Question received: Do you have any suggestions on how our ministry of women can engage and encourage professionals more effectively while exercising their ministry in their workplaces?
As with all organizations, implicitly or explicitly, women’s ministries in the local church have a target audience in mind. Your church may target 32-year-old executives trying to leave work early at 8 a. m. M. To go to the gym and never go out, weekends without your laptops. Well, maybe not. We all make decisions more naturally through the prism of our experience. Statistically speaking, most of the department’s female leaders have never sat in a conference room, been responsible for supporting their team members, or have never developed a strategic business plan that would affect thousands of people. But the women who did can be powerful missionaries for a harvest of professionals, and it is vitally important that we incorporate them well into the ministries of the women of our church, for one of the great pleasures of being a family in Christ is that we can learn from the experiences of others and encourage each other in our various callings.
Here are four ways to engage and encourage professional women
Whether by selflessness, disrecognise of their daily lives or assumptions about their desires or vocation, we can communicate to professional women that we think they are just hoping to do something else. For single professional women, for example, we can assume that they simply spend time before becoming wives and mothers. But do the scriptures have an elevated view of the work?for men and women, both inside and outside the home. From the beginning, God put Adam and Eve to work together in the garden (Genesis 2) Does it require us to work faithfully?Whatever our job is? As for the Lord (Colossses 3:23-24). The work will not end with the coming of Christ; We will continue to work on the new creation (Isaiah 65:21-22). Even proverbs 31’s wife worked in the market, making and selling goods.
Unless you live in an urban center, a professional woman who walks through the doors of your women’s ministry will probably end up feeling a little isolated, receive her with respect for her daily work, interest in the joys and challenges of her day and the confidence that God has put her where she wants her. We want to cultivate curiosity and empathy for all the women we serve in our ministry of women, including professional women. Consider visiting a professional in your workplace, if possible, to understand what you’re doing. and how he’s investing his time and energy.
Several years ago I worked for a large company that encouraged employees to get to know each other, their origins, interests and particular activities. To this end, the company sponsored clubs open to participation in office hours, on the company premises and advertised in the company’s corridors, unless, of course, its club was for Christians, the Muslim club, the Hindu club, any other club had posters in the elevators, announcements at headquarters events and a high-level executive sponsor. The proponent of our Bible study, on the other hand, had to meet several times with the executives until he was allowed to meet. This authorization was accompanied by the conditions of a closed-door meeting with paper glued to the conference room windows and without advertising (many other companies, however, allow Christians to openly recruit and meet).
Corporate America is a missionary field. Encourage and remind women in the workplace of God’s faithfulness through the scriptures; May God prepare you for all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17); May God mature his mission field for harvest (Matthew 9:37-38); and that they were promised that they would be hated for their faith (John 15:18-19), but that Christ defeated the world (John 16:33). If you lead a women’s Bible study group, for example, keep women professional in mind as you illustrate and apply the scriptures. If you lead the prayer ministry, look for professional women to find out how you can pray for them, including asking specific names of colleagues they are praying for or large future projects they have.
If your Bible study for women is only conducted on Wednesday morning, or if your volunteer team wants to have a planning session at 2 p. m. On a Tuesday, you basically tell professional women they’re not invited. It is not possible at any time to choose hours that are suitable for everyone, but it is possible to choose a time that is clearly not suitable for anyone in a particular group. . It’s helpful for your women’s department to have a professional woman sitting at the table or at least have a professional woman ask for your opinion on your ideas while planning.
You may have seen a religious group for young mothers, single women, childless couples, etc. How about one for professional women? In my workplace, God blessed me greatly by having two Christian women in the office with which I could share struggles, ask questions, and celebrate victories. How powerful it would be for professional women in the body of my church to meet regularly and carry burdens Just having a group of professional women to connect shows that you value them and want to take care of them in the same way you would with other women, at certain stages of life or in specific situations.
Of course, while we can bring together specific groups of women for a more focused discussion and prayer, it is a privilege to be a family, with all the women in our church, and to learn from the diversity of gifts and experiences of each.
Women who work in their offices are powerful, as a family, colleagues of different shades come together to work toward a common goal. The demands of work and hours spent in close contact can bring women together in the workplace in a powerful way. And God is doing great things. I have seen saved souls, healed families, overcoming addictions and more, because of the relationships I have established in an office, which I could not do otherwise.
So, church, let us seize this opportunity that God has given us and serve professional women well, equipping them for the progress of the gospel, the body of Christ will be enriched by this.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series that addresses specific topics related to women’s ministry throughout the local church. We have a team of women who are happy to answer a number of questions. Send all your questions about the women’s ministry to our Women’s Initiative Coordinator, Mallie Taylor ([email protected]).
Then be sure to get a copy of the book “Women’s Ministry: Loving and Serving the Church through the Word?” (Faithful Editor). This book presents a vision of ministry to women that is grounded in the Word of God, grows in the context of the body of Christ, and points to the glory of the Son of God. You can also attend one of the Coalition for the Gospel women’s conferences.
By: Lauren Hansen. © 2016 The Gospel Coalition. Original: 4 Ways to Engage Best Professional Women
Translation: Claudio L. Chagas. © 2016 Faithful Ministério. All rights reserved. Website: MinisterioFiel. com. br Original: 4 Ways to Better Engage Professional Women
Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.