Part 1 of 5
If you’ve been in church for any length of time you have probably seen all different forms of what a women’s ministry can look like. I’m sure you’ve seen the social clubs, the super intense groups, the “big-hearts-no-plan” tribe, the going through the motion girls, and the “we don’t need anything specific for women” church.
You may have also seen a thriving, growing kind of women’s ministry that pours life back into your bones. The kind where “everyone knows your name, and they’re always glad you came”. (That’s a Cheers reference for anyone under 30 who wouldn’t know that.) 😉
The kind that helps create intentional connections and pushes you toward freedom in your walk with Christ.
If you’ve experienced it you know just how impactful a good women’s ministry can be. For me, it was life-changing…truly.
Because of that, I am bringing you the first installment in my 5 Things Series. I’ll be talking about things like, “5 Things Your Ministry Needs to be Intentional”, and “5 Things Your Ministry Needs to be Influential”.
Today, I’m talking about 5 things women’s ministry needs to be effective. Why five things? I don’t know, it seems like a good amount! 🙂 Enough to maybe be a stretch for your ministry to implement but not too much to be overwhelming.
So what does it mean to be effective? We can’t work towards something if we don’t understand the desired outcome. I really like this definition.
It basically talks about our posture toward God in ministry rather than a quantity/quality mentality.
It is based on pursuing God’s heart, his ways, his means, and his design.
I love this definition because it removes us from the outcome. So many times in ministry we think we are responsible for the number of “converts” or the number of people in attendance at an event and while those things are important what is more important is our posture toward God within running the ministry and then leaving the outcome up to God to bring the increase or decrease.
The things I outline are things I have seen contribute to effectiveness. Your ministry may not have all these components but these are great things to shoot for. They may even seem like too high a bar to achieve and that’s ok, the goal of this post if to give an example of the best of the best in these areas.
God is always working out his will in our lives and our ministries and that is often not a straight line with all the tools present at the same time.
Seek his guidance first in areas where you see lack and pray for the right person, circumstance, or resource to be provided to fill in that gap. Finally, be patient with those who are in leadership roles and trust God to work in their lives.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list and I would love you to leave me a comment on what else you think a ministry needs to be effective.
#1 A Spiritual Director–
I enjoy talking about this one so much because I had the pleasure to serve alongside an amazing women’s pastor.
A spiritual director is just as crucial as a pastor of a church. In many ways, a women’s ministry acts as a church within a church. In the same way a pastor is responsible for shepherding and guiding the flock so is the spiritual director of the women’s ministry. Often times this role is even referred to as the “women’s pastor”.
Of course, this person is under the authority of the board, elders, and head pastors(depending on your church set up) and they are responsible for leading and guiding the ministry.
This person is a champion of your culture. She is spiritually mature, a visionary, she is socially aware and is able to endure hardship while leading.
She happily presents the gospel to the lost and reaches out to make connections with the community.
She needs to have a love for the people she is serving in the same way a pastor loves his people. I see her as the spiritual watchdog guarding those who are less discerning and younger in the faith. She is the ultimate spiritual mama bear.
She loves mentoring and guiding those around her and is willing to call out gifts and talents in others. She is keenly aware of the hardships facing her girls and is at the forefront of the charge to equip them with the truth.
She is sensitive to the Holy Spirit and always available to give words of encouragement and even words of loving discipline to those who will listen. She is seeking God’s face and interested in his overall and specific will for his ministry.
She is discerning and loves wisdom.
She has her finger on the pulse of the group and isn’t afraid to make adjustments and set boundaries to move forward.
She is also a human and is humbly aware of her weak spots. She looks for other leaders who are strong where she is weak. She isn’t perfect and doesn’t look for a pedestal to stand on and refuses to be put on one either.
She is aware of her boundaries and allows God to minister to her in times of self-care. She seeks encouragement from other leaders and submits to the greater vision for her church body over her preferences.
She is about the message, the healing, the relationships, and understands that this all gets messy sometimes.
She has the wisdom to be patient with the mess but empowers a higher holier standard.
Most of all she loves Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit and clings to his word above all. She is committed to the great commandment as she ministers in his name.
Check back at the blog next week when I discuss the second thing a ministry needs to be effective….”Relevancy”.
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