On a weekly basis, I receive phone calls from women across our denomination looking for help. Some have been tasked with pulling off the annual Spring luncheon. They have someone covering table decorations but now they need a speaker ASAP. I hear the anxiety in their voice and I am not sure if they always appreciate me slowing down the conversation to ask questions I think are far more important than meeting what they perceive as their most pressing need.
Here are at least three questions I always ask that get to the heart of why Women's Ministry is more important than just events:
1. What is your
purpose
?
Why in the world are you planning this event? Is it because you have always done it and now there is an expectation that it will always continue? How does the purpose of this event align with your women's ministry purpose? Have you even developed a purpose statement? More importantly, how does this event help you accomplish your church's overarching mission and purpose? For instance, here at Naperville Presbyterian, our purpose is that "Our lives, communities, and world be made new by Jesus Christ for the glory of God". So the question must be answered, how do I see evidence that women's lives, Naperville, and the world are being made new through our annual Women's Holiday dinner?
2. Where are the equipping gaps?
As You consider the women God has called you to minister to, where have you observed equipping gaps? ...