MARIA CURREY | CONTRIBUTOR

With a new Women’s Ministry year peaking on the horizon, leaders’ minds are perking with everything from finalizing calendars, setting the fiscal year budget, and encouraging and recruiting existing and new team volunteers—just to name a few likely thoughts on your prayerful punch lists!

Sometimes, facing new year expectations seems daunting, like scaling a ministry-Mt.-Everest. Fortunately, we have the best gear for whatever climb we face: God’s Word, prayer, and leaders before and behind us as “spiritual sherpas” of sorts. Jesus is first and always at the front as our guide and hems us in from behind, but it is also helpful to know the resources and relationships of trusted leaders who have climbed similar mountains.

The Priority of Prayer

The combination of God’s Word and prayer first informs our preparations. Pulled from God’s Word, prayer was the pacing of Jesus ministry from His baptism in Luke 3:21 to His final breath in Luke 23:46 and in His consummation of blessing and breaking bread with His disciples in Luke 24:30. As we follow in Jesus’ perfect footsteps, trusting established placement of our feet, He gives us the critical cues to pray without ceasing as we prepare. Jesus, who was perfect in every way, relied on prayer as the lifeline with God His Father; if it was critical for Him, it is even more essential for us.

One practical prayer tip is to set apart a half or full day retreat with your Women’s Ministry Team. If you have a theme verse or passage for the year, spend devoted time praying through the Scripture. Otherwise choose verses which will draw you individually and corporately to servant-leadership and unity in Christ. Ephesians 4:3-6 may be a good place to pause and ponder God’s direction. Carve a peaceful place for the team to pray; give space to meditate alone and then bring them back to process together, to share the direction and inspirations God’s Spirit revealed to them and how those insights might inform your climb together through the coming year—informing your calendar—both in tried and true and new plans, in budget setting, and in being well-balanced with both Word-based and relationally-centered plans for your year ahead.

Keep your plans protected and prioritized in prayer. In other words, prayer should precede your plans. Ask Jesus to be your guide and be purposeful in keeping Him ahead of your plans. Jesus is always our example. Seek’s God’s will. Jesus asked for the cup to be taken while saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

We Don’t Climb Alone

You may be facing known ministry “cups,” very real challenges in the coming year—a Christian sister who faces a dire diagnosis, family heartache which colors your abilities to concentrate and plan, upheaval in church staffing, how to be intergenerational in relevant ways, a desire to grow younger while fostering a more mature church family, or general uneasiness with what direction the ministry should or could be going. Taking easier, less steep steps for the ministry year may be most appealing and tempting; however, perhaps you are called to be bold, to lean into the hard and trust God to provide His Jehovah Jireh strength. His commendation to leaders along the way is to be strong and courageous and to trust in Him (Josh. 1:9; Prov. 3:5-6). He is your Helper, Deliverer, Stronghold, Refuge, and Fortress; He is faithful and steadfast in His love. Remember, you are climbing together with a team of faithful sisters, praying and walking together.

Prayerfully and humbly seek God to nurture your way together so that your relationships precede your tasks. Life-giving Leadership by Karen Hodge and Susan Hunt is an invaluable resource to read. If you haven’t read it, do so, and re-read if you have! Consider reading and engaging in this book as a team over the course of your ministry year. Scaling a mountain alone is ill-advised and is a prideful venture likely to precede a cataclysmic fall. Hodge and Hunt ask critical questions.

• As you look over your shoulder, who is following you?
• Are you mentoring younger leaders as you lead?
• Are you seeking the advice and prayers of those who are several steps ahead of you?
• In every step, does your leadership point sister-leaders to Jesus?

The following links from CDM Women’s Ministry are invaluable to utilize both individually and as a team:

• Life-giving Leadership Inventory
• Tips on Getting Women to Serve with You
• Pray – Play – Plan
• Encouragement When Leadership Takes a Toll

If your Women’s Ministry Team has never experienced Thinking Biblically and Living Covenantally Training, seek out a church that is hosting it or consider being a host church. CDM Women’s Ministry Trainers are wonderfully equipped to bring comprehensive training to “think biblically about all of life and then live out those truths in the context of community with the aim of strengthening the church.”

Whatever mountain-scaling may be ahead in your Women’s Ministry year, trust God in your prayerful, Word-equipped trek together, then practice teamwork, relationally focused on God’s grace-filled, kingdom glory!

Photo by Jacob Sangster on Unsplash