Formula For Women's Ministry
Julia Bettencourt
I would love to tell you there is a magical formula for making a perfect Women's Ministry in your local church, but face it. There just isn't. I'm sure some of you may remember learning about atoms in school. They are the smallest particles that make up a chemical compound. Atoms are made up of three parts. Electrons, protons, and neutrons. Each of these parts behaves differently and causes a different effect on the whole compound.

Electrons have a negative charge. Yes, you guessed it, we all have some of those "electrons" in our women's groups. They don't think what you are doing is going to work, don't want to participate, and usually voice their opinion quite loud and clear. They have a negative impact somewhere along the line in your women's ministry.

Protons on the other hand have a positive charge. They are those ladies in your group that want to push forward, get involved, and want their women's ministry to reach out and impact the world.

Next, we have those neutrons. Do you remember learning about those? They have no charge at all. Kind of like a lot of ladies in our women's groups. They don't really have an opinion on anything or contribute too much, or even get involved much in any way. They are just there. I went back to brush up on my atoms and I noticed one source said that the surface of a neutron was not very sharply defined. I thought to myself, that yep, I know women like that.

So, we know what we have to work with but how do we keep each of those parts from taking away from your final "compound" or your women's ministry? Personally, I think we have to take each type or lady and deal with them differently. We've got to encourage and inspire those that are coming at you hard with the negative. See what's really beneath the surface. Is there something going on internally with them or within their family? Or maybe they've gone through things in their life that just left them with a negative attitude.

We all love those "protons" but they need to be encouraged too. Keep giving them the pats on the back, the prayer, and support that they need.

Concerning those "neutrons" or the neutral ladies; maybe work on getting them to see the vision of your women's ministry. Work to inspire them. Also work on feeding them and all of the parts of your "atom" spiritually. A lot of times hold ups in the work of a women's ministry comes from stunted spiritual growth. Get your ladies involved in Bible studies, outreach, and other things that feed their souls and inspire them. Get those "neutrons" defined by teaching them doctrine and the principles of God's Word. It will sharpen them.

Above all, you too have to come to the conclusion that there is no magical formula. You have to take it one day at a time and one part of an "atom" at a time. Sure, there are helps and things you can do to improve your women's ministry but in the end it's all made up of those parts of an "atom". In other words, people. To be more specific, "women". And different types of women they are too, with different views, opinions, and outlooks on the world.

So when that negative charge comes rising to the top and you feel like it's going to undo everything you've worked to achieve, just remember that God's the One that made us each different and unique and that each woman that you minister to is His creation. Stay encouraged, and keep on praying, working, relying on God, and loving the ladies within your women's ministry and your "compound" will turn out all right.

Copyright ©2007 Julia Bettencourt
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