MEDIA KIT

Diverse Leadership in The Foursquare Church: What Would Aimee Say?

Founder, President of Angelia Waite Ministries

Booking information:

Jessica Reece, info@angeliawaite.org, 512-720-2996, 

Expertise:

• Grieving, Loss, Trauma Depression

• Physical Suffering, Disease, Sickness

• Recovery, Healing

• Christian Faith, Scripture

• Leadership, Women in Ministry

• Marriage

• Parenting

Why You’re Booking Her: 

• Enthusiastic, honest, entertaining, hopeful, courageous. 

• Has lost a child, reconciled her loss with her faith, and is able to offer perspective and hope to those who feel like they’ll never experience joy again

• Has experienced a failed and reconciled marriage.

• Not going to just give you the same, stale talking points

• Ordained minister holding a Doctor of Ministry from The King’s University in Southlake, Texas

• Master of Divinity from King’s University in Van Nuys, CA

What Is the Book About?

This book explores the problem of the underrepresentation of senior female leaders in a denomination known as The Foursquare Church, which was founded by a woman, Aimee Semple McPherson. The Foursquare Church -endorses women in every area of ministry through its positional statement and bylaws. However, this denomination has fewer female leaders than other denominations.

To address this problem, of whether The Foursquare Church truly endorses egalitarian theology, I first conducted biblical-theological research to identify female leaders in Scripture serving in the same roles as men. Second, I investigated issues facing women in the context of secular and religious leadership roles.

Informed by this research, I surveyed and interviewed five senior female leaders currently serving The Foursquare Church in the United States, exploring their perceptions and experiences in search of commonalities concerning the denomination’s forfeiture of women in senior leadership roles.

Why It Matters:

People are suffering. One in ten Americans are depressed. Millions are without work, losing homes, and filing for bankruptcy or divorce. Millions more are suffering silently in difficult marriages, with wayward children, through the loss of a loved one, or with other struggles such as addiction or anxiety. The subject of suffering—and how to find God and joy in the midst of it—are universal … exclusive to no particular gender, age group, income tax bracket, or race. 

Summary: 

On Friday, May 26, 2000, the Waites’ youngest son, Ramsey, drowned in their backyard pool at the age of three and a half. What had been a perfect day—indeed, a financial miracle had happened just that morning—turned into a family’s worst nightmare. As the Waites fought to make sense of the tragedy, Angelia spiraled into a deep depression, further burdened by a life-threatening disease and by the hurtful words spoken by those in her community. Her family needed room to breathe, to heal, and Angelia needed answers: Why did this happen? Where were you, God? He answered by orchestrating the sale of their home, by sending Angelia on a mission trip where she was healed of her disease, by calling her into ministry, and by strengthening their family bond tenfold. Today, the Waites are all thriving, blessed beyond measure—thanks to a loving and merciful God who takes the messes of our lives and turns them into messages of hope.

Conversation Points:

• Recovery, hope, joy, life again in the wake of unspeakable pain

• Why up to 80 percent (according to some studies) of marriages end in divorce following the loss of a child and how to avoid becoming one of them

• What you need to know about life as a parent to living children after the loss of a child

• When is it OK to move on? To be yourself again? To be happy? To have joy? 

• “I prayed for my child every day ... and God still allowed this to happen. I don’t know if I can ever trust Him again. I don’t even know anymore if I believe He exists ... I need help, I need hope.” 

• Raging against the God I’ve loved and trusted all my life

• What do I say to others who have lost a child? How to be a friend to the grieving

• I lost my child ... and now I feel like I’ve lost my spouse, too.

• Experiencing joy again, experiencing hope again when you never, ever thought it was possible

• My family will never be the same ... and I don’t know who I am anymore—identity in the aftermath of family tragedy and brokenness.

Who Is Angelia Waite?

Dr. Angelia Waite is an ordained minister holding a Doctor of Ministry from The King’s University in Southlake, Texas. She is passionate about providing an arena for theological teaching. She focuses on those whose spirits demand deep, factual answers, and her passion and drive for deeper understanding of the things of God is contagious. She is truly a hope giver, truth speaker, and has a huge heart for helping people through the unexpected challenges of life. 

Angelia is a wife, mom, speaker, author, mentor, and Bible teacher. She has been happily married over forty years to her high school sweetheart, Dr. Jay, a veterinarian in private practice. They have three sons: Benji (daughter-in-love, Dr. Mitra), Chandler, and Ramsey (1996-2000).

More on Angelia: 

Angelia was born and raised in Hartselle, Alabama, as the youngest of four children. Healed as a four-year-old of a serious stuttering speech defect, she has since found it difficult to keep quiet about the Savior she met. In October 2000, she was miraculously healed of a genetic disorder, Ankylosing Spondylitis, while on the mission field  in Zamora, Mexico. She left home barely able to walk but returned invigorated and healed from this disfiguring, deadly condition. 

Where to Find Her Online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelia.waite 

Twitter: @AngeliaWaite

Blog: http://www.angeliawaite.org/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/angeliawaite1 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/angeliawaiteministries

Book Details: 

Publisher: AWM Publishing (May 25, 2023)

Language: English

Paperback: 222 pages

ISBN-10: 0986098825

ISBN-13: 978-0986098826