dry place.
And then my husband's job of 23 years was eliminated and our income dropped by 2/3rds.
During 2004 I was in a state of being that I had never been before. I felt I had entered a dark tunnel and there was no
light at all. In His mercy, the Lord gave me a dream at that time. In the dream He showed me a rose bush. It was
beautiful, green and full. It was covered with flowers. It was planted in a sunny garden with lots of other beautiful plants.
As I watched, His large hands picked up a shovel and dug up the rose bush. The shovel cut roots in half that went quite
deep into the ground. As the roots were severed, I felt pain. Once the roots were cut He picked up the bush and began
to prune it. He cut off every single root and cut back all of the branches. The greenery, flowers and roots lay in a heap
on the ground. Nothing was left but a stump at the root and a stick with 3 stubby branches at the top. I felt pain at every
cut and I shook with pain as I looked at the naked bush.
His big hands carefully turned the stump over and over to make sure every root, even the tiniest hair-like ones, were
cut. In the dream He looked at me and said, "I am making you like this bare root rose bush." He smiled so lovingly. And
then I woke up.
I could function no longer in any ministry at church after that dream. In one day the Lord removed His hand of favor to
minister and the anointing to do so stopped flowing. I could have put up a front and continued in my own strength, as
folks were counting on me, but, when I tried, I miserably failed. I had always ministered in the grace and anointing of the
Lord. Now, ministry was so heavy and I realized there was no grace to lead any longer. By then, I was in leadership in
many areas of the church plus President/CEO of Cheryl Birch Ministries. Despite the key positions I held, the Holy Spirit
made it clear to me that I was to resign all leadership in my church and for a time I wondered if He would also close down
CBM.
During 2005, I began to do what the Lord required. It was very hard and it was extremely painful, but by December of
2005 I had resigned from everything. I was just getting ready to tell the Board of Directors that we needed to close down
CBM as well when the Holy Spirit stopped me. That was not His plan. In fact, He revealed to me that He wished to use
CBM in a new way. That excited me, however, when He told me it would require that I become a licensed minister and to
take training for ordination the excitement drained out of me and I flatly said no. I stubbornly and pridefully ignored the
Lord. I had an excuse that ordination was a fleshy desire, a pipe dream, something Evangelists don't need and,
therefore, it could not be a call on my life.
So, the Holy Spirit made sure I heard it again through a man I admired and trusted. I had a meeting with him and he
asked me when I was going to be licensed. He said it was time. Still, I did not want that and just smiled and said I would
pray about it. So, the Holy Spirit sent yet another man I admired and who is very prophetic into my life. He told me flat
out that the Lord was calling me to ordination and that I was not listening. In fact, I was being rebellious. Shocked, I
realized he was right. I had been ignoring the Holy Spirit’s voice.
Repentance came first, followed by peace and a sense of direction that lifted the darkness of the wilderness. Then I
applied for licensing. I had all of the qualifications and needed only to take a refresher series. If all went well, I would
receive the license in a few months. As directed by the Lord, I also began training for ordination.
By January of 2006, all of my obligations at church were finished except one class which I had promised I would speak
on forgiveness and help pray for people. When that class was over, I realized the next Sunday morning that I felt like a
visitor in my own church. After being there over 10 years, I felt totally disconnected. It was a foreign eerie feeling that
scared me. I went home in the middle of the service to seek the Lord for relief and understanding.
He had not talked to me much the past two years. His written word spoke to me, of course, but I was use to a constant
dialogue with Him from the time I was saved and on. In the previous 22 months or so, He had given me the dream about
the rose bush and had told me to get licensed and ordained. On a very difficult day, He had whispered encouragement
to me and during a vacation He had directed me to read Pilgrims Progress. That was all He had said to my heart in all
that time. Those things all helped and kept me going. In fact, Pilgrims Progress started me on the walk out of the
wilderness and helped me to cope with the issues I was facing. During those dark dry times, it was never the pain of
letting go that was the worst. It was not hearing His voice. He was close and quietly watching over me and I knew that,
but I missed His voice so much.
That Sunday afternoon when I felt so disconnected, He suddenly broke silence. He spoke to me very clearly and
steadily. He told me it was time to leave my Church to do other work for Him. He said that during the next two months He
would have me traveling most of the time and that, when He told me to, I was to leave the church immediately. “What will
I do?” I asked Him. “Pastor.” He said. He gave me scripture and told me to plant a fellowship. That began a wrestling with
God for several days. I had every excuse in the world not to say yes to this call. I was so intent on not pastoring that I
didn’t even ask where or when or how. NO was all I could think or feel.
I pleaded and cajoled and begged Him not to require that of me. He was silent again. Yet, He kept His word. Travel I did.
Door after door opened to minister or visit elsewhere on Sundays. During one visit, the pastor preached a message on
answering the call of the Lord. He looked right at me and said, “What He calls you to do very often is what you are afraid
to do.” That was it. A revelation lightning bolt struck me. I was afraid, very afraid to say yes. Pastoring is a high call
position; one that requires great commitment, sacrifice and servanthood. I also knew that as a woman there would be
many challenges to the call on my life. I wasn’t even sure that pastoring was a woman’s province and I did not want to
face that either. It was safer to be a prophetic teacher and evangelist; easier too. One can go into a place, say what
God says to say, and then leave. It’s the pastor that is there in the "nitty gritty" of life with people.
On top of that, I had old personal issues. Resentment over some things from childhood was there as a wall. Emotionally,
I just could not handle the responsibility. Being a person that is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the
Lord’s kids was very scary.
Yet, I was so convicted during that service I knew I needed to do something. The Lord was pulling on me to say yes to
Him afraid. Yes to Him selfish. Yes to Him emotionally messed up. He didn’t expect a finished product. He just wanted a
Yes. Repentance once again came first and lots of tears when I got home alone with Him. Finally, I could not take it
anymore. I just threw myself like a 5 year old across the bed and wept kicking my feet. When the tantrum was over, He
started to speak to me and said I could settle for less than He had for me and He would still love me and use me at
times. But, He had so much more and I needed to answer His call. His voice was so tender and beckoning, I could not
resist Him or the love I felt. I broke down and said Yes.
I had prayed all those years nearly daily: “Lord, keep me in the very hot center of what you are doing even if you have
to drag me kicking and screaming.” He reminded me of that prayer. I had not asked Him for anything in ministry but the
very hot center of what He was doing. When He answered my prayer, the hot center wasn’t what I expected and out of
old wounds, I rejected His plan. Praise God, He sent His Spirit to drag me kicking and screaming to the place where I
could say Yes.
With Yes said, repentance complete, and forgiveness received, I fearfully began the process of asking where, when
and how. He told me to take time off of work, as much time as I could get. I took off 12 days in February to hear Him and
to fully receive the plan. At the end of 12 days, I had the vision of The NET that is posted on this website and the plan
to do quarterly events. He also gave me a plan to plant a fellowship that met twice a month at first and that would move
into weekly when He was ready. This was to happen as soon as I was licensed.
I heard from the Institute licensing me that I would receive my license in May. I talked with my husband who supported
me and continues to be an integral part of the ministry. With his encouragement, in April, I met with my Pastor and his
wife to explain what was going on with me. They heard the story and the Lord confirmed it to them. They prayed for me,
blessed me and sent me on my way to plant the fellowship. On June 2, 2006, which was Pentecost on the Hebrew
Calendar, we had our first Friday Night Fellowship meeting and I preached my first sermon as a pastor to 29 people.
Two weeks before we had our first meeting, I had another dream. This time the hands of the Lord picked up the most
beautiful pot. It was a lovely soft golden color with delicate ornate trimming. He sat down on a stool and took rich soil and
filled the pot. Then he hunted around in a bin on a shelf and found a bare root rose bush. He smiled at it and planted it
in the rich soil carefully patted it into place and made sure it was firmly seated. Then He took a watering can and soaked
it with water. After that He picked up the pot and placed it in a sunny part of His garden. I felt only love the entire time.
No pain. He folded His big arms across His chest and looked very satisfied. Then I woke up.
I am now ordained and licensed by both United Christian Ministries International and Global Impact Group. I pastored the
Friday Night Fellowship as a thriving small church in our city for 4 years. When I said Yes to the beckoning of my Lord,
I found I could not imagine anything else. I came up out of the wilderness of pruning leaning on His arm (Song of
Solomon 8: 5-7) and enjoyed being planted in the lovely pot the Lord Jesus gave. His eye guided us and His loving smile
was constantly our sunshine and sustenance. I learned how to pastor and serve as He serves. I loved His kids and
enjoyed the nitty-gritty of life with them. Most of all I am so grateful that He helped me to say Yes.
By way of an update, the Lord has moved me on to new adventures. I am now the leader/founder of the Modesto
Refreshing and Healing Center, our current para-church ministry, also Bless the Kids Backpack Project ,an
outreach for low-income and foster care school children and Cry Out for Revival Prayer Network an apostolic
prophetic prayer outreach to the Modesto Region. The vision of establishing and connecting with a network of ministries
with a focus of unity in the body of Christ, worshipping God and praying for His sovereign move is increasingly our focus
and goal. To that end we are one of the founding ministries of the Pastor's and Ministry Leaders Coffee Break for
Central Valley California ministry leaders.
I conclude this testimony by recognizing that not everyone agrees that women should be pastors or ministry leaders and
many do not believe they should be ordained at all. I tried really hard not to be an ordained minister and even harder
not to be a pastor and ministry leader. All I can say is Jesus had other ideas about that. To follow my Lord and yield to
His will for my life is all that matters to me as I run the race to my highest call in HIM!
Respectfully submitted
Rev. Cheryl S. Birch