On any given Sunday, women across the globe are serving, ministering, and using their gifts to further the Kingdom and love the bride of Christ well. From serving in the nursery and teaching small groups to welcoming visitors and leading worship, women remain a vital part of the Church. As a leader, you have an incredible opportunity to affirm and utilize these gifts, though it can be challenging to prioritize this among constant ministry demands. Here are four ways to celebrate and support the women in your church, providing practical examples of supporting ministry to women.
1. Teach About Them
One of the most pivotal sermon series I ever heard was a Christmas series titled “She Shouldn’t Be Here.” What was a familiar storyline for many became an opportunity for my pastor to open the text and highlight the value and dignity of women in the redemptive story. Displaying the empathy in Ruth’s journey and the courage of Rahab gave the congregation a clear picture of how God uses women to achieve His purposes. Women of the Bible should not be studied exclusively in the context of women’s events. Teaching and modeling God’s design for mutual mission helps establish a healthy culture of familial partnership.
2. Invite Them to the Table
With women making up more than half of most congregations, knowing your flock requires listening to their specific needs, circumstances, and viewpoints. Depending on your staff structure and polity, you may be unintentionally limiting the influence of women regarding pivotal decisions. Invite them into brainstorming sessions for sermon series or meet with them regularly to hear what issues they are facing. Their feedback on cultural trends, parenting, assimilation, and even the aesthetics of your facility provides unique insights that make your ministry stronger and more well-rounded. This is a key part of celebrating all women in church.
3. Equip Them
God has gifted all believers with spiritual gifts to edify the church and be a reflection of Himself in communities, schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. This means that both men and women are equally on mission in their various contexts. Women in the church have been gifted with teaching, organizational, encouragement, and leadership gifts as well as many others. How are you training and resourcing them to further develop those gifts? How are women being built up in their teaching gifts to then lead and teach from an orthodox view of Scripture? In what ways has the church invested in their development?
With our new Church Answers Women’s Initiatives and our new certificate in Women’s Discipleship from Church Answers University coming in August of 2022, we are hoping to help give tools and resources for you to pass on to the women in your church to help them grow and be better equipped. Something as simple as passing on this email, helping pay for their certification, or setting them up with a mentor is invaluable to them and to your church.
4. Utilize & Celebrate Them
The importance of women being both visible and approachable is a strategic and important step in communicating to your church that there are women available to seek out for counsel and help. Being sensitive to issues such as abuse, abortion, and other injustices and providing a safe avenue for women to receive trained and biblical direction toward healing not only helps to shepherd those in your care, but also communicates to all those watching that the church cares about injustice, restoration, and healing. Women often lead out in compassion ministries and are able to organize, assimilate, and connect people. This is your community engagement, connections, and first impressions teams within your churches. How you recognize, utilize, and then champion women in various roles both from the platform to conversations with members inside your church helps to allow women to feel seen, valued, and empowered to be the disciples God has called them to be.
This article originally appeared on ChurchAnswers.com and is reposted here by permission.