Four Priorities of a Spiritually Rich Women’s Ministry
A frequent refrain I’ve heard is that women’s ministries are often spiritually shallow, full of fluff, ineffective, and in some cases even in contradiction to the overall mission of the church. It is imperative that we give thought to how we can avoid these pitfalls and create a spiritually rich women’s ministry in our churches. While this is not an exhaustive list, we need to give attention to the four priorities listed below.
1. PRIORITIZE A WORD-FILLED MINISTRY
God’s Word must be central in women’s ministry. One of our primary goals in women’s ministry should be to help women become better readers of the Bible. The tendency of many women’s bible studies is to focus solely on application or what the Bible says about us. Application is an important step to understanding God’s Word, but when it is the sole focus of our study, we miss the fullness of God’s character and purposes as He has revealed them in His Word.
Our church seeks to have a Word-filled women’s ministry by offering a bi-monthly inductive Bible study on a book of the Bible. The time spent in the study is focused on inductively walking through a passage of the Bible. Our goal is to help women learn how to better study the Bible so that they can benefit in their private devotional time with the Lord. By learning how to observe, interpret, and apply the text, we hope women will receive tools they need to implement the same study in their own private time in the Word.
In addition, at women’s conferences or talks at women’s events, the focus should be on offering the Word of God. We must resist the temptation to merely offer women practical homemaking tips, or seven steps to a better marriage, or emotionally charged self-help style talks. Women don’t need fluff, or flowery messages, or overly emotional appeals. They need to meet Christ in the pages of Scripture.
2. RAISE THE SPIRITUAL AND THEOLOGICAL BAR FOR WOMEN
Our women’s ministries should excite in women a desire for the things of God. We should help women understand their role in God’s Kingdom and show them how to bear much fruit for His glory. Women should be expected to be able to discuss spiritual and theological matters. They should have spiritually rich friendships in the church that deepen their fellowship with God.
A practical way to raise the spiritual and theological bar for women in the church is to cultivate a culture of reading. At women’s events, we can resource women with the best books available that will help women grow spiritually and theologically. In addition, give a great deal of attention to the books in your church’s bookstall and promote spiritually rich books regularly at church gatherings. Perhaps one of the most effective ways to promote a culture of reading is to have women who read model a rich reading life to others. In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, he discusses the role of community in developing habits. Peer groups have a huge influence on developing habits and surrounding yourself with the people who embody the habits you want to adopt is very beneficial. If you want to become a runner, spend time with runners. If you want to become a reader, be in community with other readers.
Another way to raise the spiritual and theological bar for women is to have periodic women’s theology nights or to have groups of women working through a theologically rich text together. Walk through Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Life or your church’s confession of faith with a group of women. Challenge women to read, reflect, and discuss a theological work they may have otherwise avoided.
3. SERVE AND SUPPORT THE CHURCH’S OVERALL MINISTRY
One of the dangers of women’s ministry is that it can quickly become a church within the church if it’s not properly managed. Leaders in women’s ministry should submit to the authority of the elders. In addition, an elder needs to be involved to some degree with the ministry so that he can help the leaders fit into the larger ministry of the church as well as to promote the women’s ministry to the church. Women’s ministry leaders must have a thorough understanding of the mission and vision of the church and be eager to bring the ministry into alignment with that vision.
Pastors, it is also essential that you support and encourage women’s ministry in your church. Identify gifted women and equip them to train and disciple other women. View their work as valuable and communicate that to them. In his book Encouragement, Mark Chanski writes, “What adrenaline is able to chemically and physiologically do for the body, encouragement is able to emotionally and psychologically do for the soul.” Encouragement and support from a pastor are invaluable and will go a long way in empowering gifted and spiritually mature women to influence other women in the church.
4. MAKE DISCIPLE-MAKERS
Mark Dever defines discipling as “deliberately doing spiritual good to someone so that he or she will be more like Christ.”[1] The church needs more women doing good and helping women become more like Christ. Pastors, consider going through a book like Discipling by Mark Dever with a group of women. Many women feel intimidated by the idea of “discipleship,” and they think that they are not equipped to disciple someone else or that they don’t have the time to do it. Walking through a book like Discipling and helping women understand what discipling is and what it is not will make it much more attainable for women who previously felt intimidated by it. There are few more effective things than an older woman meeting with a younger woman. It’s important that women understand the vital role that this kind of discipleship plays in the church and that they be equipped and encouraged to do it.
Let us pray that God would enrich the women’s ministries in our churches. Praise God, there are many churches doing women’s ministry effectively. But, as with all aspects of the church, we should, in humility, always strive to improve and grow. As we raise the theological and spiritual bar for women and prioritize the Word and disciple making, may God bless our efforts.
[1] Mark Dever, Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus (9Marks Building Healthy Churches; Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 13.
