By Keith Yoder
At the DOVE 2017 International Leadership Conference, Keith Yoder addressed God’s purpose for men and women to partner in leadership. He encouraged us to embrace the Trinity in fellowship as a basis for our relationship and partnership. He described a redemptive approach to the relationship between the genders based on God’s design prior to original sin and the fall. In this way our capacity to partner in leadership is one aspect of the restoration of all things in Christ.
At the conclusion of the session the following declaration was made over the DOVE International movement:
- You, in Trinity fellowship, have created us as male and female. Reflecting your image and your likeness, we are designed to put the interests of the other above our own, to pour ourselves into the other, to honor the worth of the other, to support the other in fulfilling their responsibilities.
- We have fallen short of your wisdom, your design, your partnership, your fellowship.
- We embrace the full redemptive work of Christ and the restoration of all things including the partnership that is by grace in the oneness for which Jesus prayed and the glory of Trinitarian fellowship.
- By your Spirit, prompt our submission and honor toward one another as male and female, man and woman—partners in Kingdom life and rule.
Keith’s mission is to help others clarify their personal identity and empower them to fulfill their role in God’s Kingdom. He is the founder of Teaching the Word Ministries, a service to leaders in Christian ministries, congregations and the marketplace. Keith holds a Doctorate of Education in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.