Hey there friend!
I’m so stinkin’ happy you’re here! There’s nothing I like more than meeting another world changer!
Oh, don’t give me that look! Yes, I said World Changer. Just calling it like I see it. We both know you’ve been led here by that still, small voice that tells you it’s your time!
It’s your time to step forward and answer God’s call on your life. Hey, tell me, what does that look like for you? Is it a business, a ministry, or a nonprofit? What are you passionate about? Who do you want to serve? I want to hear all about it!
Are you feeling a little overwhelmed just thinking about it? Maybe a little anxious? Wondering how in the world you are going to pull it off, but you just know you have got to do it? Sounds like you’re in the right place because God-sized dreams are my specialty!
I remember when God first showed me glimpses of the vision He had for this ministry. It wasn’t my finest hour. I had just been through some of the most traumatic events in my life –a career implosion, the death of a loved one, and my husband had been told he had cancer. All that within about an eighteen-month period. To say I was a little devastated is an understatement. I mean the struggle was REAL!
And then, in the middle of my chaos, God begin to piece together for me a calling I wasn’t expecting. Can you relate? I bet you have some stories to tell!
In those early months, I felt so unqualified, so isolated, and so alone. Quite frankly, I was pretty sure God had me mixed up with someone else. A world changer? Who me?
But I have learned that God never makes a mistake and that He uses all of our experiences –good and bad–as a launching pad for something quite beautiful.
The fact is God’s in the people business, and He calls those of us who are willing to be servant leaders to do great things. Did you know you are a leader? Yep, that’s you. What kind of a leader are you?
Me –I am a nurturer! I believe in building others up and encouraging them. If we were together right now, I’d hug you! And at the end of the day, I want probably what you want –to make a difference in this world. To know I touched someone else’s heart and changed their life for the better.
But what I’ve also learned along the way is that a dream not acted upon is just a dream. I have met so many beautiful women who have a dream and they are holding back on going for it because it seems so BIG to them. But we serve a BIG God, and He doesn’t assign us small, DIY dreams. Nope, He assigns us God-sized dreams. So, my mission (and my passion) is to motivate you that you can do that thing God has called you to do.
Repeat after me: “I AM A WORLD CHANGER!”
Now, I wish I could tell you that God just opened up the sky and dropped down everything I needed right then and there and that I got busy, but I can’t. That’s not how it works. When things didn’t come easy, I did what most people do (and what I don’t want you to do), I started second guessing myself …that is until I met my first coach!
Coaching provided the framework I needed to start organizing my thoughts and set realistic goals. When I say in the beginning that my thoughts and plans were all over the place, I mean they were a mess! I needed help focusing on the specific vision God had given me. Through coaching, I was able to clearly identify who it was God was asking me to help, develop a reasonable action plan that didn’t overwhelm me, get motivated to implement the steps I needed to take, and learn how to celebrate my wins!
That’s what I want for you! Focus, clarity, achievable goals, and meaningful steps forward.
Now, I have had several coaches over the years, and each helped me in different ways. Those experiences were invaluable. But here’s the kicker, I still felt somewhat isolated, alone, frustrated, and downright exhausted trying to do all the things. I often felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. I didn’t have that ONE coach who totally got me or my God-sized dream.
I needed some guidance from someone who was experienced in marketplace ministry, a sounding board that could identify with me as a faith-based, female entrepreneur, and I needed a whole lot of confidence.
Why? Because marketplace ministry, when one launches a faith-based business, ministry, or nonprofit, is still pretty new and support for faith-based female entrepreneurs is lacking. Though the number of female entrepreneurs is rising, the number of faith-based female mentors and coaches still lags behind.
But then there was another problem. I struggled to find a group of like-minded, spirit-filled females who were secure in their calling and didn’t mind validating, encouraging, and supporting another like-minded, spirit-filled female in hers. When building a God-sized dream, community is everything. And I grew tired of the competition, comparison, and downright apathy of it all. And I decided enough! …and She Steps Forward Ministries was born.
Friend, you don’t have to look any further. Here at She Steps Forward Ministries, I bring all of my experiences to the table. I am pretty much an open book! I take the time to hear YOUR vision, work one-on-one with you to develop an actionable plan that saves YOU time and money, and provide you resources that are specific to YOUR needs.
And as a bonus, I’ve built a network of women who would love nothing more than to empower, support, and cheer you on!
Here at She Steps Forward Ministries, we don’t compete or play the comparison game. YOUR success is OUR success. In other words, you’ll be surrounded by a sisterhood that wants to help you accomplish all that God has entrusted to you. I will personally see to it.
Kingdom building, especially in the marketplace, is HARD work, but trust me when I say, someone is waiting for you to STEP FORWARD. We need you! The world needs you!
So, pull up a chair world changer, grab a hot cup of coffee, get ready to dive deep, and let’s get started!
Your God-given Destiny Awaits! Elaine
Who We Are
She Steps Forward Ministries is a nondenominational, relationship-focused organization built to walk with everyday women who are faith-based and have entrepreneurial goals. We believe how their entrepreneurial goals manifest is through their God-given gifts.
These women may be writers, speakers, mentors/coaches, directors of other parachurch ministries, faith-based business owners and other focused endeavors, or they may simply desire to improve in their own teaching/leadership abilities in order to serve their local church more effectively.
We encourage these women to support their local church while exploring all that God has for them as an individual. We truly believe the next mission field is the marketplace and when entrepreneurial spirit is combined with faith, beautiful things happen.
We provide a space to grow in that promotes:
- Community
- Open dialogue
- Diversity
- Vision development
- Practical goal planning
- Effective execution
SSFM is committed to helping women of faith become leaders in the faith no matter their calling. And we believe God has a call on your life that only you can fulfill!
Do you have a growing love for Jesus and want to find a community of like-minded women to do life with?
Are there vital roles within the Church, whether volunteer or paid, that you would like to step into, but you feel untrained as a leader?
Is your heart’s desire to become a Christian writer or speaker and take your message to the world? Do you need someone to guide you along the path from novice to professional?
Would you like to develop a viable, sustainable ministry or faith-based business or take an existing one to the next level? How helpful would it be to talk with someone who has done just that?
Our goal is to come alongside of you, listen to what you feel Jesus is calling you to do, evaluate your current abilities, and assist you in building an individualized action plan that can move you forward!
Our philosophy allows you to sort through your thoughts and dreams and develop reachable goals, while being guided step by step through the process. We want to take the guess work out of what to do next and provide a safe place to bounce ideas around while building your self-esteem.
We also want to help develop your leadership abilities. By strengthening the leadership abilities of women who desire to serve Jesus in substantial ways, we can assist them (and you) to accomplish their goals more efficiently.
By using our products and attending our workshops and/or conferences, you will be able to formalize your purpose in life faster than going it alone. We will also provide accountability and feedback to help propel you forward at a pace you can control.
Introducing the SHE STEPS FORWARD® Action Plan
The SHE STEPS FORWARD Action Plan is a transformative guide that can:
- Help you gauge what you can handle.
- Provide simple steps that can lead to massive gains over times.
- Help you avoid the comparison trap.
- Assist you in tracking progress, which increases motivation and decreases frustration.
Best of all the SHE STEPS FORWARD Action Plan is all about Jesus and you! Just as He has an individual plan for each of us, the journey we take to achieve that plan is also unique. By designing your own individualized action plan, our process lowers the pressure of trying to be someone you are not and allows you to simply be you!
Jesus has placed a burden upon She Steps Forward Ministries to nurture three specific types of women. Are you one of them?
Meet Nina
Nina struggles with self-image and relationship issues. She has never been completely comfortable with her body and as she ages, it gets worse. She doesn’t want to be a fashion model, but she wants to feel good in her own skin. In the past, she has had some unhealthy relationships that have left her feeling like she can’t trust people on a deep level. She is constantly battling her emotions. She is looking to have a more meaningful walk with God, but feels inadequate. She is someone who desperately wants to learn how to root her self-worth in Christ’s love, but is distracted by the day to day grind of her life. In fact, distraction is a major trap for her. She is always working to carve out time for herself, but it seems to elude her most of the time. She wants to identify her personal role and strengths as a Christian woman; desires to be a spiritual leader and good role model in her home; is working on building a stronger prayer life; needs tools to help her learn to fight against spiritual attacks; loves devotional materials, but is challenging herself more through deeper Bible studies; is seeking community, inspiration, and hope; is secretly holding back her deepest issues and is looking for a safe place to unload them; and needs motivation to participate and grow as well as stretch outside her comfort zone.
Meet Jennifer
Jennifer came to us excited about her faith, but still young in the faith. She wants to channel her beliefs through her writing, maybe even through speaking one day. She plays around with this idea by writing her heart out on Facebook in the late hours of the night as a way to simmer down her racing thoughts. The honesty she writes with attracts others to her. When she relaxes, it flows easily, but if she forces it, it gets hard. She’s the first to admit, she doesn’t know everything about scripture, but she loves Jesus and is grateful for what He has done in her life. Jennifer really wants to write and speak so she can share what Jesus has done for her in hopes that it will help someone else who is struggling. By pouring into other women, she desires to strengthen their faith. She is seeking guidance, but is undisciplined in how to start. She needs a mentor and to be encouraged over and over again to take small steps versus huge leaps. She also needs to bridle her emotions and come to her own unshakable thoughts. She has begun to seek out women's conferences in order to educate herself on writing and speaking, and is willing to go outside the area where she lives to get the information she needs.
Meet Aaliyah
Aaliyah has been a women’s ministry leader within the local church for the last few years, but feels the actual ministry has become a repetitive cycle of speakers and activities that has only birthed superficial change in the lives of the women who participate. She has a knack for reaching other women, but at times her insecurity shows. She just happen to began teaching other women one day and soon others were following her. She currently coordinates monthly to bimonthly meetings as well as one big women's ministry night with a guest speaker. She easily implements new ideas (e.g., prayer closet suggestions) and cheerleads others in their pursuit of Jesus. Though she has volunteered for a while, she has no formal leadership or business training. She has some influence, but no real leverage to make the changes she sees as necessary to grow the ministry in a different direction. She feels the Lord calling her to develop a faith-based organization that will serve women within her church and community at large on a different level. She's excited to get started but would love the advice of someone who has walked this path before.
Do you see yourself among these women or know someone who is? Then you are in the right place at the right time! Let’s get started today!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11