March 07, 2022

I get lots of questions about how to start a women's ministry in a church, and I just wanted to talk a few minutes about the difference between an organized women's ministry in the local church and women ministering in the local church.

Fruit of the Spirit Verses a Women's Ministry Program

If that were a contest. Which would you think would win? Let's look at the differences in the two.

• Organized women's ministry in the local church = a ministry program
• Women ministering in the local church = fruit of the Spirit

That's a big difference. Right?

You can have the fruit of the Spirit along with a women's ministry program, but you don't need a women's ministry program in order to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

I just think that is a big thing to think about when considering starting a new program for women in your local church, because that's what an organized women's ministry is, a program. And just like in anything else, programs are not always needed.

Programs always start with man's ideas, but over on the other side the fruit of the Spirit starts with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit doesn't need our ideas. The Holy Spirit doesn't need what we can dream up to do in our churches. The Holy Spirit is just that raw, unadulterated Being that leads, guides, and comforts us. The fruit of the Spirit is what we bear when we are living holy and being led by that Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit will win against programs in the church any old day. You know why? Well, the Holy Spirit doesn't give up and the fruit of the Spirt can keep on growing and multiplying without programs. The fruit of the Spirit can be manifested in people's lives no matter if they are involved in a church program or not. The fruit of the Spirit is what we want the outcomes of our church programs to see and to bear, but that fruit can survive out on it's own and sometimes does even better when programs don't slow it down. We have to be careful in starting programs and only do it with the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't lead the same way in every church. Therefore, a women's ministry program in every church isn't always necessary or even Spirit led.

What's Going on Already?

You have to really be diligent and see what's going on already in the lives of those women who you want to be part of your program. You have to look at what ministries in which they are already involved. You have to look at what charities and outreaches in which they are already involved. You have to look at family obligations. You have to look at all those things your women are already involved in physically, timewise, family-wise, health wise, church-wise, and spiritually.

Whether or not your church has an organized women's ministry is really up to your church, it's leaders, and if it is a good fit for your church. Believe me, our churches have so many ministries these days and our women are so involved in all parts of the church, that sometimes an organized women's ministry isn't warranted.

Overtaxing by way of events and activities can wear our women out, and if you want to have a women's ministry program just for your women to attend events (even if it's Bible study), I urge you to really rethink that. Check the full schedule of your church. Sometimes our women are involved all over the place in Bible study, and other outreaches so they are really already involved in women's ministry (because they are ministering and bearing fruit). They don't need another thing to attend. Church and family priorities keep all women busy.

You have to really investigate what will work for your women. The goal of women's ministry should be to get women to minister and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If your women already are doing that throughout the church, then be happy. Rejoice. Don't stress them out with yet another thing.

Sometimes our church women are involved in fellowshipping through Sunday School classes, small groups, and other things. They are getting to know other Christian woman and Christians in general and fellowshipping that way. They maybe don't need another outlet for fellowship.

The women of your church may be working on outreach projects either in the community and/or through the church, so maybe an organized women's group that stresses outreach may not be feasible.

Think and Weigh Options

I'm not trying to discourage anyone. I'm just saying, THINK! Why are you wanting to do this? And is it really the right program for your church, because some churches just don't need more programs. Things that can be done through a women's ministry program can sometimes be done elsewhere through the church. It depends on the makeup and outreaches already in place in a local church.

I love women's ministry and women's leaders, but I am honest enough to say that an organized women's ministry isn't always necessary in every local church. I know that's not a popular thing to say, especially when I am talking to women's leaders, but it's true. Women's ministry can be fruitful. It can be encouraging. It can really make a difference. But we just don't put a burden on the backs of our women and expect them to show up at events and activities on a whim or just because we start a new program in the church and call it "women's ministry".

The lives of our women are busy and stressed. We must look farther and see what's going on in their lives. We must look with compassion like Jesus. We must see them with love and treat them with love. It is not love to expect them to show up at events and participate if they are already involved in serving, loving, fellowshipping, and doing all kinds of Christ-like deeds through the church in other ways and through their lives in other ways. If they are busy bearing that fruit of the Spirit, then encourage them in that.

Step Back and Take in the View

Don't build up expectations for yourself for those women to want to attend more Bible studies, events, and activities, or participate in more charitable work through what you want to plan. You must step back and see that a women's ministry is not about you as a leader or potential leader and what you want to plan. It is about the fruit of the Spirit. It is about whether an organized women's ministry will empower women to bear more fruit for Christ or whether it will wear them out and make them stressed, or maybe even discourage them in what they are already involved in physically and spiritually. Will it affect the other ministries that these women are involved in already? You must see the whole picture.

You can still have an impact on the women of your church, whether you are instrumental in starting a women's ministry program or not. Get in there and disciple some ladies on a one-to-one basis. Take someone under your wing and mentor them. Sometimes God doesn't call us to start programs, but He does want each of us to share His love. He does want us to encourage each other. He does want us to witness for Christ.

Women Ministering or Women's Ministry?

We don't judge people or churches as to whether they have a women's ministry program or not. The fruit of the Spirit is what we look for to see spiritual growth. If your church has a wealth of women that are bearing that fruit of the Spirit, then that's the important thing.

God may be leading you to start a women's ministry, but God always wants us to be wise in our decisions, even if that is about beginning a new ministry program. So, listen to the Holy Spirit. Pray and ponder. Talk to your pastor. Talk to your church leaders. Above all, remember that the fruit of the Spirit is the predominant thing that we want to see in the lives of Christian women.

And be diligent in knowing what the fruit of the Spirit is and what it is not. The fruit of the Spirit involves love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith. We see that in Galatians 5:22,23. No where does it say anything about whether we attend events, activities, or even Bible studies. Sure, we want our women to attend those, but don't judge fruit by another identity. Attendance at a women's ministry event, activity, or meeting is not a fruit of the Spirit.

Knowing the difference between women's ministry programs and women ministering will help you see the women within your local church more clearly. It will help you determine if you think a women's ministry program is needed in your local church.

I've worked in women's ministry programs a long time, and I think it can be an exceptional program if developed properly and become a phenomenal ministry to accomplish much in the lives of women. But even though a women's program can be exceptional, we have to use wisdom and a sound mind before implementing one. We must step back out of the hype of it all. We must step back from our own vision and plans. We must really evaluate what is needed to spur the women of our churches on to bearing fruit and more fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

I think sometimes we stop at those verses in Galatians 5, but the next verses (24-26) really explain it all.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

After reading those verses, it really brings home the point that a women's program can't be born out of the desire for power. It can't be born out of the desire to hold a leadership position. It can't be born out of selfishness without considering all what is going on in those women's lives and if you will be in danger of "provoking" them because of your desire to implement a program. A leader must be walking in the Spirit, or a leader can do some damage.

I know this isn't the pretty side of women's ministry to talk about, but it needs to be discussed. Encouraging programs isn't the answer to the spiritual needs of our women. Encouraging the fruit of the Spirit is the answer.

Sometimes I hear women's leaders telling those who want a women's ministry program to "go for it!" or that "If God gave you the burden you should make it happen!" and so forth. That's just terrible advice, especially not knowing the specifics of each case. For one, you don't know people's motives when starting a ministry. I've seen so many women who say they have a burden for the women in their church but haven't even lifted a finger to disciple, mentor, engage in friendships, engage in fellowship, or be hospitable to those women. If you say you have a burden for the women of your church to have a women's ministry program, and yet you aren't already engaging with those women in some way as a fellow church member, then a red flag goes up for me.

No. We should never just go for it or try to make things happen on our own when it comes to implementing a new church program. God expects us to use wisdom. God expects us to put our feet on the ground and do some research. God expects us to pray for guidance. God expects us to use the Bible as our guide. God expects us to listen attentively to the Holy Spirit. God expects us to guard our hearts from vain glory. All of those things need to come into play. We just don't start a program because we have the desire to do so. It involves more than that, and I think we as women's leaders need to rethink how we push and motivate others to start women's ministry programs in our churches.

I have received so many messages from women and pastor's wives, especially in the last few years, of how they no longer have a women's ministry program or organized women's ministry. But yet, these churches seem to be thriving in the fruit of the Spirit among their women. I've heard so many stories of how these women in their churches are getting involved in mentoring, discipling, and doing so much in so many areas of church service that it is just phenomenal. That's what we want! We want to see the fruit of the Spirit in our women.

We have to remember that programs are man-made so aren't always necessary. But the fruit of the Spirit is necessary in the lives of our Christian women.

Copyright ©2022 Julia Bettencourt

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