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Another lay leader tells about the dual focus of their Bible studies: "Our women's Bible study is a winner because, among other reasons, we offer concurrently a Bible lesson for the preschool children. The women can do something for themselves without feeling guilty about leaving their children."
A multitrack structure also works. "Our Women's Break-Away Bible Studies meet many needs," says Lee McDowell, women's ministry director at Mission Hills Baptist Church in Littleton, Colorado. On Thursday mornings they gather for worship and devotion, but then women can choose to attend any of the four elective Bible studies.
Topical studies can also be effective. One church tried to reach working women by offering, during a weeknight, a four-week seminar on "The Christian Woman and Her Finances." Since more than half the women attending worked outside the home, they considered the program a success.
Integrate. "Although many tend to think of women's ministries as activities only for women, we've seen a lot of enthusiasm about our groups designed for both men and women, and partly because they meet women's needs," says Pat Wilson. "Our koinonia groups include men and women, singles, retired persons, homemakers, and women working outside the home." These groups of twelve to seventeen people mix Bible study and fellowship.
"In fact," Pat adds, "we have a number of divorced women who find they fit best in these groups. Having come from troubled marriages, they like being with healthy families."
An integrated group works at another church where nearly all the adult Sunday school classes are organized according to stages of marriage or family. "Our class is the exception," says one participant. "We bill it as 'The Challengers.' It's a collect-all for people who don't seem to fit the other categories. This is where the women come whose husbands don't attend church. They're joined by single and divorced women, along with some married couples."
Help women evangelize women. Whether church women are at home or in the marketplace, many are extending their hands to unchurched women. It is not uncommon to find that in ministries to mothers of preschoolers, one-third of the women who attend are unchurched.
"This ministry to mothers becomes a natural way to get women through the church doors. It meets their needs, and I feel comfortable inviting my neighbor," says one young mother.
Women's sports is another evangelistic ministry. "It's not threatening to invite my non-Christian friend to join our women's softball team," says another woman. "Besides, softball is fun, although it's not the usual way I think about evangelism."
Another church uses its annual women's Christmas Candlelight Dinner to help women reach other women. The dinner is held off the church site, at the community college, for instance. A beautifully decorated room creates a festive spirit for a carefully planned program that includes music, an evangelistic speaker, and a presentation on local missions.
