Jesus Sent the Sisters: Jessica Fick—Portrait of a Proclamation Evangelist
The Gospel at Urbana 06by Myron Crockett
Even as an undergraduate student involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Jessica Fick was a maverick InterVarsity kid. “For me, being a Christian didn’t mean no longer hanging out with my non-Christian friends,” said Fick. “Sure, they were having sex, drinking, and going to bars, but I thought, ‘Well, who else is going to reach out to them?’”
Six years of staff work with InterVarsity in Michigan, including a promotion to the position of Area Director for Western Michigan in the spring of 2006, has not dulled Fick’s maverick spirit. A proclamation evangelist with the Regional Evangelism Team, Jessica Fick engages a host of college campuses from Michigan to West Virginia with the gospel of Jesus.
“I want to raise up the next generation of female evangelists,” said Fick in an interview at Urbana 06. “At proclamation evangelism conferences I don’t see women evangelists. Many of them haven’t been seen, and they haven’t been told that they can do this.”
When asked about the unique challenges women face in proclamation evangelism, Fick pointed to a few things. “For women, there are temperament issues. Women are not used to creating their own opportunities. Men create their own opportunities, whether they are asked to or not. Women are afraid to create their own opportunities for fear of being perceived as pushy.” Of the specific ways God has gifted women in evangelism, Fick said, “Women are great at networking and building relationships. We connect people with one another really well.”
As for the women who have served as role models in evangelism, Fick was quick to point to former InterVarsity staff-worker and author of Out of the Salt-Shaker Rebecca Pippert, who attended Urbana 06. “When I found out that she was going to be here, I called her to see if we could do breakfast. I asked her what family life is like for an itinerant proclamation evangelist.” Fick, who is married and is expecting a baby in June, was greatly encouraged by Pippert’s wisdom on the subject. “I mean, Rebecca Pippert ushered in a new age in InterVarsity by placing a priority on evangelism.”
Other female role models for Fick include ministers Brenda Salter McNeil and
Joyce Meyer. “Joyce Meyer spoke at a proclamation evangelism conference
I attended. She’s an entrepreneur, and she’s popular, but she and
her husband clearly practice mutual submission.” At this conference,
Meyer helped to quell the voice of a male minister who questioned Fick’s
calling as a married, female evangelist. “When Meyer was preaching, she
said that the Spirit of God had anointed the women at the conference to be
God’s gospel messengers.” In response, the minister who questioned
Fick’s calling placed his hand on her shoulder, signaling his agreement
with Meyer.
At her Urbana 06 seminar Women and Evangelism Fick (along with
co-leader Sandi Asker) explored the joys and challenges women face as they do
evangelism. “The main thing the women wanted to know
was how men and the church would view women evangelists through the lens of
the scriptures, their calling, and their gifts.” Paraphrasing a male
minister she once heard, Fick said, “Women and people of color are the
new face of evangelism because they don’t fit the mold, and they can
go into places where white males cannot go. This is a prominent age for women
in evangelism because of the unique ways in which God has gifted them.”
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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