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If you struggle with bridging the generational gaps in your women’s ministry, you’re not alone. In fact, in most ministry areas, there’s a certain type of person who shows up and quite a few others who stay on the sidelines. If you want to broaden your reach, keep reading to learn how involving others in the planning process might just bring the change you’ve been hoping for.
Keep reading to learn:
- Why we should be bridging the generational gap in women’s ministry
- Why humility and love are more important than great event planning
- How planning parties work to grow your reach and how to throw one of your own
- Which 4 ingredients you can’t skip if you want people to feel heard and valued
God Is Always At Work
God is always at work around us. Our job, then, is to join Him. To the best of my knowledge, when I feel like He’s nudging me in a certain direction, I try to bend a knee and pivot to join Him. This is why we’re going over bridging the gap in women’s ministry today, and not just inviting, but involving the women who often don’t come.
I want to note, as with all of my blog posts, that there are transferable principles here for every type of ministry. The strategies we go over can work in women’s ministry as much as they can work with involving those in the community!
I often hear things like “I worked so hard to get them to come!” Not only do I hear this, but I have done this. I have tried to turn the things that I love into things that others would love too. The truth is, you can do everything except for the one thing that you assume isn’t important. As it turns out, the thing you didn’t do was the most important, game-changing thing. I want you to know that this one thing is totally possible and absolutely doable for anyone. The result might not be exactly what you have in mind, but you can do it. I want to introduce you to the game-changing question.
Did They Help You Plan It?
Usually, older generations don’t know why the younger generations aren’t coming, or they assume that these women don’t want to be involved, have different priorities, or don’t care about God. However, it’s really important to pay attention to the key generational differences. You can make these assumptions, but if you want to work on bridging the generational gap, involve them in the planning! This can look different in a lot of ways. You could ask them what they want. Maybe allow them to pick the events, time, location, and content. What if they planned most of it?
If you’re already thinking, “They won’t do that. You don’t know our women.” That is true. I don’t know your women, what they’re facing, or even what their priorities and needs are. However, I do know how to find out.
Starting With The Foundation
Before I give you the absolute best way to start bridging the generational gap within your women’s ministry, we need to start with the foundation of why you’re doing what you’re doing. Why do you want to involve them? What’s the common goal?
The goal often falls into one of two categories. Either you want to grow your program and get people to value and enjoy what you do, or you want to love them, meet their needs, and show them Jesus. There is a big difference between these two. Sometimes, meeting their needs results in growing your program, but it’s not a given and it shouldn’t be expected.
If you want to grow your program and get others to join you in what you’re doing, I can absolutely give you tips for better advertising and promotion. Although, in the end, if they don’t like what you’re doing or how you’re doing it, they have the choice to not be a part of it all. If you want to figure out how to involve them in community because you want to love them better, meet their needs, and genuinely reach them, then let’s go! I can help you with that!
4 Tips For Bridging The Generational Gap In Your Women’s Ministry
1. Have A Planning Party
Don’t just have another boring meeting, make it fun. If you want to have a different result, the first step is to do something different. We have an entire blog post about it right here. People who have held planning parties usually never go back to regular meetings. This becomes an annual tradition that people love and look forward to.
2. Invite Everyone
If you’re focusing on bridging the generational gap, try to check with some of the people who don’t normally come. Ask them when they’re available before you choose the date. Let them know that you want their input and that you know it’s going to be fun. Keep in mind, that if you’re going to do this well, it’s going to require humility and love. They’re going to have priorities that you don’t have and they will want things that you don’t, but that’s the point. This is when you go back to your ‘why’. Are you trying to grow your program or are you trying to love them better?
3. The Post-It Notes Matter
If there’s one thing that people try to eliminate the most from our flow, it’s the Post-it Notes. Don’t eliminate them! If you don’t know what I’m talking about and you haven’t read about our planning parties, here’s part of the party process. We have Post-it Notes on all of the tables for everyone.
During these planning parties, when questions are asked like “What are some events you’d want to bring your friends to?” everyone is quiet, but they’re writing. Each person writes down their answer to the question. The reason for this is to get more and better ideas out on the table. You’ll get ideas from people who normally don’t talk or are scared to say what they’re thinking. By doing this, you get the chance to hear everyone’s thoughts and ideas.
4. Encourage Positive Feedback And Stay On Track
In planning parties, it’s so important to have positive feedback and stay on track. Prioritize effective communication. Don’t allow side conversations to sidetrack you from what you’re doing. Often, something comes up and we shift our focus to it. This can go good or bad, but regardless, these conversations are meant for a different time. Again, you show people a different side of church ministry, meetings, and leading. It is so important to stay focused.
Bridging The Generational Gap Through Planning
Those four things are so important when it comes to having a great planning party. Honestly, every step that I included is vital, which is why we created the Ministry Bundle! It not only sets you up for a quick start, but it also includes another foundational workbook for the long haul of creating your mission and vision and setting up a plan that leads to amazing impact.
If you want to include others, involve them in the planning. If you think they won’t come or that they won’t share, it’s not true. People want to be heard and valued. They get so tired of people not listening or understanding. Do you know how much this world would change if we became better listeners?
So, regarding getting younger women involved in the women’s ministry, what do you think about including them in the planning?
Read More:
Ministry Planning 101: Get Ahead Of The Game For Less Stress & More Impact
Small Church Ministry Planning: 6 Steps For Your Best Year Ever!
