The Biggest Event Planning Mistake Women’s Ministry Leaders Make

I love planning women’s ministry events more than just about anything else!

It can be so much fun to take an idea and create something amazing and fun for the women in our church.

Inside the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Community Facebook Group leaders regularly share event ideas that I want to recreate for our women.

And if I get the chance to peruse Pinterest, I end up pinning several great ideas to my women’s ministry boards too.

It can be super tempting to plug and play these great ideas into our women’s ministry calendar. What could be easier?

Yet years of serving in women’s ministry and even utilizing that approach have led me to discover there is a better, more fruitful way to plan our ministry year.

Even though it’s easy, I’m solving our calendar problem backward.

I’ve selected the solution before I know the question.

I haven’t asked God what our women need and looked to Him to set our purpose for the year.

The biggest event planning mistake women’s ministry leaders make is neglecting to define the purpose.

We must determine our why before we settle the how.

We need to flip our planning process and start with a purpose, the why, first.

How do you define your why?

Hosting an event because it would be fun or you think your women would like it is not a strong enough why.

We can do better than that.

We need to offer women’s ministry events and activities that point women to Christ and encourage deep faith.

But even beyond that, we can ask the Lord to lead us to a more specific purpose.

In what area or way does God want to grow the women in your church in the next year?

Spend time in the Word, in prayer, and listening for God to direct you to a specific scripture verse or passage. I find He will repeatedly bring it to my attention if I ask. (You may want to read this post for more direction.) Keep in mind, it should align with your ministry mission statement too.

Let’s say the Lord leads you to a scripture passage about prayer.

Every event you offer in the next year needs to connect in some way (large or small) to that passage or the concept of prayer.

Now that your purpose has been defined, it’s time to skim through the list of event ideas you’ve filed away or pinned on Pinterest. Keep in mind, we’re only pulling out those ideas that align with our purpose.

Maybe you’ve got an idea for an evening of praise and worship.

What about the prayer stations you pinned? Wouldn’t those work well at your fall retreat?

Perhaps you could incorporate the prayer board craft with a testimony on prayer from one of your women.

You could invite a missionary or parachurch ministry to speak to your group and you conclude with a time of praying for their ministry.

You could offer a workshop on how to pray out loud (see my Prayer Warrior Boot Camp Kit for Groups).

You would host a movie night to watch and discuss the movie War Room.

You can still be creative and offer fun activities, but now they are tied together with a unified purpose.

If a team member brings forth an idea, ask how it supports your purpose? If it doesn’t, or it seems like a forced fit, then the answer may be “not right now.”

Save any ideas that don’t fit for another time.

Instead of ministry calendars filled with random, but fun ideas, let’s take the time to seek God’s desire for our women and only select events and activities that support the focus He’s given us.

The more intentional we are with our women’s ministry plans, the more likely we are to see spiritual growth in the area that God is asking us to focus on.

You may also want to check out:
Women’s Ministry Event Planning Course
10 Things to Do After an Event
How to Know If It’s Time to Let Go of a Ministry Tradition
3 Keys to Planning a Successful Women’s Ministry Event
The Ultimate Women’s Ministry Event Planning Resource List
Women’s Ministry Prayer Resources