August 03, 2006 Updated September 30, 2023.

I updated this page somewhat because our women's groups have changed over the last 20 some years.

Some women's groups like to give themselves a name and others don't. And I have found that if the group wants a name, then they are going to name their group. It doesn't matter what my view is of it or anyone else's. If a leader or group is determined to have a group name, they will find a way to name it.

I used to have a long list of church ladies' group names on the website that was compiled by all of the women's ministry leader followers writing in and telling me their names. There were a variety of them, so we know that women's groups all over the world use group names. I no longer offer that list as I think the ladies' group names should be more straightforward than creative.

I do think the reasons that people want a group name are still the same as it was back in 2006 when I originally wrote about this.

Why Women Desire a Church Women's Group Name

1. Women like a group name because it makes the members feel a part of or belonging.
2. No one wants to feel generic.
3. Sometimes it's practical in larger churches where there is more than one woman's group through a women's ministry program.
4. Women like something clever to put on their material and brochures.

You can see that none of these reasons are spiritual reasons, because really there aren't any of those when it comes to this. I find it's normally a matter of opinion, need, or how the leaders or the members of the group think that others will perceive the group.

Let the Holy Spirit Do the Work

Over the last several years, the members of my Women's Ministry Exchange Facebook Group have discussed this several times. Many women's leaders are for it. Many women's leaders are against it.

When this topic comes up, I usually encourage the person asking to name their group something straightforward so that it identifies with their church, but people will do what they want. And I don't think we need to admonish those ladies who think a group name is necessary for their church. We don't know the particulars. We don't know the prayer that was put into it. We don't know how the Holy Spirit is leading that leader and their church. So, I don't judge, and I don't think anyone else should either.

We just don't know how other leaders are led by the Spirit. We just don't know the situation. So, I don't think we can blanketly say that "women's ministry groups should never use group names". Because God may have a plan to grow them through a name. God uses so many mundane and little things in life to further the cause of Christ, so I think we need to stop being so judgy about topics like this.

Each church and women's group are led by the Holy Spirit differently. What works for one group of ladies will not always work for another. We have to consider where people are from, what their habits are, the type of churches they are in, etc. etc. There will never be a one size fits all way of doing women's ministry.

Just Be Specific When Using a Name if You've Chosen one

I do think there are some things we can do to help a women's group name identify their church along with the name if one has been chosen.

• Add "Part of the Women's Ministry Program of __________Church" on any material where you have used your church ladies' group name.
• Any mention of it in the church bulletin can be specified in the article with a parenthesis and "our women's ministry group".
• Any announcements should always specify what that group is about.

Straightforward Names

Other ideas for a straightforward ladies' group name.

• The ___________women of _______________Church.
• The Ladies of ______________Church
• The Women of _____________Church

Things to ponder before naming your ladies' group

1. Do a deep internet search (using several search engines) and research if there are any other websites, businesses, or ministries with the same name as you want. The results may make you want to reconsider something you are pondering. Even though something may not be located near you, it may have enough exposure online that your ladies and the ladies in your community may know of it and wonder if your ladies' group is connected to it.
2. Search your local papers and community bulletin boards for local businesses and clubs with the name you are considering.
3. Call other churches in your area to see if their church has a name for their women's group. You surely don't want the same name as another local church.
4. Do your research. You don't want to run into any legal issues by naming your women's group something that is trademarked.
5. Type out the name you are considering in several fonts. I know this may sound silly, but if a name looks really bad in any font because of how the letters and the name comes together, or after you've typed it several times and it just sounds foolish the more you say it or type it, then you may want to reconsider it.

Some Things Just Require a Little Thinking and Praying

I hope this little talk has helped any of you that are deciding on a church group name or deciding whether to name your group in the first place. I like straightforward church ladies' group names just because if it has the church name in it, it is easy to associate it with that church, and people don't just look at a name and wonder what it is. But as I mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit leads every leader and every church in different ways, so start with prayer, talk to your pastor and church leaders for advice, listen to the Holy Spirit throughout the process, and do a lot of research on the name you are considering.

©2016 ©2023 Julia Bettencourt

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