INTERVIEW WITH DR. EVELYN JOHNSON-TAYLOR

by Deborah Malone and Rita Prochazka

Evelyn we are so pleased you stopped by to chat with us. I know your interview is going to be encouraging to other “seasoned” women.

Questions by Rita:

Evelyn can you share some of your testimony?

I accepted Jesus as my savior as a teenager. I grew up in a Christian home always understanding that God had a plan and a purpose for my life.

What is your favorite Bible verse and why?

My favorite scripture is Luke 1:38: And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. I love this scripture and I try to live by those words. Whatever the Lord says, I want to be quick to say yes, not to linger not to ponder, but to say yes.

Briefly, what are some things you’ve learned in your walk with God in this season of your life?

In this season of my life as a widow, for five years, one thing that I have learned is that God is faithful. I can trust Him 100%. The Scripture speaks of God’s tender care for widows, and I have experienced that in my own life

How have you prepared or been prepared for your ministry?

The Lord called me to Women Ministries in 1996, at the time I was a stay-at-home mom to very young children and my husband had recently started a church. I felt the Lord calling me, it took me a while, but I started to prepare myself. While I was home, I enrolled in Bible college. I knew God was calling me to teach His word and I wanted to handle the Word with integrity. After going to school part-time and taking breaks, 14 years later I received a Ph.D. in ministry.

Can you share a time, recently, that you saw God work in your life, either in your ministry or personally.

One thing recently that I’ve seen God doing in my life is His provisions. God is always touching people’s hearts to be good to me. When I sold my house three years after my husband passed away, God miraculously opened a door for me to get a house that wasn’t even on the market. The owner sold it to me for less than I offered him for the property.

Will you share something about yourself that most people wouldn’t know? It can be a fun fact or serious.

Most people think I am really serious which I am, but most people wouldn’t know that I like to watch a few sitcoms on TV and just laugh out loud.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I consider my greatest achievement to be the mother of two Christian, intelligent, and beautiful daughters. Married for 27 years and a caregiver for the last 10 years of my husband’s life.

Would your story make a good movie? Why or why not?

I don’t think my life story would make a good movie. I’m just an ordinary woman experiencing life with an extraordinary God, who gave her life to the Lord at 16 years old and has seen God do great things in her life.

Where do you see yourself /ministry in five years?

My desire is to die empty. I want to experience the fullness of all God has for me to do and be.

Questions by Deborah:

What would your advice be to other “seasoned” women on ways to stay active in ministry?

I would say to women who are in ministry, be aware that seasons do change. As you grow older, God’s purpose for your life doesn’t change but the way you demonstrate it may change. Be open to new ways of achieving the end goal. Don’t hold so firmly onto the past that you miss what God is doing in the now. Know that in everything that you have experienced in your life, God will use it in your current season. Be willing to share some of your experiences as a way to help other people. Your experiences are not only for you but to be used to help other people.

Have you ever felt “too old” to be used by God? What made you decide God could still use you?

I have wondered if maybe some opportunities have passed me by, maybe I am too old to be doing some of the things that God initially laid out for me but what encourages me is to see women older than me still on the battlefield going strong. I believe that just as God has strengthened them in this season that He will do the same for me.

What seasoned woman in the Bible is an inspiration to you? Why?

Sarah really encourages me because she laughed when God told her that she was going to have a child and then she went on to try and do it in the flesh by giving her handmaiden to her husband Abraham. I see so many times in my life how when God spoke something to me and how I’ve tried to make it happen in the flesh. Sarah encourages me because even though she messed up and tried to do things on her own, God did not change what He said.

If you’ve had an illness or physical limitations, what accommodations have you had to make to continue in ministry?

I have not had an illness or anything like that, but as a caregiver for ten years to my husband, I did have to pull back on some of the things that I was doing in ministry. During that period, I believe God was building me, even though I wasn’t functioning outwardly. I see now He was preparing me for the season I’m currently in.

Tell us a little about your ministry.

As a woman’s ministry leader, my call is to empower, encourage and equip women. I want to use my life experiences and the Word of God to show women that they can be everything that God has called them to be. That they can accomplish every dream and goal. That they already have what they need to accomplish all God designed for them.

What are some challenges you’ve had to overcome in this time of your “seasoned” ministry?

My greatest challenge has been redefining myself as a widow. Trying to understand what God is saying to me in this season. I also have been faced with some challenges in ministry in a man’s role. Not overtly, but I feel like I have been limited in some instances, being passed over for positions and assignments. I don’t focus on that because I still see the hand of God, moving and teaching and showing me that because of my experiences, I can help somebody. I try to lay my life open to women letting them know that they can do what He calls them to do no matter what a man says.

Bio: Dr. Evelyn Johnson-Taylor has been a ministry leader for several decades. She is an ordained minister, theology professor, award-winning author, mentor, certified power speaker, and coach. She served as founder and president of Women of Promise International Ministries, Inc. for 14 years, a non-profit outreach ministry offering hope and healing to women. She also served as a co-pastor along with her late husband until 2010.

Evelyn serves on the advisory board of Senior Connection Center Inc, a nonprofit that provides resources to seniors. God has blessed her with multiple guest appearances on Homekeepers with Arthelene Rippy, Atlanta Live, blog talk radio, and other local media outlets. She is a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Women Speakers, and Word Weavers International.