THE ORIGINAL SOURCE FOR WOMEN'S LEADERS SINCE 2001
Women's Ministry. Is it Dead?
Julia Bettencourt
July 30, 2007
Ladies tell me constantly how, "We don't have a women's ministry at all in our church" or "Our women don't do anything" or even, "Our women's ministry is dead".
After doing this type of ministry for as long as I have, I've learned a few things along the way. One is that unless it's a brand new church that's just starting that most women's ministries aren't dead or nonexistent, they are just not full blown programs with lots of activities.
If you are new to the women's ministry leader position or have been involved in women's ministry for some time in your local church and have this attitude, I urge you to take a deeper look.
Look around for women who are ministering
Are there women within your church that teach Sunday School, prepare food for fellowships and funerals, that write notes or make encouraging calls? Are there ladies within your church that give of their time to work in the nursery, open up their homes with hospitality, prepare communion, arrange flowers for the communion table, or sing in the choir?
Look around you. Those women are ministering. They are the ones who go on week after week without a formal or vital women's ministry program to encourage them and stir them on. They are just in their place serving and ministering.
Allow those that already minister in some way to encourage you
Isn't that what we should strive for is for women to minister not just to have a "women's ministry" program? As you begin your Fall kick-offs and planning meetings for the year, I encourage you to recognize those ladies in your local church that serve and minister. They are "women's ministry". Ministering and serving others within your church family and community is what it is all about.
Consider those ladies and let it spur you on to a new encouragement about where your women's ministry is at in your church. It probably isn't totally dead but just needs a good awakening.
Please don't just say you are "starting" a women's ministry and leave it at that. Don't leave out those wonderful dear ladies within your church that have continuously served and ministered over the years. Their ministry is vital.
Don't tear down good work that has already been done
I think that's one of the reasons hurt feelings arise when new women's ministry leadership takes over in a local church. Sometimes we want to just pretend we are starting from scratch and build up a program apart from what's already been established within the church.
We need to realize that's not fair to those women who continually are in their place serving. Or maybe they've served throughout their lives and now aren't as healthy or as young as before but what they've done and helped build up over the years still counts.
God's surely going to be passing out some crowns to them someday. Please don't disregard their contribution to ministry or ignore them as individuals.
Lay your building blocks upon the foundation that's already been laid in a church. Sure, there are probably loose stones and some foundational stones that had no reason to be laid in the first place, but deal with those issues one at a time without lessening the vital part that "all" of the women serving in the local church play in ministry.
Build with the help of others
There might be some long rows to hoe where your women's ministry is concerned. I realize that. It's one of the reasons there's so many ideas and helps on the website. I want your women's ministry to succeed.
There are areas that are going to need reworked and revamped, or maybe even cut out, but don't overlook ministry that's already taking place in your church.
If you have women ministering and in their place serving now without a vital women's ministry program, think how much could be accomplished with their help if you work to build up and improve your women's ministry program.
Look at the possibilities! I encourage you to keep working on building women who will minister, not just a "women's ministry" program and God will bless your efforts.
Copyright ©2007 Julia Bettencourt.
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