Pick A No-Fail First Small Church Women’s Event

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

If you are trying to pick a first women’s event for small church ministry, the goal is simple. Choose something that will not fail. That means you start with what you have, not with what you want. You pick something easy, something short-term, and something you actually enjoy. Because when you are starting from scratch, the last thing you want to do is put out a vision and fail.

Start With What You Have Not What You Want

When choosing a first event, start with what you have, what you enjoy, and what the women around you already love to do, not with an imported program from another church.

Most of us have a picture in our mind of what a great women’s ministry is. We remember the amazing retreat we were on. We have visions of that mothers’ tea that we loved, or that how-to class that somebody ran, or the best Bible study we have ever been to and how people were so committed.

But at the place where you are right now, if you are starting a ministry from scratch, start with what you have, not with what you want. Put some of those pictures out of your mind and start looking at what you have.

First up, what do you have to offer? Not just in your leadership skills, but what do you enjoy? Do you have any hobbies? Do you like to walk? Do you like to sing? Do you like to paint? Do you like to be outside? Do you like your dog? Start with what you have, what you enjoy.

Are there others? Are there women in your church who quilt, or women who walk, or women who exercise, or women who build things with power tools? Start with what you have. Do not import programs from other churches that you see out there, unless it fits your women.

Do Not Start A Cooking Class If Nobody Wants To Cook

Do not start an event just because you heard it was amazing, start something that actually matches the women in your church.

I kind of bet you have seen this. Do not start a cooking class because you have heard this is amazing, if there is nobody in your church who wants to cook. That seems obvious, but it happens all the time. Someone hears about a great event at another church, gets excited, and tries to copy it. Then nobody shows up, and everyone feels discouraged.

There is a little bit of taking a break from our busy minds and tapping into that free space of creativity. Not creativity like coming up with a bunch of ideas, but the creativity that happens when we slow down and we rest and we look around us. We observe. We build relationships. What do you have?

When you are starting something from scratch, the last thing you want to do is put out a vision and fail. That is not fun. I have done it. I have done it. So that is what you want to do. You want to start with what you have.

Pick Something Easy And Short Term

Choose an event that is easy, short-term, and preferably a one-time thing or something that lasts no more than six months, so it cannot fail.

Now please hear me. If you have followed me at all, I know life is not always easy. I know ministry is not always easy. I talk about difficult things, and I believe they are part of what we should embrace too. But in this context, I want to encourage you, if you are starting something from scratch, that you start with what would be easy, and what would not fail.

We have enough failures in the church. We recruit enough volunteers and let them fail. We do not support them. We try enough programs that fail. So what does not fail? This is what does not fail in a small church. If you start with something you love, enjoy, or want to learn, start with something like that.

And keep it short. A one-time thing or a short-term thing, like six months, is how you can then not fail. People are coming, and then you move on from there. You are not locking anyone into a forever commitment. You are just inviting them to try something with you.

What A No-Fail First Women’s Event Looks Like

A no-fail first event is built around something you or someone in your church already loves and can easily share with a few other women.

Let me give you some examples. If you want to learn how to cook better, like I would love to go to a cooking class. They are so crazy expensive. I have looked into them. I would love to go to a cooking class. And I know there are people in my church who cook.

A woman named Sue had me over for lunch a couple months ago. She made me this amazing homemade soup. I loved it. She had fancy stuff in her kitchen that I did not even know what that knife was for. It was pretty fun. And if I would just say, “Hey Sue, would you teach me how to cook? Maybe we could find a couple other women who would want to cook too. You could just teach us one recipe.” I bet she would be all jazzed. It would be fun.

And you know what? If no one else came besides me, it would be a success. If Sue was there and I was there, it would be a success.

Maybe you like to walk. Maybe you like to walk outside. Maybe you would like to hike. “Hey, would anybody like to hike with me?” That is the beginning of a ministry to women because it is a relationship builder. Do you see it? When we do things together, there is natural conversation.

Maybe you paint and you say, “Hey, let’s do a painting club.” Maybe you are an exercise guru, and you want to lead a fun little exercise class. It should be something easy. And preferably a one-time thing or a short-term thing.

What If You Want To Start A Bible Study

A Bible study can be a no-fail first event if you frame it as something you want to do and invite one or two women to join you.

Now, if you are listening to this and you are like, “I want to start a Bible study, this is not spiritual enough,” great. Then that is something that you love. It still fits here. Start with something you love that would be easy.

You want to study a new book on courageous care? Awesome. This is how it does not fail. You just say to somebody, “I want to study this book. Would you study it with me? Maybe we invite other people. Maybe other people come. Maybe we invite other people and there is only two of us.” It is still a success. It is ministry to women, and you are learning. See how that works.

The key is not the size of the event. The key is that you picked something you actually care about, something that is easy to pull off, and something that gives women a chance to be together.

Why Starting Small Builds Momentum

Starting small with an easy event builds relationships and trust, and that trust becomes the foundation for future momentum.

Once you have had a book club, or a walking day, or a cooking club, or whatever DIY or outreach you are doing, once you have one, even if there are three people, two people, five people, the success of that one thing builds relationships. It builds a little bit of trust. It can build momentum, not just in you, not just trust in you for them, but trust in the possibilities of new things.

This is why the first event matters so much. It is not about impressing anyone. It is about creating a small win. A small win that says, “This can work. People will come. This is worth doing.” That is what momentum is built on.

So if you have a ministry on your heart, why not take a step? It is not a big risk. It is a tiny little risk. You are just getting to know people and loving them and saying, “Hey, I want to do this,” or “I want to try this,” or “I love doing this, come join me.” No promise of future, just get started and see what happens.

If you are looking for a place to connect with other leaders who understand the journey, our Small Church Ministry Facebook group is a great spot for encouragement, shared wisdom, and real conversation as you lead. And when you are ready to go deeper, Everyday Influence is there to help you keep growing. It gives you live coaching, practical ministry skills, and a supportive community so you can lead with more clarity and less exhaustion.

Why Your Church Should Boast About Its Good Work

Why December Pressure Feels So Heavy For Small Church Leaders