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Connect Christian Women In Your Community With This Multi-Church Gathering

Follow these simple steps to host an interdenominational women’s event and build a bridge between Christian denominations in your community.

  • Break down unspoken barriers.
  • Connect with other women in your community who love Jesus.
  • Build great working relationships between churches & community organizations.

Have you ever considered the wild possibility of what could happen when women from different churches and denominations gather together?

I’m not just talking about a general conference where the speaker is so well known that the event draws lots of different people.

I’m talking about a gathering of women, speakers, and churches from your own community for the sole purpose of bringing together the Body of Christ. 

Do you know what could happen? Unity will happen!

A Small Church Women’s Ministry Got A Whole Lot Bigger With This Amazing Tradition!

For almost 10 years, I’ve been leading a group called Women of the Way in Tennessee where we gather for 4 evenings every spring to inspire unity as we build relationships and promote Jesus as Lord.

Here’s what you can do to create the same experience!

Step-By-Step Plan To Host Your Own Interdenominational Women’s Event

1. Location, Location, Location

Identify Host Churches

Select 4 churches of different Christian denominations in close proximity to each other to keep travel at a minimum.

Each church hosts a different evening so that 1 church doesn’t ‘own’ it.

If possible, use churches with large enough meeting spaces to seat women at round tables to promote as much fellowship as possible.

Pitch The Idea To Their Leaders

Reach out to the leaders of those churches and pitch the big idea.

The first time I did this, I didn’t know any of them. I took a big risk emailing church leaders that didn’t know me! Don’t let not knowing people stop you! Go for it! Get together with who’s willing and discuss it as a group.

2. Decide On The Details

Determine Your Dates

Instead of a one-and-done event, choose 4 consecutive weeks for a series. This fosters relationships between different churches so much more than a one-time event.

For WoW, I chose 4 Mondays in a row because that was the day of the week that’s usually slow for people. Four weekly sessions were enough for a great series but didn’t wear people out. We scheduled our sessions for either before or after Easter, avoiding Holy Week because everyone is busy during that time.

Choose A Theme

Selecting women from the Bible around a specific theme is so fun and creative. It amazed me how many awe-inspiring women there are in the Bible and how their stories have impacted me significantly.

We’ve been doing this for almost 10 years with rarely repeating studies of women from the Bible! Some themes have included:

  • Women In The Life Of Christ (Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, the women at the tomb)
  • Women IN The Way (the woman with the issue of blood, women bring their children to Jesus, the Shulamite Woman)
  • Women Of Courage (Shiphrah & Puah, Rahab, Jochebed & Miriam, Deborah & Jael)
  • Unnamed Women Changed By Christ (the woman who was loosed, The woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, the woman who sinned yet loved much)

Invite Unknown Speakers

Yep, you heard me. Here’s a great piece of the puzzle: Don’t invite well-known or professional speakers and teachers. Focus on women in your community to share their stories and speak from their experiences.

God has given you amazing women who can teach and present with vast amounts of wisdom to share! Use them! Plus, it will draw women from other churches who know and love those speakers!

Select speakers (and singers!) from a variety of churches, ages, and backgrounds and ask them to present a 30-40 min talk on the women in your theme. The more women who are involved, the more diversity!

So the BEST reasons to use UNKNOWN speakers:

  • God has given women in your community stories to share.
  • It draws more women as those speakers have their own friends who will come to see and support them.
  • It grows your diversity.

Give Back To The Community

Instead of charging for this Bible study series, offer it as a free event but invite guests to donate to local ministries.

Ask one ministry or outreach program per session to share a 5-minute presentation on their organization. There are tons of ministries that could use support: local food pantries, clothing ministries, mission trips, mother/child organizations, crisis pregnancy centers, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals.

There are always programs in churches and in the community that need awareness, and you can help get the word out by getting collections and donations at your interdenominational event!

Keep Food In Perspective

Food is a must, but keep it simple! Don’t do large buffets or costly catering.

Pre-prepped plates of a yummy sandwich and chips or a veggie/fruit/cracker tray at each table for everyone to nibble on is just fine! A bottle of water or glass of tea (sweet tea, of course) with a small dessert plate and napkin, and you’re done!

One of my favorite ideas is to involve smaller churches to volunteer with the food since they usually don’t have the space to host a session.

Getting more people involved from lots of different churches is the beauty of this gathering!

Looking for a step-by-step to starting or restarting your women’s ministry?

Check out the Women’s Ministry Bundle For Small Churches!

3. Develop An Agenda For Your Interdenominational Women’s Event

Develop a routine for your sessions that flow well but doesn’t take a huge amount of time.

Keep in mind, women are coming straight from work or don’t like to drive home in the dark. With a familiar routine, everyone knows what to expect, and they can slip in late, which is totally okay.

Sample Agenda

5:30 pm Fellowship & eating (make sure food is ready & on the tables as people arrive)

6:00 pm Begin program with Welcome and prayer

6:05 pm Outreach Ministry, doorprize 

6:15 pm Music

6:20 pm Speaker w/Interactive Bible study

7:00 pm Closing prayer

Make Interactive Bible Study The Highlight

The Bible study is important! You want inspiring and engaging studies, but the lasting relationships are what’s essential. One of the best things I hear is when women say, “Oh, we met at Women of the Way!”

Building relationships outside your own church walls is the point of all this. Consider having question cards or discussion starters at the tables to get people talking. Figure out creative ways to get women to sit with new people to encourage making new friends.

What If Someone Shares Something We Disagree With?

It’s possible that with several denominations coming together, something might be shared that you don’t agree with. It’s ok. Really, it is.

Your primary goal is to focus on who unites us, not what divides us.

From the beginning, explain to the host churches, the speakers, and everyone who shares, this series of events is a Christ-centered, encouraging event. Your intention is not to share specific doctrines, practices, or beliefs. In all the years we’ve gathered, everyone involved has always honored our intent to focus on who unites us rather than what divides us! 

Click the link to check out my blog for Women of the Way: Who unites us, Not What Divides us!

Close With The Lord’s Prayer

Close out your sessions with the one thing most Christians have in common.

So many parts of our denominations and worship services have differences: music, preaching, teaching, communion, and baptism. But, the one thing we all have in common is the Lord’s Prayer. We all know it, and we all say at some point in our worship or in our traditions.

One of the greatest joys I have in our Women of the Way Bible series is when we stand together with hands clasped and recite the Lord’s Prayer in unison at the end of each session. It’s the one thing we all agree on and the one thing we all know. 

I must admit, occasionally, I open my eyes, take a peak as we’re praying, and witness the beauty of the King’s daughters proclaiming Jesus as Lord, united as the Body of Christ!

4. Spread The Word

Use every source of free advertising you can!

  • Use social media to its fullest.
  • Sign up for free ads in the newspaper, local tv shows, and radio stations.
  • Create a graphic and ask host churches to post it in their bulletins and media.
  • Display a few posters in the community.

Great Event Idea For A Women’s Ministry In A Small Church

What’s stopping you from starting your own interdenominational women’s gathering?

You totally can do this. Follow the steps above and you’ll make an impact in a few new ways:

  • New bridges across denominational lines in your community
  • Deeper friendships with other Christian women in your community
  • A beautiful unity in the Body of Christ within your community
Women of the Way Event in Tennessee

Read More On Women’s Ministry:

A 4-Week Plan To Start (Or Restart) A Women’s Ministry

The Ministry Funnel For Effective Small Church Ministry