Can a Sistah Get a Little Help? Encouragement for Black Women in Ministry focuses on how Black women can faithfully continue to navigate the internal and external challenges of ministry. Drawing from experiences throughout her 22 years in ordained ministry and as a seminary professor, Teresa L. Fry Brown asserts she has learned that with a set of cultural coping mechanisms and values, African American women can not only survive but thrive as leaders and mentors in spite of the brick ceiling. These coping mechanisms and values are: survival skills, network/support systems, work ethic, mentors and sponsors, a sense of self-worth and self-confidence, spiritual values, balance in life, leadership style, and cultural identity. In preparation for the book, Brown conversed with approximately 200 ordained and 450 lay women in ministry about the issues most relevant to them. Here, in the form of remembrances, vignettes, and discussions interwoven with common concerns raised by these women, she shares the lessons learned and the lessons to be learned during a journey to self-empowerment in ministry.
