Below you’ll find the show notes for episode 87, Six Unpopular Opinions That Challenge Common Women’s Ministry Practices, from the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Podcast.

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Six Unpopular Opinions That Challenge Common Women’s Ministry Practices

It’s time to wrap up this mini-series on hot topics and hot takes!

We’ve covered a lot of ground–secret sisters, burnout, Mother’s Day, reaching younger women, Bible games, baby showers, and so much more! I’ve compiled all the links here so you can find them easily.

I thought it would be fun to wrap up this series with some quick hot takes. I’ve got 6 unpopular opinions about women’s ministry to share. If you’ve been around for awhile, I don’t think you’ll find any of them surprising.

I’ll share mine here with you and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Facebook and Instagram.

Before things get messy, keep in mind I don’t have time in this blog post to give a full explanation of each one.

I’m not sharing these opinions flippantly. These are genuine concerns I have and opinions I hold. I expect you’ll disagree with some of my unpopular opinions and that’s okay. I’m good with disagreement as long as you back up your reasoning with the Bible and don’t solely rely on your feelings or experience.

My opinions have no value unless they align with the Word of God.

Please keep in mind they are called unpopular opinions for a reason. I’m probably going to rub you the wrong way on at least one of these things. Awareness, not offense, is my goal.

God might use this conversation to bring awareness of an issue, confirm an opinion you have, or convict you on an opinion you hold.

Let’s get started!

6 Unpopular Opinions About Women’s Ministry

1. Not every event or activity needs a theme.

More often than not, I find themes to be a distraction, both in the planning of an event and for the participants. Our job is to encourage our women to love God, love others, and grow spiritually.

When we start with our purpose, it smooths our planning, and it helps us provide clear publicity so our women know why they should come.

Your events and activities don’t need theme layered on top of what you’re doing. It’s okay just to have a worship night, a dinner and devotional, a tea and teaching, or a Bible study workshop.

Instead of starting with the biblical truth or spiritual goal of an event, I often see leaders select a theme and then try to fit Jesus into that theme.

2. Event décor should be subtle and not dominate.

Themes often lead to décor that could be mistaken for a child’s birthday party or Vacation Bible School. Yet our audience is adult women, not children.

You or your team members may have seen an idea on Pinterest or social media and suddenly the theme gets emphasized through the décor, food, icebreaker game, devotional, event name, and the table favors. I know you’ve seen them–bees, lemons, forests, flowers, and more to the extreme.

While I personally couldn’t care less if there was any décor, I understand those small touches speak to the hearts of many of the women we serve.

However, when the thing women remember is the décor and not the biblical Truth that was shared, we’ve failed.

My advice is to keep the focus on the scripture and use God’s Word in your décor.

Keep your décor simple yet elegant. Elaborate décor on the stage and at each table distracts women from the speakers and from the message God has for them.

3. Women don’t need Bible study books, we only need to study the Bible.

I’m not saying all Bible study books are bad. I’ve benefited from many of them myself, but… most of our women don’t know how to study the Bible on their own without a pastor or Bible study author holding their hand. Their quiet time is often guided by a devotional or a Bible study book, instead of reading God’s Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to their heart.

Did you know most Bible studies follow a formula? The author asks a question and spoon feeds the reader the answer. More often than not, your women don’t even need to open their Bible to complete their Bible study homework – if there is any homework.

Think for a moment about how the women in your church have come to idolize some of the Bible study book authors you use regularly. I have had leaders email me grieving that some of their women will only come to Bible study if it’s a specific author. We’ve watched their videos, listened to them share stories about their life and family, and we feel like they are our friend. The Bible doesn’t hold that same appeal–but it should!

Psalm 19:7-11 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

We can encourage our women to feast on God’s Word by offering Bible studies of books of the Bible. If you’re looking for a resource or format to get you started, please check out my READ Bible Study Kit for Groups here.

4. We should be sharing testimonies, not reading from devotionals.

This one closely relates to what I mentioned in number 3. Your women need to hear stories of God’s faithfulness from the women who sit and serve beside them in your church.

When we only share devotionals from famous authors and speakers, our women can come to believe that God only works in the lives of those with big platforms.

Your women benefit more by connecting with women in your church. They can ask follow-up questions. Jane, what verses helped you stay anchored to Christ when you walked through that trial? Women who have walked through a similar struggle can offer encouragement and prayer over a cup of coffee.

Perhaps one reason your team has opted to use devotionals instead of inviting women to share a testimony is because testimony sharing can get messy. I’ve made available my workshop on Sharing Stories of God’s Everyday Faithfulness for you to use to train your women to remember and record how God has been at work in their lives. You can find it here.

5. Pagan influences have crept into the church and are leading our women astray.

If I haven’t stepped on your toes yet, this one probably will. My heart grieves the many ways pagan influences are being embraced by people and even leaders in our churches. New age and false teachings are creeping into even the most sound churches.

I rarely call out specific false teachings, but I’ve learned that many leaders aren’t aware of or haven’t taken the time to look into the issues with some of the false and pagan teachings many Christians have adopted. Even if you disagree, it’s important that you, as a leader, understand the concerns with Christians embracing and practicing yoga, the Enneagram, contemplative prayer, gentle parenting, vision boards, and the book Jesus Calling.

Adding Bible verses to a new age, Hindu, or occult practice does not make it Christian.

2  Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

We are there. We’ve got to help women think biblically about these things. Protecting women from false teaching is part of our job. Please take the time to research these things yourself.

And for those who will say “God can redeem anything”, yes He can, but is that what we see in scripture? It’s not. God tells us repeatedly to have nothing to do with false and pagan teachings. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Additional note: I’ve had several leaders reach out with questions specific to Jesus Calling. Many have not been aware of the problems with this resource. I’ve done extensive research on this book and have my own personal experience of my eyes being opened to the issues. This article by Tim Challies summarizes 10 of the serious problems well.

6. Spiritual gifts always trump personality tests.

I was listening to a podcast recently, and the guest said, “Personality tests hinder sanctification.” He hit the nail on the head. We’ve put people into a box based on a test, rather than on what God’s Word says about them.

We are all created in the image of God and once we are saved, we are being made more like Him through the process of sanctification. Many of our “personality traits” are sinful behaviors that we repent from as God makes us aware of them.

God gives believers spiritual gifts that we are to use to glorify Him and serve others.

While personality tests may seem like harmful fun, we’re subtly communicating that our tendencies are etched in stone. God can and does change our behavior as we become more like Christ.

I confess I once shared a personality lipstick test at a women’s ministry event years ago. It seemed like harmless fun. Now I see things differently.

If you made it this far, thank you for sticking with me. There are a lot of things women’s ministry gets right and I want to challenge us to stay the course. We must always be checking to ensure the events and activities we offer point women to the gospel and God’s Word.

That is my heart behind this entire series on hot topics and hot takes. It’s easy to lose sight of our focus and get caught up in the latest women’s ministry trends.

Jesus is enough. Are we giving the impression that He’s not enough?

Today’s Toolbox Tasks:

These would be some great questions to discuss with your team.

1. Is there a women’s ministry trend your team has gotten caught up in that is leading you away from your purpose?
2. Was there something mentioned in this post that you need to research further so you can graciously steer women away from false teaching back to the Truth of God’s Word?

Lord, thank you for inviting us to serve in the women’s ministry program in our church. Please help us stay focused on the things which will glorify You and point women to the gospel. Protect us from false teachings and give us discernment and wisdom to know when we or our women are being led astray. Amen.

You may also want to read:
Rethinking Fellowship: A Handbook for Hosting Meaningful Women’s Ministry Events
READ Bible Study Kit for Groups
Workshop: Sharing Stories of God’s Everyday Faithfulness
Discipleship and Discernment
Women’s Ministry Themes
How to Select Your Women’s Ministry Theme or Scripture Focus
Women’s Ministry: Hot Topics and Hot Takes
Women’s Ministry Essentials: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Christian Community