From a young age, Linda Bailey had a passion for ministry. Growing up in a Christian family, church was central to her life, and her desire to serve God was constantly on her mind. Linda shares that as a child, she would “pretend to preach to the couches in our lounge room.” Despite her zeal to preach and teach, it wasn’t until early adulthood that this became a reality.
With the intention of studying psychology in Melbourne, Linda’s journey soon shifted once she attended Doncaster Church of Christ (DCC) in Melbourne. Unlike other churches she had attended, DCC actively encouraged and empowered women in leadership. This point of revelation for Linda shifted her focus away from psychology and toward the possibility of entering vocational ministry.
“All of a sudden I had all these other opportunities in church … I just got so involved in church leadership and it just resonated with who I was and the passion that I had and the gifts and abilities that I felt God had given me that I basically changed my degree,” Linda shares.
Before long, psychology gave way to Biblical Studies. Linda stepped into church ministry and spent more than a decade serving in various roles. But leadership journeys are rarely linear.
When Doubt Creeps In
Over the course of 12 years serving in ministry, Linda entered a difficult season of conflict with senior leadership. The experience had a significant impact on her confidence and leadership journey. Eventually, Linda stepped out of ministry, which happened around the time she was participating in the Arrow program.
Looking back, Linda can laugh at the situation, sharing, “ I was doing Arrow actually and they always say be careful when you start doing Arrow it usually means there’s a change.”
For Linda, the decision to step away from ministry was coupled by the reflective process she had been undertaking at Arrow.
“You’re thinking about your leadership and where you’re at and what you’re doing and that was very true for me.”
It was during this turbulent period that Linda says “Arrow gave me a greater understanding of who I was and the type of leader I was.” Despite her doubts and reservations about leaving Church Ministry Linda shares that “Arrow helped me to see the gifts, the abilities and the leadership strengths that I did have”
What she didn’t know at the time was that Arrow would have a lasting impact on her decision to step back into church ministry.
“if it wasn’t for Arrow, I probably would never have stepped back into ministry because of the confidence, teaching and highlighting the skills and experience that I have to offer,” she shares.
Equipping Practical Leaders
Although Linda completed a Bachelor of Theology she felt there was something missing.
“I’d finished my Bachelor of Theology and I was doing ministry but I felt like that wasn’t enough for the everyday reality of ministry in a church,”she explains. “I thought this would be great in developing my leadership while I’m in the context of church.”
What started off as a leadership program Linda thought would be useful, turned out to be, what she describes as, “the best leadership teaching and assistance for me than I have ever experienced.”
Linda describes the Arrow retreats giving her the opportunity for “intense, deep and reflective situations with other people in the same stage of life and the same stage of leadership.”
For years Linda had been pouring into others, leaving very little time and space for her own leadership formation. It was during Arrow that Linda describes the life-giving nature of “just sitting under someone’s teaching. It was just really beautiful and refreshing.” For leaders, who are often the ones feeding others, being spiritually nourished themselves can be transformative.
From then on, the residentials quickly became a highlight. The combination of spiritual depth, rich teaching, and intentional reflection created space for leadership growth Linda had never experienced before.
Looking Deeper Into Leadership
Linda describes herself as naturally introspective and self-aware. However, Arrow took that reflective process a step further.
“Arrow helped me to look beyond my context. It helped me to look beyond just what I was feeling and what I was going through,” she says. “Through the books, the lectures and the conversation, it helped me ask myself if there was something more that I can learn, or something more I can apply to my situation rather than trying to do the same thing over and over again,” she explains.
A particular reflective activity that left a lasting impression on Linda, was exploring the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles. Participants were grouped according to leadership styles, and Linda remembers initially assuming her style was the most effective.
Through unpacking the “shadow sides” of different leadership styles, Linda came to realise the danger in leaning too far into one style of leadership without recognising its weak points. The same activity also offered her a new perspective on different leadership contexts calling for differing styles of leadership.
“It helped me to refine and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of my leadership style. Whilst helping me appreciate other people’s leadership styles as well and see the benefits that that could have in certain situations,” She says.
Healing and Renewal
Eventually, with renewed confidence and healing, Linda stepped back into church ministry. Today, she serves at One Church in Blackburn, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, where she has been for nearly ten years.
She is part of the executive leadership team, oversees ministry staff across multiple areas, contributes to preaching, and helps integrate new people into church life.
In many ways, she now finds herself doing for others what Arrow did for her.
“I am in a position where I’m helping other leaders to be the best leaders they can be.”
Linda attributes the ministry she does now being continually shaped by the lessons she learned through Arrow, sharing, “I don’t think there would be a day that goes by or a supervision session that I go through that I wouldn’t be bringing the wisdom that I got from Arrow and bringing that into the context that I’m in now.”
Leadership Across All Spheres
Looking ahead, Linda is hopeful for the next generation of Christian leaders.
“I think so many of our young people have incredible opportunities in our world and I think the exciting part of that is that they can take their Christian leadership to any sphere that they may be in.”
Her vision for Christian leaders is influenced by her theology of the Kingdom of God: that leadership shaped by Christ can influence any sphere. For Linda, she wants to encourage leaders to take their skills and experience wherever God has placed them.
At the same time, she hopes young people will see that church ministry itself can be a healthy and life-giving option. Linda appreciates the negative light church ministry can be painted in and assures young Christians that it is a place “where people can express their gifts.”
As a woman who grew up in a context that did not affirm women in leadership, Linda offered encouragement to women aspiring to ministry by asserting that God has created every person with different gifts and that gender should not disqualify anyone from the work God has called them to do.
“I don’t even have to say women should be in ministry,” she reflects. “By me being here. It gives them pause to think, oh wow, that is actually a possibility and that is something that our church supports and promotes.”
Formed For Life
When asked to summarise her Arrow experience, Linda shares, “It was the best leadership training I’ve ever done,” she says. “It has been formative not just for my ministry, but for my life.”
Arrow provided her with clarity during times of confusion, and confidence in the face of crisis. It gave her the vocabulary to articulate her strengths and a greater appreciation for others. Moreover, it reaffirmed her dedication to nurturing spiritual depth as the essential foundation for leadership.
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