At the church where I serve as women’s minister, we are convinced that spiritual transformation takes place as women meet together to study and apply God’s Word.
Each event is purposed to create momentum in our ministry.
Since a tremendous amount of energy is expended on the front end in planning the event, we strive to maximize our effort by capturing the momentum created and moving women to small groups.
So, here are four things to consider as you plan your next church event:
- Always plan events with the “next step” in mind. Don’t just have an event for event’s sake.
- Be intentional with how you want to connect women. At our events, each woman receives information about Bible studies for women and other opportunities to get involved. We intentionally start many of our Bible studies immediately after our events and use the momentum created by the event to help women plug-in.
- Collect information from women who attend your events. Make this as simple as possible. The most helpful information is name, phone number, email and home address. Other possibilities are age range and church affiliation. Motivate women to fill out cards by returning them to become eligible for door prizes or dropping them in baskets as they are entering the dinner serving lines.
- Demonstrate your personal concern by using the completed cards to contact the women who attended. Follow up within 48 hours. Let them know that you were glad they attended and you want to help them get connected with other women. The important thing is that you follow-up!
When planning your next event, start with the end in mind from the very beginning!
What ideas do you have for using events as a mechanism to get women plugged into your church?
Julie Woodruff is the Women’s Minister at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn. Each week she meets with women, leads bible studies, coordinates events, visits homes and hospitals, and encourages women to live in God’s victory. Read more from Julie on Twitter @juliejwoodruff or on the Long Hollow Women’s Ministry blog.
