Reading: Women in Ministry: Opportunities & Challenges (Slides)

Women in Ministry

Opportunities & Challenges

Professor Steve Elzinga

Unique Opportunities for Women in Ministry

Many women want to do ministry and ...

May have some free time

Can be very empathetic

Tend to be multitaskers

Often have communication skills 

Can be very connected to a whole community of support

Many women want to do ministry and ...

Love the Word and love to share it

Are often prayer warriors

Tend to be encouragers

Want to reach women - many of whom will only be reached through women.

Can offer something unique in family crisis situations

Often bring additional feminine gifts to the ministry table

Unique Challenges

Sometimes women's ministry becomes a competing little church within the church

Time

Money

Curriculum

Leadership

Nursery

Children's program

Unique Challenges

Sometimes women's ministry leaves the husbands behind 

Outside the church

Inside the church

i.e. Why men hate church

Unique Challenges

Sometimes women's ministry leaders, with all their passion and capabilities, do too much, robbing ordinary members of their opportunity to step forward and take on responsibility for getting things done.

i.e. Men sit back

How to succeed in these challenges

Little competing church challenge

Take the authority structure of the church seriously

Do not plan in isolation - make plans in consultation with all the areas of the church

Define your women's ministry goals in terms of the church's goals

CARE about the whole church

How to succeed in these challenges

Husband behind inside and outside the church challenge

Define women's ministry goals and strategies in terms of reaching the whole family 

Do not exclude the men from women's ministry; make them a part of your plans

If there is a men's ministry in your church, meet and plan together

Find ways to honor the husbands of strong women's ministry leaders and get them doing things

How to succeed in these challenges

Doing too much challenge

Do not do what others could do

Do what gets others doing