Women do things together. We shop together, have lunch together and even go to the restroom together!
What if we could leverage this natural instinct to do things together into a search and rescue mission for the lost?
What if we equipped the women in our churches to use their normal “girl stuff” activities as outreach?
The potential impact is huge, and it is really about learning to live our lives on purpose. Practically speaking, though, here are 3 steps you can take to equip women to turn any activity into an opportunity to share Christ.
- First, identify the women in your church who are already doing things together. Maybe a few meet to do crafts once a month. Perhaps a group does a recipe or dinner exchange. Find out if they are doing any community service together. How about play groups? A monthly lunch?Ask yourself if the women you’ve identified are already serving your church in some other way(s). Find the women who might not be comfortable in a formal leadership role but would be happy to invite another woman into their group. Then, encourage them with how God could use their existing group to reach the lost and invite them to a gathering to learn how your church or women’s ministry would like to help.
- Second, schedule a brief gathering to get the women together for support and encouragement. Keep it informal so the women do not feel like they are being asked to “lead” something. I would not call it “training” for this reason.The goal is not to formalize their existing activities – it is to empower and equip each of them to see the opportunity that they have to build relationships with unbelievers through their time together.
- Finally, consider how you can provide ongoing support to these groups of women. Perhaps you bring them together quarterly or bi-annually for prayer and encouragement. You could also create a private Facebook group for them to share ideas, prayer requests, questions, etc. Whether in person or online, provide materials that give ideas for inviting or including new people. You might even include articles like, this one on how to start and maintain a conversation.Give tips for how to know when to introduce the gospel or how to recognize a “seeker.” Provide a handout for remembering how easy it is to share the gospel. (I like this one.) Remind them that the way they “do life” with these other women will usually open the door to share their faith in a natural way. And when women come to know Christ through one of the groups, celebrate together!
Women in our churches are already gathering for various reasons; getting them together as a group simply reminds the women in your church to keep their hearts, minds, and activities open to pre-believers.
We can’t spread the gospel if we only hang out with each other. Instead, let’s create a mindset of relational ministry much like the one Jesus used to launch the gospel around the world!
–> Looking for more relational ministry ideas? Kim also shared 8 Unique Ideas for Engaging Your Community in this article for members of womensministry.net.
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