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Your Next Women's Ministry Event: Leading Women to Jesus

Can we get on with what matters?

Leaving church one afternoon, I was talking to "Nancy," a leader I served with. A new leader, "Sally," stopped to ask Nancy a question. Sally had just completed her training session and noticed one of the requirements of all leaders was to have a relationship with Jesus so they could help lead other women to Christ. Sally mentioned to Nancy she did not have a "real" relationship with Jesus and she wanted to know if it was okay to continue on the leadership team. Nancy replied that it was okay without offering Sally any further assistance in developing a relationship with Christ.

I did not find the conversation odd at the time because I too was asked to be in leadership without my salvation coming into question. Although I thought I had a relationship with Jesus, I now know I did not. How was I going to lead other women to Jesus? My area of service was quite large, yet I did not pray daily, study my Bible, or live in obedience. How were Sally and other women on the leadership team going to lead women to Jesus if they didn't have a relationship with him either?

One of the major duties of a leader in church is to care for those whom God places in their trust by living for Jesus, teaching biblical truths, and steering clear of worldly thoughts and patterns. Unfortunately, my first experience in women's ministry was contrary to what God expects. We were juvenile–phony–and we thrived on self-promotion. We weren't concerned with living for Jesus. We spent time in planning meetings instead of drawing closer to God to strengthen us as leaders in an effort to save souls.

In Michael Warden's book Leading Wide Awake, he sums it up: "For all its necessary skills around strategy and vision casting and goal setting and team dynamics, leadership in the Body of Christ is ultimately dependent on one thing, and one thing only: a vibrant, surrendered, ever deepening intimacy with God. Without that, we're just pretenders."

It Starts at the Top

"Pretenders" is exactly what we were, and sadly this represents many leaders within the church and in women's ministry. Research from the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development says 72 percent of pastors study the Bible only when preparing for a sermon or lesson, and only 26 percent of have regular devotions and feel spiritually equipped to serve God. We easily assume leaders have favor with God, and at the same time, as leaders we assume most people in the church are Christians, so we become passive in our approach to reach those who are hurting. There are women in church right now who are childhood sexual abuse victims...going through a divorce...grieving over a lost child...new to the city...physically abused...fighting a terminal illness...and looking for an open door. If a pastor is not studying the Word, it's likely those serving under that pastor's authority seldom study the Word. We end up with lack of intimacy with Jesus causing insensitivity to the needs around us. The lost stay lost and our decisions to advance ourselves instead of advancing Christ's kingdom will cause demoralization as we become culpable in the ongoing sin in the world.

I was oblivious to the enormity of sin and misery as a young leader. Eventually I glanced around me and became grieved by the enduring pain I saw. When I reflected on the hundreds of women I was asked to serve, I was grieved by the pain I might have caused in my selfishness and lost opportunities to lead them to Jesus. I could no longer comprehend the purpose of women's ministries within the church. We had either too many overwhelming programs, or not enough to keep interest, but neither offered much in the way of salvation. If leaders do not walk daily with Jesus, there is no urgency within the dynamic to help and lead other women to Christ; the kingdom does not advance and the church and women's ministries become nothing more than a house of sand.

I stepped away for a while to develop my relationship with Jesus, then God opened the door for me to become a writer. I finally understood it's not me on top; instead, it's God. Jesus is the head–not us: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18, NIV). I asked the Lord to help me become more than a writer–a kingdom writer–so I can do as he commanded in Matthew 28:19: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." We falsely assume serving God is for our benefit–to make us happy, to fill our void–when instead our command is to share how wonderful he is with others. Only through my intimate relationship with Jesus will I effectively serve God and save souls as a writer, and only through your intimate relationship with Jesus will you effectively lead women's ministry in your church to save souls.

Application–Enlarge Your Territory

I was looking for a powerful book, and through a series of events I landed a copy of The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. My life has not been the same since I read it. I pray the prayer of Jabez every day: "Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain" (1 Chronicles 4:10, NIV). I ask God daily to bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, but not for me–for him! Imagine women's ministry leaders bonded together in strength and unity, asking God to enlarge their ministry by leading them to women who need to know Jesus. God is not absent; he simply has been pushed aside. While great numbers might be showing up, don't be misled into believing it's the favor of God. If numbers truly meant ministry success, then Hollywood blockbusters wouldn't be full of lewdness, violence, and immorality, potentially influencing people's lives in a negative way. If hundreds of women attend women's ministry events and do not know Jesus as their personal Savior, it's not a success–it's heartbreaking.

In Billy Graham's book The Reason for My Hope, he says, "There are two classes of people in the world, the saved and the lost." As a leader of women's ministry, are you saved or lost? I was a leader in women's ministry a few years ago and consecutively was in Bible college, had a prayer partner, served on Bible council, served Mothers of Preschoolers, acted as Sunday school president, was council leader for women's Bible study, was discussion leader for women's book study–and I was lost! The Bible says the devil is like a roaring lion: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). He has done a masterful job of blinding leaders, keeping them busy and away from Jesus, hindering the growth of the kingdom.

It is my prayer that my words are not judgmental but will be received as sincere in an effort to radically transform women's ministries within the church. As leaders we must take our relationship with Jesus seriously. We must pray and be open to the Holy Spirit's prompting, leading us to women who need Jesus. He heals the sick, gives hope to the hopeless, opens the eyes of the blind, and your relationship with Jesus can educe the needed alignment from the women you serve. Awake daily to pray and spend precious time with God. Study Scripture, study books and devotions by other godly women. Rest in him, praise him, worship him, thank him, and become the servant leader you were designed to be by working alongside your Father to advance the Kingdom of God. Above all, never leave his side: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit" (John 15:5, NIV).

Saleama A. Ruvalcaba is a Memphis-based writer and speaker. She is a wife to Omar, mother of four, home educator and Bible student. She writes devotions on her blog at http://www.salruv7.com.

May08, 2014 at 8:00 AM

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