Is your women’s ministry team lacking the unity you know is possible?
Do you feel like some members of your team are more committed than others?
Is the mission for your ministry a bit muddled?
Getting your women’s ministry team on the same page takes intention and it takes time, but it is always worth it.
We long for our teams to function as a professional orchestra, with each person fulfilling their role and creating a beautiful, harmonized offering to the Lord.
Yet far too often, our teams look and operate like separate one-man bands, confusing and discouraging our women.
A united, focused team working together benefits everyone.
Please note: Affiliate links follow.
8 Ways to Encourage Unity on Your Women’s Ministry Team
1. Task your team with creating a Women’s Ministry Team Covenant.
It’s difficult to hold team members accountable if there are no guidelines in place. Covenants help set and clarify expectations.
Not sure what to include? You’re welcome to use or tweak the wording from the women’s ministry team covenant I share in the Rethinking Women’s Ministry Workbook.
Once you’ve created a document everyone can agree on, ask everyone to sign it. You may even want to pull it out mid-year and review it as a reminder.
2. Set the expectation for excellence.
Why we treat volunteer roles any differently from paid positions, I’m not sure. Your women can tell when you’ve thrown an event or activity together at the last minute. Doing something is not always better than doing nothing.
Encourage your team to put their best effort forth in everything they do. Give them enough time to complete the task well.
After an event or activity, highlight the ways each team member was successful. Take time to make notes of areas that can be improved upon going forward (see my Post Event Evaluation Form).
3. Add team-building activities to your meeting agenda.
Team-building is as simple as an icebreaker game that encourages women to share and connect. Encourage your team to laugh and play together.
Some of my favorite icebreaker games for team building include A Day in the Life, A Few of My Favorite Things, DRACT – Draw + Act, Marooned, and Would she rather? Be sure to check out my complete list of Icebreakers & Games here.
4. Meet monthly.
Meeting monthly helps to build relationships and rapport. Regular meetings also provide opportunities to check in on upcoming events plans, review past events, pray together, and celebrate what God is doing through your ministry.
5. Pray together.
There is a sweet intimacy that occurs when we come together in prayer for each other, our ministry, and the women in the church. Check out my post on Teach Your Team to Pray Out Loud for tips on developing a healthy prayer time for your team.
6. Plan an annual team retreat.
Poll your team members to see if an out-of-town overnight retreat is possible; if not, you may need to pamper and plan locally. Even if your team leader casts the vision and selects the theme for the year, inviting the rest of the team into the planning of the events and activities for the year creates ownership and trust.
7. Read a leadership book together.
Learning about a topic together builds unity and knowledge.
Consider starting with my book and workbook, Rethinking Women’s Ministry. As you work through the content together, define any ministry areas that may need a bit of tweaking. You might want to work through the workbook together, discussing one chapter at each month’s team meeting.
8. Write a ministry mission statement.
A mission statement will help clarify the purpose of your women’s ministry and anchor the team’s events and activities. Mission statements can be a helpful plumb line for ideas that are shared. Check out my post on How to Create a Women’s Ministry Mission Statement here.
This list may sound like a lot of work, but you’ll find a little extra effort pays off when your team works together harmoniously more often than it does not.
Creating a healthy team environment also allows women to gracefully disagree with one another without fear of fracturing the team.
Lord, please reveal to each leader which ideas they need to implement to improve their delivery of the ministry you have given them to oversee. May the women in their church and community reap the benefits of a team that works together.
You may also want to read:
10 Dangers of Running a Women’s Ministry Without a Team
8 Reasons to Develop a Strong Women’s Ministry Team
Three Questions to Ask Your Team
How to Recruit Women’s Ministry Team Members
Leave a Reply