When it comes to trends in the church, women stand at the forefront of shifting norms.

Take the Assemblies of God (AG) for example. Over the past 14 years, the AG has ordained more than five women each week. They now have over 10,000 ordained women in their denomination, comprising nearly 28 percent of their ministers—and this in a denomination that 30 years ago had about 300 women leading churches.

Women play a unique role in maintaining the size of faith communities in a very concrete way as well: having children. Lyman Stone reports that most religious communities will shrink by more than half within three generations. But, Stone says, nondenominational churches could be the exception to the rule as women in those congregations are having children at a rate that will not only keep church numbers stable but grow them.

Another major shift, however, is the rise of the female nones: women who claim no faith affiliation. While surveys and conventional wisdom have long pointed to the idea that women are more religious than men, that tide is turning among Millennials and Generation Z. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, for example, 49 percent of women identify as nones, compared to just 46 percent of men.

Whether leading churches, attending them with babies wrapped tightly to their chests, foregoing the faith, or something else altogether, women will play an essential role in the future church just as they always have. By paying close attention to the ways women shape the church as we know it—locally and globally alike—we can honor the women who serve her, find our place as women who love her, and reach out to women who are yet to find a church to call home.