www.creativeladiesministry.com

[PrestonLA]

Our Ladies Ministry is going through some tough but necessary changes. Some of the women are excited, some are kicking and screaming along the way

One of the big dilemas is how to get a director/president etc. In the past, they just had an election within the group of ladies. This became a problem for many reasons, competition, jealousy, popularity contest, those elected wouldn't do anything...etc etc...

The pastor and his wife prayed and believed that changes were necessary. They decided that for the next year the Pastor's wife and her two female board members would operate as directors. To make a long story short...this went fine until the Pastor's wife went through extensive eye surgeries and was out of pocket for several months. The two remaining leaders dwindled down to one b/c the other one could not be depended on...much to everyone's shock.

So there will be a new director appointed, but some of the women feel that they want to do elections again, and are really stirring up division, but it seems like if we do that we are going backwards and we desperately need to go forward!

What do your ladies groups do? Do you elect or are they appointed?

[Guest]

We have a nominating committee who prays together about Gods desire of who is to be in what position. These names (only one per position) are then brought before the church in a business meeting and voted on by the entire church. If one is voted down, it's back to the drawing board for the nominating committee. (I don't know that I've ever really seen that happen though, thevoting down I mean)
It works for us.

[Prov31wannabe]

Same with ours...
We have five "executive" positions.
A nominating committee of 3 to 5 ladies will pray about the positions and they encouage volunteers to come forward---then they pray about those people.
They also pray for guidance and sometimes approach someone to pray about a position they may not have volunteered for (as was the case with me...I volunteered for Retreats and was nominated for Vice Pres.).
Finally, those five positions are prayerfully filled and the names are voted upon --- simply "yea" or "nay". It's only been voted down once.
It was taken up privately and a new name was submitted (the concern was legitimate and had to do with over-committment).

The remaining 8 to 10 board postions are filled by appointment by the new executive board from a roster of volunteers.
_________________
Colossians 1:27 ...."Christ in you, the hope of glory."

[creativ4]

Oooooh! Electing officials in a church ladies group is so scary to me Maybe the inconsequental positions (not that anyone is inconsequental), such as a secretary, etc., but the main director or leaders is something else. I guess because I'm used to someone really being called and feeling led to do this and approaches the pastor or the pastor or church leadership approaches someone they feel are qualified to do it. Being a women's leader is such an important position because so much in the way of leadership and example is involved in it. The person has to be solidly behind the pastor and church leadership and I've found that when it is done by elections, that always doesn't turn out to be the case.

I can see elections in a non church setting but with church related women's groups, boy, that's just scary to me. I'm sure it works for some but wouldn't be my chosen method.

Just my opinion.
_________________
Joy and blessings,
Julia

[costacasa]

I have to agree with Julia, elections scary me too. I feel the Women's ministry leader is called by God to lead and sheppard the women that he has placed there. I don't feel a group of women should make that choice. Plus do you really know there lives. and if they are walking right before God to make a decision like that. So many times we get in a big hurry to have a position filled that we lose sight on the real ministry and pick the wrong person. I am a Women's Ministry Leader and I felt like God was calling me so I went to my Pastor and he guided me and sheppard me for the first year or so just to make sure that it was God who called me. I have a very relationship to our Pastor and other's who serve on our Patoral Staff. Selecting the wrong person could do more damage than anything. You have to know that they are following the word of God. What happens if they give the wrong advice and it causes a church spilt. I think that these days we really need to be careful in making sure that God is the certain! of all the decision!!!!! i hope I have helped!!!

[Preston]

Our Pastors made those very points that Julia and Costa made. When the position was based on elections among the ladies, it caused problem after problem. One president wasn't in submission with the pastors or the leaders at all and just stirred up controversy. One only took the position b/c she felt obligated since everyone voted for her, and by the end of the year she was bitter and resentful and many of the ladies were bitter and resentful. It's all been such a mess.

Everyone feels very good about Pastors decisions. He had learned of this "appointing" the ladies director in other churches and really felt led to make that change here.

One lady though has complained all year long, even though she rarely attends the meetings and hasnt' put any "suggestions" in our suggestion box. (no one has) But apparently she used our retreat last weekend as a forum to stir up the ladies and talk them into telling the pastor that we DEMAND to have our elections back. No one agreed with her. In fact many of the ladies were very upset with her for speaking so harshly about it, especially in front of many visitors. I couldnt attend the retreat but some of the ladies came to me and told me what happened and now they want me to tell the pastor. I feel weird about "tattling" especially when I wasn't there, but I feel he does need to know especially since the next meeting is coming up soon....so I don't know what I'm going to do at this point.

[Guest]

Maybe I need to clarify what I meant. We have a nominating committee that brings forward a name to be voted on by the entire church, not the ladies group. Also, this person for this position is interviewed for the position, it's not an election campaign, nor a popularity contest. It isn't filled by somone just coming forth and "Puttting their name in the hat". In the same way our Sunday School Teachers are placed, or any other leading position, because I (& we as a church) believe EVERY leadership position ought to be a calling and not something we take lightly. So though we do have elections, there is a process before that, but it's not up to one person, or two, or even one committee, it is up to the entire church body because every group of the church refects the whole congregation.

[costacasa]

I really don't agree with elections but every church is different. How should it be a whole church issue about who fills the women's ministry?? I think the Pastor should appoint the one he feels that he wants to sheppard the women. As a women's leader we are their sheppard we are shepparding a part of the flock. The Pastor should be in pray and know who God is calling.
Our Pastor takes his leadership very serious. And to the women above who didn't know whether to go to her Pastor, well in our church as leaders we have to go to our Pastor with anything that is a problem. He wants to know and be aware. You have to be careful because little can grow into big things and then churches end up spilting up. That's why it's easy to stop a problem when it's first gets started if not it will begin to spread like cancer.

[Guest]

Our pastor also takes his role very seriously. I know this b/c he is my dh. But if he would make a "ruling" such as you stated, it would come off as a dictatorship which is the last thing he wants in his ministry.
I wonder how you call a pastor at your church, we have a committee, pastor search committee, and when they feel God has led them to the right man, he is voted on by the whole church, he is certainly not called there by one person. If a woman is being led into the womens ministry of her church to shephard the ladies as you put it, I certainly would hope the whole church would have a say in that as they did in calling a pastor.

[BarbaraJean]

Preston,
As a pastor's wife may I caution you about being the "tattler". This may be something your pastor needs to know. I don't believe that he needs to know every time something negative is said about him. It would be very discouraging for him to know all of it. But if this lady has been doing this for some time then she is obviously attempting to undermine his leadership and he needs to be aware of it. (He probably already is).

But I feel that one of the ladies who witnessed this incident should tell him. I have found that people in the church will sometimes find somebody that they perceive to be close to the pastor or usually to the pastor's wife and they will expect that person to be the messenger of bad news. It will become a habit. Every time somebody has a complaint or like in this case just something they think he needs to know, they'll bring it to you instead of telling him themselves. You will constantly be in the position you are right now - trying to decide what he needs to know and what would just hurt him. I have seen this personally. It will become a terrible burden for you. Can you imagine what the pastor (or his wife) will feel everytime you approach them? Just think about it and make it a matter of prayer before you do anything.

God bless you for your support of this man of God. You must be a great blessing to his ministry.
_________________
God Is Good All The Time. . .
Barb