The State of Women’s Ministry, an unprecedented research study which examines the successes and challenges of churches throughout the nation, is now available online. Produced by Group Publishing, a leader in curriculum and resources for all aspects of the church, The State of Women’s Ministry has uncovered unexpected and consistent findings.
“We’re asked over and over, ‘How can I reach younger women?’ and hear many concerned leaders say that they’re worried about what’s ahead for women’s ministry because so few younger women are coming,” states Amy Nappa, Executive Editor for Group’s women’s ministry team. “So we decided to see if these were just random comments that we were hearing, or if this was a true concern. We were honestly very surprised when we learned how big the concern for reaching younger women is!”
Easily the biggest concern for women’s ministry is a lack of younger women; 96 six percent of women’s ministry leaders said reaching younger women (those in their 20s) is an essential need for their ministry.
“After hearing from leaders about their concerns, we talked to a number of women in their 20s to compare their thoughts to those of the leaders,” continues Amy. “Two themes popped up repeartedly. Younger women are highly relational and are cause-conscious. These played heavily in our suggestions for steps leaders can take to draw younger women to their ministries.”
Broken down in sections Befriend, Belong, Believe, and Become, The State of Women’s Ministry study gives many tangible ideas about how to make your women’s ministry more attractive to a younger age group, while still meeting the needs of the older women who are already active. Often this can be as easy as simply changing meeting times and making events more relationship- or service-driven.
Additional information on the study can be found at www.group.com, including information and templates for local women’s ministers to take their own survey and celebrate their own successes and find areas that need improvement. Group is committed to keep making strides toward solutions for these ministries.
Group Publishing has created a Web site with content about how church workers can navigate all of the information found in the State of the Church 2009 study and use it in their own ministries. The Web site will include practical guides with updated information regarding use of the data, as well as podcasts, forums and discussion groups.
To continue with the research and growth, Group and its family of publications and curricula will be launching a free e-series titled “Hope for 2009.” This six-week eSeries provides practical insights and tips for all areas of the research, including Children’s, Youth, Women’s and Volunteer ministries. Also, in May and June of 2009, Group will be taking the information they discuss in their Women’s Ministries Summit and continue with more materials for the church at large.
