Women's Ministry!

I have always craved women's ministry that is beyond the women bit. Ministry that connects me, through others, to Jesus and His fellowship. So I was thrilled to read this article from Sarah Bessey about just this...and the comments afterwards are priceless. She also wrote a follow-up article here: much to reflect on. One of her key points is that she'd like to see "churches stop with all of the programs and be a bit more simple and small by intention. Let relationships develop organically. Be open to new people. And love well."

I agree with her... but the advantage of programs is that they do give folk a safe structure within which to develop relationships, especially for us reserved Brits...

My daughter Cat now goes to a church in New Zealand (where she is working for Christians Against Poverty) which DOES NOT HAVE SMALL GROUPS!  Excuse me? How can a vibrant church meet the needs of members without small groups? With something which is, possibly better...SERVING GROUPS.  In a nutshell, it works like this: new members go through an introductory program and are then, based on their gifts and calling, allocated to a serving group - whether this is hospitality, worship, welcome...etc etc - which then becomes their 'small  group'.  

Programs and people...finding the balance within women's ministry and without...