“What do I do if my church doesn’t have a women’s ministry?”
It wasn’t a question I ever imagined asking. I grew up in a large church with programs for all ages and stages. As a young adult, I attended a church with a robust network of small groups and periodic women’s retreats. But for the last 15 years, the churches my family has been part of haven’t had women’s ministries.
For a while, I coped by going outside my church for Bible study and fellowship. That served me, but it didn’t serve the sisters in my church body. Eventually, the Lord shifted my desire toward starting something in my congregation.
My church at the time had no staff to lead a women’s ministry. No women’s Bible studies. No women’s events. No childcare. It felt like a heavy lift.
If you’re in a similar spot, I have great news: You can do something. More accurately, the Lord can do something through you. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.
Pray
I love taking action. I love organizing things. I love reaching out to people. But before I did any of that, I wish I’d prayed more.
One striking thing about David, the “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), is that he often sought the Lord before he acted, even when the next step seemed obvious. In 1 Samuel 30, we read that even as an experienced military commander, David inquired of the Lord before pursuing enemies who’d kidnapped some of his family.
If your church doesn’t have a women’s ministry, starting one might seem like a no-brainer. But we mustn’t lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5–7). Before you do anything else, pour out your heart to the Lord (Ps. 62:8). Pray about your desires for your church. Pray about the obstacles you see in front of you. Pray for the women you know in your church, as well as the ones you haven’t met yet.
Don’t just pray once; pray continually. Ask the Lord to search your motives and work through you. As ideas come to mind, pray he’ll bring to fruition the ones that are from him.
Talk to Your Pastor and Other Church Leaders
In the two churches where I’ve started women’s Bible studies, the full-time church staff consisted of little more than a senior pastor. These dear servants had the entire weight of the church on their shoulders, and both were enthusiastic when I said, “I’d like to start a women’s Bible study. Would that be all right?” It wasn’t that they didn’t want ministry to women; they just couldn’t do everything.
Before you assume anything about your church leadership, talk with your pastors, elders, and anyone else who might have authority over a potential women’s ministry. The more conversations, the better. You can learn what others have tried and hear their perspectives on what would serve the congregation.
When I came to my current church several years ago, there was one women’s Bible study already running, but it met at 5:00 p.m. on a weekday. That time didn’t work for me as a mom of young children, so I asked the director of Christian education if I could start another group on a different day and time. In talking with her, I learned the 5 p.m. group was mostly retirees who’d been meeting at that time for many years. She was happy for another group to address the needs of working women and busy moms.
Stay open to feedback and have conversations with as many people as possible so you can avoid working at cross-purposes with your church leadership. Women’s ministry works best when it’s thoughtfully integrated into the church’s larger vision and ministry efforts.
Stay open to feedback and have conversations with as many people as possible so you can avoid working at cross-purposes with your church leadership.
Make God’s Word Central
In 2018, as I was thinking about starting something at my church, I attended a breakout session at TGCW18 on women’s ministry in the local church. The speakers offered lots of thoughts on existing efforts, but I wasn’t sure how to start from ground zero.
Later, I was able to talk to panelist Colleen McFadden and ask her my burning question: “My church doesn’t have a women’s ministry. Where do I start?”
She told me to find one woman who wanted to read the Bible. God used that conversation, graciously, to shut down my visions of events and programs. I’d been thinking about making connections, facilitating fellowship, and finding friendship. I didn’t yet know I needed God’s Word far more than I needed a new female friend.
So the next question I asked was to two fellow moms in my church: “Would you like to get together and study a book of the Bible?” They said yes. And one of them knew a homeschooling mom with teenage daughters who were willing to babysit one morning a week so we could have childcare. Thus, our Bible study was born. When we announced it in the bulletin, we picked up a few other women.
Events, food, and fellowship are all wonderful, but they’re not the starting point. I’m so grateful for that guidance. Connect with other women, yes, but center that connection on the Word.
Expect Hurdles and Meet Them with Flexibility
The first time I started a Bible study, I have to admit, it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. When you’re starting something, you’ll likely have to adapt and innovate as you go along.
We started by reading Jen Wilkin’s Women of the Word to establish a foundation. But as young moms, most of us struggled to keep up with inductive Bible study. Meanwhile, some were uncomfortable studying the Bible without a pastor directly leading the group. So our beginning wasn’t without tension.
After studying one book of the Bible on our own, we decided to use a guided study. We opted for Concordia Publishing’s LifeLight series, which gave us more structure and was rich with cross-references that enhanced our understanding of the Word’s context. Many other Bible study resources are available in different styles and structures to meet the needs of various groups.
To address concerns about pastoral oversight, I asked our pastor to stay involved with the group. I kept track of people’s questions about the Scripture passages we studied and shared them with him. He visited our group periodically to answer and discuss with us. His encouragement and reassurance were a blessing.
Flexibility is essential as you consider the needs and concerns of the women in your unique congregation. As long as you’re keeping the Word central—and keeping your pastor in the loop—you can experiment with different study styles.
Be OK with Small
At both churches where I started Bible studies, we began with three women (including me). If you’re used to the idea of big programs and retreats, that sounds pitiful. But I’ve been greatly encouraged by The Gospel Coalition’s teachers on this issue.
Connect with other women, yes, but center that connection on the Word.
At the Women’s Ministry 101 panel at TGCW24, Christine Hoover reminded us that Jesus spent a lot of time with a few people. Yes, he taught huge crowds sometimes, but he spent most of his time with a relatively small group of followers. His teaching and discipling of these few multiplied to the ends of the earth.
It’s a relief to know that we, especially as lay volunteers, don’t have to draw a crowd or put on a multiday conference. It’s overwhelming to try to address all the topics women are interested in or the many life stages of the women in a congregation. But “women don’t primarily need advice on their life problems,” Hoover explained. “They need to know the Word of God and how to study it.”
Thanks be to God that his Word accomplishes his purposes (Isa. 55:10–11). If your church doesn’t have a women’s ministry, consider inviting a few other women to join you in studying the Bible. Women’s ministry isn’t defined by a certain number of participants or a calendar of programs. At the core, it’s about women coming together to study God’s Word.