Women of the Bible


Lesson Fourteen

 

MINISTRY TO WOMEN

 

KEY VERSE:

...Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and
all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancers.

And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed
gloriously. (Exodus 15:20-21)

 

INTRODUCTION

As you studied this course, you may have felt a special call to minister to
women. This chapter provides guidelines on how to start a ministry to women. It includes
suggestions for organizing and advertising your group and instructions on identifying
women's unique spiritual needs.

 

IS A WOMEN'S MINISTRY SCRIPTURAL?

The first women's group was organized by Miriam, the sister of Moses. It is recorded that:

...Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and
all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancers.

And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed
gloriously... (Exodus 15:20-21)


Miriam organized women for the purpose of praising and glorifying God.

In the New Testament it is recorded in Acts 9:36-41 that Dorcas had a ministry to widow
women. Older Christian women are instructed by Paul to teach the younger women (Titus
2:3-4). From these examples we find that ministry to women is scriptural.

 

WHY A MINISTRY TO WOMEN?

Here are some reasons why ministry to women is important:

 

WOMEN NEED THE GOSPEL:

At the present time, women account for half of the total world population. They need to
hear the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

WOMEN HAVE SPECIAL PROBLEMS:

Women of all nations have spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. They have problems,
challenges and needs quite different from those of men. Women need to know that there
are solutions to their problems in Jesus Christ.

 

WOMEN NEED TO GROW SPIRITUALLY:

Women need to develop devotion, dedication, discipline, and direction for living.

 

WOMEN HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN GOD'S PLAN:

They need to understand their potential, purpose, and place of ministry in the Body of
Christ.

 

HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO WOMEN

Here are seven steps to help you start a ministry to women:

 

STEP ONE:

Begin to pray for direction from God and for the women of your area.

 

STEP TWO:

Call together a small group of Christian women to assist in organizing the ministry. Seek
out those whose hearts God has touched with similar spiritual vision and purpose. Begin
to pray together for women in your community.

 

STEP THREE:

During these prayer sessions ask the Lord to help you identify the purpose for your
womens' ministry. Your "statement of purpose" should answer the questions "Why do we
exist? What is it God wants us to accomplish through us?"

It is important to determine this purpose because the Bible indicates, "Where there is no
vision, the people perish." Just as individuals need a purpose for living, a group needs a
purpose for existence.

 

There are many different purposes for which a women's ministry may be established. A
group may have one or several of the following purposes:

Prayer: You can meet together to pray for your community, your nation,
your leaders, and the world. Through prayer you can effectively penetrate
every region of the world and become the undergirding force behind those
on the forefront of evangelism.

 

Bible study: The purpose of your group may be to study God's Word
together with the goal of leading women to spiritual maturity.

Evangelism: Your purpose may be to reach your community, city, or village
with the Gospel through various evangelical outreaches.

Ministry to younger women: You may adopt the Biblical principle of the
older Christian women teaching the younger. If so, your statement of
purpose is already written for you in Titus 2:3-4.

 

Special group ministry: You may minister to special groups of women, i.e.,
unwed mothers, women on drugs, alcoholics, prison inmates, children,
juvenile delinquents, women on college campuses in your city, or women in
rest homes and hospitals. You may feel called to minister to women in
certain geographical areas or depressed regions, i.e., in economically
deprived areas.

 

Special group ministries provide unlimited possibilities of purpose for a
women's group. Analyze your area. What spiritually needy groups are not
being reached? This may be the special challenge God has for you.

Church auxiliary: You may organize a women's group as an auxiliary of
your church. Your purpose would be to provide support for the various
programs of the church.

 

Missionary auxiliary: The purpose of this group would be to provide prayer
financial, and material assistance to missionaries.

World Christians: The purpose of this group would be to focus attention,
prayer, and action on the global cause of reaching the world with the Gospelof Jesus Christ.

 

STEP FOUR:

Set the date, time, and place for the first meeting.

 

STEP FIVE:

Advertise your womens' group to let women of your community know about the date,
time, place, and purpose of your meetings. Whether your advertising plan is as simple as
word of mouth in a village or a complex advertising campaign in the city, you must get
the message out. As the New Testament commands, "Go out in the highways and
byways, and compel them to come in."

 

The following are suggestions for advertising your group. The ideas you use will depend
on your geographic location and the funds available for advertising:

1. Obtain permission from your pastor to post notices on the church bulletin board
and in the adult Sunday School classrooms.

2. Ask the pastor to announce the meeting from the pulpit the Sunday immediately
prior to each meeting.

 

3. Ask your pastor to print a notice in the church bulletin if your church publishes one.

4. Take a supply of posters to your local Christian bookstore. Ask the owner to put
one on the bulletin board and stack a supply on the counter.

5. If your city has a Chamber of Commerce, ask if they will give a printed
announcement (which you will supply) to new residents who stop by to pick up
information on the community.

 

6. Give flyers to women in your neighborhood, church, women's organizations, and
at your job.

 

7. Leave supplies of flyers in Laundromats, markets, and beauty shops...anywhere
women frequent. (Be sure to obtain permission of the store management).

8. The public library may have a place for local announcements. If so, keep it
supplied.

9. Send a letter of invitation to:
Wives of pastors.
Lists of names obtained from local women.
Leaders of secular women's groups.
Lists of women obtained from local churches and denominations.

10. Announce your meetings on radio, television, and in the newspaper, if your area
has these available.

 

STEP SIX:

You are now ready to begin meeting as a womens' group. Here are some suggestions
for...

 

The First Meeting:

1. Obtain the name and address of each person in attendance. This will enable you to
contact these women for future meetings.

2. Prior to the meeting, prepare copies of the information on the name and purpose of
your group. Distribute and review these during the first meeting.

3. Discuss the plans you have for your group: For example, opportunities for
ministry, fellowship, training, etc. Women must recognize the personal spiritual
benefits of involvement and be challenged by the plans of the local chapter

4. Provide opportunity for praise and worship, ministry from the Word of God, and
prayer for needs of those in attendance. The ministry portion of this first meeting is
very important. If women have their spiritual needs met and learn more about God
and His Word, they will return for future meetings.

5. Provide flyers or posters to those in attendance along with instructions for telling
others about your group. Encourage them to use these materials to invite others to
the meetings.


Following Meetings:

Here are suggestions for future meetings:

1. Always welcome and register visitors. Provide them with a copy of the
information on the name and purpose of your group.

2. Provide opportunity for praise and worship, ministry from the Word of God, and
prayer for needs.

3. You may want to begin studying this course on "Women, A Biblical Profile.” You
may also want to use some of the other courses offered by Harvestime
International Institute.

 

STEP SEVEN:

Contact all those who attended the first meeting with either a card, telephone call, or visit
prior to the next meeting. This practice should be maintained for all visitors present in
future meetings. Encourage them to return and become a regular part of your group.

 

GROUP ANALYSIS

Consider these questions: What type of women are in your group? What are their special
needs? You need to know this if you are to minister effectively to them.

Marital Status: What is the marital/family status of women in your group? This is
important as the needs of each are different. For example, a single woman may
experience loneliness, while a married woman with children may not have enough time
alone. A woman raising children alone has special needs, as does a widow or divorcee.
The various marital and family statuses which can be present in your group are as
follows:

 

Single
--Married without children
--Married with children
--Widowed with children
--Widowed without children
--Divorced and not remarried, raising children alone
--Divorced and not remarried, no children
--Divorced and remarried, no children
--Divorced and remarried, with children


Occupations:


Women with different occupations have different needs. The different
occupations that may be represented in your group include the following. Note that
various occupations may overlap, i.e., a housewife who also works outside the home.

--Student in school
--Women involved in ministry
--Business/professional workers
--Retired women
--Housewives
--Laborers

Residence:


Where do your women live? Their environment presents special needs and
challenges:

--Cities
--Villages
--Remote areas
--Culturally or financially depressed areas
--Affluent area
--Middle class area

Relationships:


Women establish numerous personal relationships. Sometimes they
experience relationship problems with:

--Family/husband/children
--Business associates
--Church/ministry contacts
--Friends
--Neighbors

Education:


Analyze the educational level of your group. This is important to enable
proper presentation of training materials. Their educational level may be:

--Illiterate (no education)
--Primary
--Secondary
--College
--Postgraduate

Needs:


The needs of women may be spiritual, physical, emotional, or material. In
addition, they may be struggling with special problems, i.e., alcoholism or drug addiction.
The following will assist you in identifying the needs of women:

Spiritual needs:

--Salvation
--Sanctification/holiness
--Water baptism
--Healing and deliverance


Spiritual maturity including gifts of the Spirit, Fruits of the Spirit, knowing
the will of God, dealing with life crises, dealing with temptation.

Emotional needs:


--Fear
--Loneliness
--Discouragement
--Bitterness
--Unforgiveness
--Self-concept
--Anger
--Hatred
--Guilt
--Jealousy

Physical needs:


--Illness
--Weight problems
--Appearance problems

Special needs:


Special problems in your group include the following:

--Divorce
--Suicide tendencies
--Morality
--Abortion
--Drugs
--Cigarettes
--Alcoholism
--Occult
--Prejudice
--Demon oppression/possession
--Dealing with death


An effective ministry to women will include ministry to and counseling for the needs of
its members. Identify the needs of your women and through the anointing of the Holy
Spirit reach out in love and compassion to meet those needs.

 

 

 

Answer the questions below.  If you miss a question, go back and study that portion of the class and then retake the test.  Once you have received a 100% you may proceed to the next class.  You DO NOT have to submit this test for grading.  Only the final test will be submitted.