The Women's Ministry Support staff answers your questions about women's ministry:
1) Why women's ministry?
2) Is there a manual?
3) Is women's ministry limited?
4) My pastor and his wife aren't interested in women's ministry.
5) Solutions to a slow start.
6) Why WCG women's conferences?
7) Where do we start?
8) Why separate men and women?
9) Women's ministry seems to be for older women.
1) Q. Why do we need a women's ministry in the Worldwide Church of God?
A. Women's ministry is a ministry that arises out of Scripture. Paul encouraged women to teach, nurture and help each other become mature Christians (Titus 2:3-5). Women's ministry provides an opportunity to get together as sisters in the Lord, where being a Christian is the common ground, with the goals of strengthening relationships with Jesus and with each other.
Those who are already involved in women's ministry have found healing, bonding, deeper friendships and greater fellowship with the Lord, through small groups, Bible studies, prayer meetings and prayer partners and women's retreats. Women are encouraged to discover their spiritual gifts, and through prayer, learn where their passion to serve lies. It is our hope that women's ministry will equip and empower them to then carry out their own ministry of service to the church.
The spiritual and practical benefits of women's ministry are immeasurable. As women grow toward the fullness of the measure of Christ (Eph. 4:13), we love and serve the body of Christ with more zeal and enthusiasm than ever before. We reach out to our families and to the world with open arms.
Women's ministry is not an end, but a tool to help women reach their full potential as Christians. Women's ministry is part of the total ministry of the church, helping all of us pull together and better reflect the image of God. Top
2) Q. Is there a manual for women's ministry? Are there guidelines we should be following?
A. We have developed a women's ministry information packet as a general guideline that includes vision, mission and philosophy statements for women's ministry, as well as a list of books we have found helpful to read before getting started. Also included is a sample survey that can be used to assess the needs and interests of the women in a congregation, and tips on choosing a leadership team.
There is no manual for women's ministry since each group of women is unique, with varying ages, occupations, home situations and cultures. We feel women's ministry will flourish in a setting where the women themselves develop the structure and organization, always with the pastor's knowledge, support and encouragement. Women's ministry can take any form and is only limited by the creativity of the women involved. With the proper foundation of prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit for guidance, women's ministry can give women opportunities to develop their skills in many areas.
The packet is available by going back to the home page and clicking on the Packet link. Top
3) Q. The term "women's ministry" and the definition of it - women serving women - seem to be limiting. I feel like I'm in a box. I want to serve the whole congregation: men, women and children.
A. The name and the definition were never intended to put anyone in a box or in any way limit the service a person can do, rather it tends to release women. We use the word "women's" because that's who we are; we use the word "ministry" because it means service. The instruction given in Titus 2:3-5 is for the older women to help the younger women learn godly values and grow in their relationships with God and people. God doesn't limit us. He gives gifts and abilities liberally. We are the ones who usually get in God's way and limit ourselves by the way we act or think.
Women's ministry is an umbrella under which the church has given its blessing to women to have the freedom to grow and listen to the lead of the Holy Spirit. Women's ministry actually honors women in the same way Jesus honored women. We are not in competition with other ministries. Wherever God calls a woman to serve is her ministry, whether working with women, children, providing music, helping with congregational activities or her own personal service apart from these. Top
4) Q. My pastor and his wife do not seem to be interested in starting women's ministry in our congregation. Is it possible to start a chapter without going around them or offending them? There are many other women in my area who are excited about it and are willing to help.
A. There may be circumstances that limit the ability of your pastor or his wife from becoming involved. Two things you can do right away: Pray, asking God to help you have the wisdom, patience and understanding you need, and to guide the pastor and his wife and you to do what is best for the women in your congregation. Enlist the prayers of the other women who want to be involved. Second, ask for a meeting with the pastoral couple to discuss women's ministry. Explain that you would like to work with the pastor and his wife, and would like any guidance, help and support they may be able to give.
If your mutual decision is that you will be the one to implement women's ministry, be sure to keep the pastor informed of all your activities. Invite the pastor's wife to all the meetings and activities. Even though she may not be able or want to be actively involved, she may be able to offer advice and provide information she has received from headquarters. The pastors' wives attend women's ministry sessions and workshops at conferences and can be a valuable resource.
We don't want anyone to feel pressured into doing something they feel is not their interest or their calling. The pastor and his wife may feel women's ministry is not something they can get involved in at this time. Some women in your congregation feel the same way. Women's ministry is a tool, to be used by the women who feel the urging of the Holy Spirit to serve others. Under the New Covenant, we have the freedom to participate or not participate in any of the ministries of the church, according to our gifts and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Top
5) Q. I'm happy to read about all of the exciting things happening in women's ministry, both in Pasadena and around the world. Our women's ministry, however, seems to be getting off to a very slow start. What can we do to speed things up?
A. We think slow is good. In fact, we in Women's Ministry Support believe that slow is the best way to start. The Women's Ministry Handbook, edited by Carol Porter and Mike Hamel, suggests that women's ministry will be most successful if it is based on a prayerful, well-thought out foundation. It is best to take the time to read several books, learning about the biblical basis for women's ministry and pray for God's guidance about the best way to serve the needs of the women in your congregation.
It takes time to build the spiritual and relational bonds among the women who will be working together, as well as time (and work) to discover and analyze the talents, gifts and needs of the women. It is also good to study the guidelines we have given in the women's ministry packet, and prayerfully decide how to tailor women's ministry to your culture and circumstances.
A good place to start if you haven't yet started, or are having trouble generating any enthusiasm for women's ministry is with small groups just for women. Many congregations have small groups for men and women, but there may be some women who feel uncomfortable in a mixed setting. In a women's group, the participants will feel free to talk about what is really on their minds and hearts, and will become very close as a result of sharing their innermost selves with others. A small group is so effective in fact, that if you are unable to do anything but this one thing, it will make a big difference in the lives of the women as well as in the congregation.
Please don't make the mistake of trying to do it all at once - to get so many projects going that you forget what we are all about - ministering to each other and helping each other on our spiritual walk with God. Top
6) Q. What is the purpose of having a Worldwide Church of God-sponsored women's conference? Aren't there already enough women's events out there?
A. Yes, there are many women's retreats and conferences available to Christian women today. We are not trying to duplicate them or compete with them. We are providing the International Women's Conferences for the women of our church (although the conferences are not closed - any woman from any denomination is welcome to attend) to provide an atmosphere of love, healing and bonding we feel is needed for us as a group. We have shared experiences that bring us together and give us a springboard for growth unmatched in other groups. Top
7) Q. We'd like to start a women's ministry but we don't know where to start. We don't have very many women and can't do much.
A. Women's ministry isn't about programs, projects or formulas. It's about relationships. If you want to start a women's ministry, just begin by getting together with a few women (or any who are interested) and talk. Talk about your hopes, dreams, plans for the future. Talk about where you are spiritually and if you're comfortable, pray together. Let the Holy Spirit show you where to go from there. If you are yielded to God, especially as a group coming together in Jesus name, he will lead you to do what pleases him.
As we've said before, it's perfectly okay to start out small and slow. Women's ministry works best when you start slowly and build on a foundation of prayer and love for each other and for the Lord. If all you can do is get together once in a while, then do it. God will add the growth, bring forth leaders and show you how to serve him while you become close sisters in the Lord. Top
8) Q. It seems women’s ministry is trying to separate the women from the men. I want to work together, all of us.
A. The underlying ideology behind women’s ministry is Titus 2:3-5, "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things -- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Paul’s instruction here is that spiritually mature women had the responsibility to mentor those women who were less mature, which includes both younger women and those new to the faith. Mentoring, or discipling, is accomplished in two ways, through being with a person - sharing her life - and instruction. This training of women to be firmly rooted in the faith and built up in Christ is best done by older, spiritually mature women. "Whereas truth is truth, gender does determine how some aspects of truth are lived out in daily life," Woman’s Study Bible, Nelson.
If women’s ministry accomplishes this
objective, it will only serve to strengthen the women, equipping and enabling them for
better and more effective service to the congregation and as part of it. The outreach
aspect of women’s ministry does not need to be exclusive of men, teens or children,
but the mentoring, nurturing aspect is best accomplished woman to woman.
Top
9) I haven’t participated in women’s ministry so far because it seems to be for women older than myself (I’m in my twenties). Besides, I have so many responsibilities it doesn’t seem to be a good use of my time.
A) The Titus 2.3-5 mandate, upon which women's ministry is based, says the older women should teach the younger women. The mandate leaves no one out, since each of us is older than some and younger than others. Spiritual growth, mutual support, service opportunities and an atmosphere where women are encouraged to use their gifts are also not exclusive of any age group.
We at Women's Ministry Support encourage the women’s ministries to include all women in their activities. The conference in Dallas (April '98), for example, will offered workshops specifically for teens. For women in your age group, there were topics such as The Nurturing Qualities of Christ, Overcoming Addictions, First Things First (on time management) and Identity in Christ, with sound advice and biblical principles to help you on your life’s journey.
Women's ministry is what you make it. If the programs in place in your congregation don’t appeal to women of your age group, maybe you should take the initiative and come up with something you feel will help you and others like you. Go to a conference or retreat in your area. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Maybe someone needs your help, and in helping her, you will be using your gifts and fulfilling your service to God.