Introducing Our New Director for Women’s Ministry
We are delighted to announce that Helen Thorne-Allenson has been appointed to the role of Director for Women’s Ministry with FIEC.
Our Directors for Women’s Ministry enable care and support to be given to women in ministry and ministry wives, providing resources and training for women to grow and flourish in the ministry roles that they have in each FIEC church congregation.
Helen Thorne-Allenson brings much experience to this role.
She is well- known through her writing and the books she has published, including Mental Health and the Church, Purity is Possible, and Walking with Domestic Abuse Sufferers.
She is an excellent teacher and trainer, having spoken at our 2024 Leaders Conference on Shepherding those facing domestic abuse and Shepherding and mental health. She will also be delivering a seminar track at Rising Lights 2027.
Helen has most recently been Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK and before that worked with London City Mission.
She will begin her new role with FIEC in November, from the Leaders’ Conference in Blackpool, and joins Elinor Magowan, our other Director for Women's Ministry.
Directors for Women’s Ministry
The Directors for Women’s Ministry work together in providing retreats for women: Thrive for women in ministry and the Ministry Wives Retreat for women married to men in ministry.
They curate a host of resources on the FIEC website that reflect our complementarian position, enabling church staff teams to work well together and also train and equip women serving in our churches.
We also have staff supporting church planters' wives and ministry wives in smaller churches.
Helen is passionate about seeing women in ministry develop in their gifting and service as well as growing in their own walk with the Lord.
She enjoys one-to-one time with women in ministry and has a wealth of wisdom to share from her own walk with the Lord and ministry experience. We are thankful for her insight and expertise in areas of pastoral need.
We are so grateful for the work of Rachel Sloan previously in this role and are delighted at all that Helen Thorne-Allenson will bring to it next.
Helen shared about her new role:
“I am so grateful to God to have this wonderful opportunity to serve FIEC churches. Being a woman in ministry is such a privilege and having a role that enables me to encourage and equip women to use their God-given gifts in ways that help people come to Christ and grow in their relationship with Christ is going to be a real joy.
“I am very much looking forward to getting to know the women in ministry in the various FIEC churches across the country, listening to how I can best support those already serving, and encourage those keen to serve.”
Elinor Magowan, Director for Women’s Ministry, commented on the appointment:
“I am so thankful to the Lord for his goodness in bringing Helen to work at FIEC. It has been a delight to hear her heart for women’s ministry and her desire to use all the gifts that Lord has blessed her with in his service.
"Helen is humble and dependent on the Lord and has a great willingness to work diligently. I am looking forward to partnering with Helen immensely and am convinced that she will be able to teach, train, counsel and advise women in ministry so that churches are helped and strengthened in their service of the Lord and many are reached with the gospel. Praise God for his provision!”
John Stevens, National Director, also commented:
“I am delighted that Helen will be joining the FIEC team as our Director for Women’s Ministry with particular responsibility for supporting and encouraging women in ministry. She is a well-known speaker and writer, and we will benefit immensely from her considerable experience of supporting and training women in ministry and developing biblical pastoral care.
“She will help us to fulfil our vision to promote the ministry of women in our churches so that they will be better equipped to reach Britain for Christ through faithful gospel ministry.”
