Our Story

In 2017, my husband and I moved to the Springfield, IL area after meeting in grad school at Northern Illinois University, graduating, and getting married in the Chicago suburbs. We started attending Delta Church and quickly immersed ourselves in ministry there. I got heavily involved in community groups, discipling groups, and other women’s ministry events, and by 2019, God allowed me to work alongside incredible ministry leaders to run our women’s initiatives and launch our own church’s women’s conference. Throughout this time, God richly blessed my life by bringing along many older women who poured into me, mentored me, and encouraged me in the race God has called me to run. (Heb 12:1-2). 

During our early years here, I also learned about Relevant Practical Ministry for Men (RPM), a regional men’s ministry led by Tom Cheshire, that offers regional Iron Sharpens Iron (ISI) men’s conferences each year. Since 2006, under the ministry of RPM, Iron Sharpens Iron men’s conferences have ministered to thousands of men across our region. From restored marriages to conversions, these conferences have been powerfully changing the lives of men across denominational lines. This has been a well-established, well-respected ministry for over two decades, and I have had the privilege of being a part of the planning and logistics since 2022. At these events, I’ve been asked multiple times, “When will ISI offer something for women?” 

The time is now. 

Behind the scenes, God has been working through local churches and para-church ministries like RPM to knit together a group of like-minded, like-hearted kingdom-builders for such a time as this. It is a privilege and an honor to serve alongside our leadership team and our board of directors in order to launch Middle Women Ministries as a sister ministry to RPM. We pray that our yearly conferences, along with additional resources and trainings, will encourage women to grow in their faith and take the next step spiritually both personally and communally. 

To God be the glory!

—Bobbi Jean Geosling, MWM Founder / Director

Our Name

Titus 2: 1-5

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Categorizing yourself as either a “younger” or “older” woman according to Titus 2 can be especially tricky. What does it mean to be “older”? Is there a certain age? A specific spiritual milestone? Maybe a checklist of experiences as a wife or mother?

What if you consider yourself “older” in age, but “younger” in the faith, or visa versa?

The truth is, we will never hit a season of life where we can say we’ve “arrived” in our spiritual journey. We will always be in need of God’s grace and mercy in the form of mature believers speaking life and truth into us.

We will always need older, godly women walking alongside us, encouraging us in the trenches of womanhood, confronting us when we can’t see our own blindspots, and hyping us up when we’re tempted to shrink back and listen to the lies of the enemy.

Likewise, there are many women sitting in church pews who only view themselves as the “younger women” and are paralyzed by fear over their own inadequacies or immaturities in the faith. This keeps them from investing in the lives of other believers around them. They are waiting to reach some magical level of spiritual maturity before they start using their gifts to build the kingdom.

But the reality is that we each have someone behind us we can encourage, and we each have someone ahead of us we can emulate.

So, when we ask, “Am I an older woman, or a younger woman?” The answer is, we are both.

We are all Middle Women.

Linking Together,

Rooted in the Gospel

The visual image of wisteria growing on a trellis is a picture of what MWM seeks to accomplish through its vision and mission. Just like wisteria needs a solid structure such as a trellis holding it in place for support, women can benefit from the spiritual trellis that Middle Women Ministries offers. Wisteria also experiences healthy upward growth when it is rooted in good soil, and when it links together, becoming intertwined with other wisteria plants. Similarly, when women are rooted in the gospel and linking arms together in unity, they can experience optimal spiritual growth for the building of God’s Kingdom, for the glory of God.

What we believe.

Middle Women Statement of Faith

In essential beliefs, we have unity: (Ephesians 4:4-6)

In non-essential beliefs, we have liberty: (Romans 14:1,4,12,22)

In all beliefs, we have charity: (1 Corinthians 13:2)

God

  • God is the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things, as well as the author and finisher of our faith (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 12:2).

  • There is only one true God, who eternally exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19).

Man

  • Humanity was purposely created by God, distinctly male and female, in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27).

  • Mankind was originally designed and created to enjoy unbroken fellowship with God (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:3).

  • As a result of the fall, all people are inherently sinful, in desperate need of a Savior, and completely unable to secure salvation through their own merit or good works (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Salvation

  • Salvation was made possible solely through Jesus Christ's substitutionary death on the cross on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).

  • Whoever believes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:13).

  • True salvation encompasses both a genuine repentance from sin and a sincere belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on one’s behalf (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9).

  • Salvation cannot be earned, as it is entirely a free gift of God's grace (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8).

Scripture

  • The Word of God serves as our ultimate guiding light and absolute truth (Psalm 119:105; John 17:17).

  • God's Word is living and active, possessing the divine power to completely transform lives (Hebrews 4:12; Romans 12:2).

  • The Bible was written by human authors who were directly and divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Church

  • The Church is the beloved bride of Christ, consisting entirely of the redeemed (Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-8).

  • Individual members of the Church are uniquely gifted by the Spirit in order to build up the body of Christ and advance His Kingdom (Romans 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

  • Local congregations serve as visible expressions of the one universal Church, which ultimately includes all people who have saving faith in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23).

Values

  • Transformative not performative: (Rom. 12:1-2; Matt 23:1-28)

    • MWM programming exists to bring about transformative change in women’s lives through the faithful teaching of God’s Word and through prayer. All elements of our programming will support this goal rather than draw attention to themselves. 

  • Excellence in skillful use of giftings: (Ex. 31:1-6; Prov 22:29)

    • As faithful stewards, we must diligently cultivate our talents and giftings to a standard of excellence, advancing MWM’s mission for God’s glory. 

  • Collaboration: (1 Cor 12:12-20; Ecc 4:9-12; Prov 27:17)

    • Team members have a humble awareness of what we uniquely bring to the table as well as what our fellow teammates bring. We work together collaboratively in order to live out the vision and mission of MWM. 

  • Culture of Grace and Truth: (Phil 2:1-4; Eph 4:1-16; John 1: 14-17; Col 4:6; Rom 12:10)

    • We will speak the truth in love, outdo one another in showing honor, and edify one another with specific words of encouragement.  

  • Joy and Gratitude: (Heb 12:2; Gal 6:9-10; Psalm 103:2)

    • We are excited and thankful to be a part of God’s work in the Springfield area! It is a joy to serve with one another, and we fight together to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus and all he has done for us.