August 22, 2011 (Excerpt from the Women's Ministry Leader's Training Camp Series)

Stance = the position that a player assumes right before the snap of the ball

In football, a player has to be in the right position before the snap of the ball or before the ball is put into play. There are different types of stances for different football positions but in each they basically squat slightly with different variations in each of how they hold their body. The stance helps the players to have some leverage to come powerfully off of the line.

Our stance will help us have the leverage we need to go forcibly into action with our women’s ministry.

1.  Prayer

As a ministry leader, what will help us to get into the stance we need to have is to have an active prayer life. This should be a big part of life to every Christian leader no in what ministry they are involved.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)

When players are in their stance in football, they have to use certain muscles to stand in the position they need to for the game. Those players have to work on those muscles ahead of time and get toned and fit. As women’s ministry leaders, we have to work our prayer muscles and tone them too so that we are ready and able to stand in place, waiting for the snap of the ball.

 2. Bible Study

Bible study is important to every Christian, but as a leader of women, you will need to know your Bible because there may points when you will be sharing the Word with your women. You may need to encourage some of them. By knowing a good encouraging Bible verse to quote, you might be able to encourage them on the spot.

I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalm 119:16 (KJV)

You’ll also want to know your Bible when you begin planning and looking through possible Bible studies for your women. You need to know what aligns with Scripture and what doesn’t.

Above all, a personal Bible study and devotional time on your part as a leader will encourage you. It will help you grow spiritually. When we aren’t involved in reading our Bibles, it will show. Not always right away, but as you go into action into your women’s ministry, you won’t be able to get your feet firmly on the ground and going forward.

3.  Dress

You might not think what you wear is important, but when you are a leader, people are watching you, especially the ladies that you are working with that you lead. That doesn’t mean that you have to dress up all the time, but you must be presentable, clean, and tidy. You must be modest and reflect Christ in your dress as well.

Well-dressed people make better leaders. They just do, and as a Christian women’s ministry leader it is one of the things that will help in our stance. It’s one of those things that make us ready to move when the ball goes into play.

4.  Organization

Being organized before your women’s ministry gets going for the year is one of those things that help our stance. We’re able to stand in the right position. We don’t have to worry we won’t be ready. When the ball is put in play, we’ll be on top of things.

Organization for a women’s leader covers a lot of things. Organizing leadership teams and positions, activities and events, schedules, and many other details are involved. Having everything ready to run and in order will help you in your stance so that you are ready to proceed into action.

5.  Home

Another thing I think needs to be in order before we can get into our stance and be ready for the next play is our home. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, leading a women’s ministry takes time and effort. Having our homes in order will make things run a lot smoother.

It may require planning ahead, making a few meals ahead, scheduling tightly, giving up a few things we normally do in our free time so we can fit everything in we need to do for woman’s ministry and still have time to clean house, care for our kids and husband, and do everything else required of a wife and mother. Or you may be single, divorced, or widowed, but there will be things you need to do to make your life at home in order so that ministry is easier.

When things are running well at home and it’s peaceful there, then you’ll get into your stance without so many worries of questioning whether the kids are fed, someone’s walked the dog, the dishes are done, the kids have done their homework, and whether the laundry is put away. You’ll be able to calmly get into that stance and concentrate on the task at hand.

6.  Attitude

As a women’s leader, one thing we need to take care of and have constantly in check is our attitude. Attitudes are so noticeable, whether it’s a good one or a bad one. The thing about attitudes is that sometimes they spread. We don’t want a bad attitude to spread throughout the team.

Face it. We are pretty flighty where attitudes are concerned. They change on a whim. Everything affects an attitude. The past, what we think will happen in the future, our contact with other people for the day, whether we’ve eaten, sometimes just one word someone speaks to us, or whether we think someone should have spoken to us. We even change our attitudes by a single look we see on someone’s face.

I’ve always heard sermons on attitude and gratitude over the years. I guess because it rhymes. I do think being thankful is a good place to start when changing a bad attitude, but I think it goes much deeper than that. Attitudes are heart issues. I think it’s all about guarding your heart. Guarding our hearts is about being prepared to ward off what may cause a bad attitude in the first place.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)

Keeping those bad attitudes in check will help us with our stance and makes us more likely to move into action without any problems.

Conclusion

I think we can go back to Ephesians 6 and review the armor of God if we want to improve our stance too. It’s all about getting ready for battle against the world. All of those parts of armor mentioned there are the things we need to employ for everyday readiness.

Getting into a stance position takes practice for football players. Most of us require a little practice too. We have to work at our prayer life. It requires attention. Our Bible study requires time, and we may have to work on rearranging our personal schedule to fit it into our routine. We may need to work on our dress or organization. I’m sure there are things when it comes to keeping things going at home, we all can improve on, and I know we each have attitudes to deal with, probably on a daily basis.

Improving on all of these things will help us learn to use those muscles, learn to bend our bodies properly, and give us the leverage to go bounding forward in our women’s ministry.

Copyright ©2011 Julia Bettencourt

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