BOW Ministry Team member Virginia Grounds shares wisdom from her years of experience in women’s ministry. I’ve added links to other related articles on this blog. Or browse the topics in the margin and click on those that fit your needs.
A key to a great ministry is great leadership. A leader who loves Jesus, is called to minister to women, and committed to being the leader her team needs her to be for the glory of God. It takes commitment to follow the Lord’s leading in being the most effective she can be in her role as leader.
As I thought about the years I have served in ministry to women under the leadership of many women through the years, I remember what kept me involved. I remember how the ministry grew in effectiveness under those leaders. This is what I learned:
Organization requires preparation. Businesses are not the only ones who need organization charts to stay on task. Ministries need them too. Preparing to build a ministry team required preparing for them by organizing in advance how God is leading team building. What is each person’s role on the team? Who do they report to? What is the purpose of their team position? These are questions that should be answered in advance of putting a team together.
Preparation requires information. You cannot be organized in any area of ministry without proper preparation. The information gathered from answering the questions in Item #1 is needed to prepare for building a great team of women called to serve. But once the team is built, it is vital that information be given and received from each team member. Staying informed about the thoughts and actions of each role is a leader’s responsibility. What new information do you need planning a meeting? Has a team member reported to you a prayer need, or news from their team? Did the pastor relay information to be reported?
Information requires communication. A great leader communicates with her team on a regular basis. She encourages them for their task, discovers their personal prayer needs, and prays for them. She answers questions about their role, and mentors them about serving in women’s ministry. She plans monthly meetings to give the team a sense of continuity and serving together for one accord. She should be prepared and have an organized agenda for each meeting rather than taking a fly by the seat of your pants approach. Think through what needs to be discussed? What decisions are to be made? Think it through, notify the team of meeting time and place and made copies of the agenda for each team member. Each meeting should be covered in prayer. Each team member should give a report of what their area of responsibility has accomplished in the past month.
Ministry teams need great leaders who are prepared and confident in their leadership role. In assuming the responsibility, it should be understood that the role of ministry to women is a priority in the leader’s life. We all want to serve in many areas, but when God calls us to leadership in one area, it must come first. If not, we can quickly become exhausted, experience burn-out and be ineffective in leading a team of women who are to serve women for God’s glory and purpose.
When prayer, preparation, organization, information, and communication work together in a leader, it makes for a successful ministry where lives can be transformed for Jesus. Every aspect of our lives has the potential to glorify God. Let that be the goal of every leader and pass it on to those under your leadership.
Thank you, Virginia, for your words of wisdom!
