PLYMOUTH – Have you ever had two hours change your life?
Home on a college holiday break, I was invited by my mom to join her for an evening Bible study that she helped facilitate at our church … and she needed someone last minute to help with tech. I began the teaching segment for the group and sat in the back tech booth with my Bible open. Taking what felt like feverish notes, I was overwhelmingly moved by the teaching. Not only was it powerful to sit and learn under a female teacher in a room filled with a diverse group of women, but when it was finished, several women even stopped by to say hello, to chat, and to ask how they could pray for me.
Without a doubt, those two hours changed the course of my life. The excitement that stirred in me to study the Bible like that and the taste of community that I experienced was missing in my everyday life. I returned to college with fervor; within the week, I had changed my major to Theology and Philosophy. Since then, I have completed undergraduate and graduate coursework in both Theology and Education and have had the privilege of working or serving in Women’s Ministry in the local church for decades. I am so thankful that my mom encouraged me to come with her all those years ago. She showed me a glimpse of a thriving Women’s Ministry, invited me in, and God began showing me the plans He had for my life.
This is part of our calling as the church, to lead women God’s way. To invite them in, disciple and share the gospel, and help them to gain solid scriptural knowledge. The impact of which has ripples into the home, churches and communities, and into the world. As we lead and shape ministry for women in our churches, I would like to offer three considerations that I hope will inspire and embolden our efforts.
(1) The Significance of Women
Pages are filled with incredible female characters with powerful stories. Eve shows us what it means to be a helper to Adam and challenges us to examine our own tempted hearts; Pharoah’s daughter and Esther face risk and even possible death at the hand of their governments; Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth all speak to the tender struggles of infertility; Deborah to the boldness of calling; Mary, the courage to obey God in the face of ridicule; Priscilla, the work of teaching and evangelizing. Personally, I love reading Luke 8 where it references “the Twelve and the women”.[1] Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna were all named as followers of Jesus. These women welcomed him into their homes, financially supported his ministry, and often taught others as well. They were by Jesus’ side in his death, burial, and resurrection, key players in the advancement of the gospel. The significance of women is not lost on us. God wanted women to know how important His daughters are to Him as evidenced by their presence in Scripture. It is so important for the church to highlight the faithfulness of these women because their stories are our stories. Not only do women in the body desire a deeper understanding of the Word of God, but they are being called according to His purposes as leaders, mothers, teachers, caretakers, business leaders, and more. They are looking to the church for help and guidance as they navigate God’s calling on their lives.
According to Pew Research,[2] 55% of Evangelical Protestants are women, making up the majority of our church populations. Further, 59% of women say that religion is very important to them compared to 47% of men. Women also surpass men in weekly attendance, frequency of groups participation and weekly Scripture reading.[3] Whether an official Women’s Ministry is established, or leadership is developing the overall discipleship vision and plan, targeting ministry based on gender should happen in a variety of ways in a healthy church. We should consider and mold our preaching, programming, and community involvement to the needs of our female participants. This in and of itself could be another article; but for now, some things to ponder as church leaders could be including female voices in our teaching teams, regularly involving them into the conversation of the life of the church overall and aligning teaching illustrations and study topics within women’s contexts. These are voices that we need to lean into when appropriate, strengthening the core and heart of our churches.
2) Women on Mission
Women’s Ministry should primarily be under the authority of God. It should serve as an expression of the home church and clearly represent its mission. When building and shaping such an effort, we must be sure that every event, program, and action be centered on The Great Commission. The reality is, there is no shortage of events and opportunities hollering at women to attend, volunteer, and participate:
The library is hosting S’mores and Stories.
The Historical Society has a Fall Festival.
There’s a charcuterie night at a local pop-up shop.
On and on it goes. We are inundated with Stuff To Do. As a leader in Women’s Ministry, I have loved hosting similar events in the church – they’re not a bad thing! – but there is so much more we can offer the women in our churches and communities. Instead of a revolving door where we run the risk of women being another number in a social club, we must ask ourselves: Where is the gospel? How are we making disciples? Are we answering the call of the Great Commission for the women in our church?
A helpful way to look at it is a balance between the relational and the transformational.[4] Fun events are great! But we simply cannot underestimate the capabilities and spirit of women. They are skilled, passionate, and able to engage with deeper study and understanding of God’s Word. We must equip, encourage, and challenge them to rise to the occasion in the very things that God has created them to be and to do in the world. Many of which are specifically female roles that are integral to the kingdom.
Author Gena B McGown says it well:
“[we] do them a disservice when we underestimate their capability or even their interest. Sitting in your church right now may be a woman into whose heart God has put the fire, but for whatever reason, she lacks the confidence. She is waiting for someone to say: “I see this in you. I know you can. I’ll help you get there.”[5]
Part of the mission for Women’s Ministry is to find that woman, to give her resources and community, and send her out; ensuring that she is armed with Scripture that shapes her identity and purpose. I think it’s also important to point out that influencers and celebrities alike would love to convince us that virtual connection is essential. It can certainly have many benefits, of course. However, in this time of being more “connected” than ever before, women seem to be feeling more and more alone. Scrolling for some sense of virtual connection can never replace genuine community and discipleship. As church pastors and leaders, we must rise to the call to show these women what it looks like when the church helps bring the hurting to the foot of the cross and be grounded in the Word of God.[6] In a study by Barna in 2015, I learned that 43% of women said that they do not feel any emotional support at all from church.[7] How unfortunate and sad. The report also makes the point that without the strong relational bonds within a church community, a woman’s absence is more likely to go unnoticed[8] and thus, her connection to the church will likely flounder. Striving to specifically help women be aligned with purpose, grounded in their knowledge of Scripture, and connected to their church body will have numerous positive outcomes for their lives and for the health of our churches. Some action steps might be to consider the strength and access to Biblical study opportunities, the integral role of building up mentorship teams or programs (let us not forget Titus 2!)[9], and spending time teaching women about how their spiritual gifts are vital and needed in our churches. Women in the body desire a deeper understanding of the Word of God – we can and should eagerly meet that desire.
3) A Heart for Women
Women are amazing creatures. We are smart. We are passionate. We are relational. To minister specifically to the needs of our women is to boldly proclaim their value to the world. As ministry leaders, we can all agree that the world needs Word-filled women. These are the daughters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, neighbors, and friends who are changing the world, one relationship, one conversation at a time. With so many competing narratives about a woman’s identity, the noise and constant barrage is maddening. We need to know who we are, and we need those ahead of us to show what it looks like to be rooted and grounded in the Word: heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Women’s Ministry is important because it has the opportunity to reorient the women coming through the doors with their true identity, in a safe space with other women around them, inviting them to ask harder questions and discuss personal things that they wouldn’t feel comfortable doing in a co-ed setting. Women also need to know that they were created by a loving Father God who delights in their gifts and designed their hearts to reach the world through their art and love and worship. Through their work as nurses, entrepreneurs, and homemakers. The ripple effect of equipping women is immeasurable. It sends them out into the world, shining light into areas that only they can reach, through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. The church is facing generational shifts where the women sitting in the pews are largely unchurched. When they taste and see the goodness of God, there is a gospel fire that burns and spreads – to the pickleball courts, to the PTA meetings, and the soccer fields. To the grumpy neighbor, the young adult making lattes, friends at work, and unbelieving family members. Women are strategically positioned by God to embrace other women who would never step foot into a church. And by pursuing them, with the Word on our lips and in our actions, we are shining the light of Jesus to those who desperately need to know of His love for them. This is world changing.
To have a heart for women means we empower them. It means we lean on them. It means we embrace their gifts and shepherd them. May our efforts in the church aim to cultivate faithful women who are fiercely committed to iron sharpening iron[10], who learn and practice how to pray deeply with and for each other, who challenge and love and inspire each other to bring these Jesus-truths out into the world. Let’s train women for the work of the ministry. Let’s help them find each other in our churches and let’s equip them. It can happen in many contexts. Bible study, over a cup of coffee, mentoring programs, running groups, and so much more. It happens when women gather together and pray, serve, disciple, feed, celebrate, and grieve together.
This call to arms is not in terms of weapons wielded. This is a call to our arms being open, ready to hold each other up when the road looks unsteady. We need each other. We are voices filled with wisdom and perspective and when we step into the mission field, we are armed with the truth of the gospel and can inspire hope wherever the Lord takes us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Baruzzini has been serving and teaching in Women’s Ministry circles for decades. Working at Mile City Church in Plymouth, Michigan, she lives her life in grateful response to the goodness and beauty of truth in Scripture. She considers herself a forever-student; thankful for the depth of training and spark that ignited in her theology studies at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. Samantha lives in Livonia, MI with her husband and three children. She loves to read, eat delicious food, and delights in true Sabbath rest.
Works Cited
“Five Factors Changing Women’s Relationship with Churches.” Barna.com, 2015. https://www.barna.com/research/five-factors-changing-womens-relationship-with-churches/.
“Gender Composition among Evangelical Protestants.” Pewresearch.org, 2014. https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/database/religious-tradition/evangelical-protestant/gender-composition/.
McGown, Gena B. 2019. Women's Ministry With Purpose. Abilene: Leafwood Publishers.
[1] Luke 8:1-3
[2] 1. “Gender Composition among Evangelical Protestants,” Pewresearch.org, 2014, https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/database/religious-tradition/evangelical-protestant/gender-composition/.
[3] “Gender Composition among Evangelical Protestants,” Pewresearch.org, 2014
[4] (McGown 2019, 65)
[5] (McGown 2019, 65)
[6] (McGown 2019, 70)
[7] 1. “Five Factors Changing Women’s Relationship with Churches,” Barna.com, 2015, https://www.barna.com/research/five-factors-changing-womens-relationship-with-churches/.
[8] “Five Factors Changing Women’s Relationship with Churches,” Barna.com, 2015.
[9] Titus 2:3-5
[10] Proverbs 27:17