{"id":11626,"date":"2020-09-29T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womensministrytoolbox.com\/?p=11626"},"modified":"2020-11-06T10:12:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T15:12:28","slug":"event-planning-mistake-womens-ministry-leaders-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womensministrytoolbox.com\/event-planning-mistake-womens-ministry-leaders-make\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biggest Event Planning Mistake Women’s Ministry Leaders Make"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Are<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I love planning women\u2019s ministry events more than just about anything else!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

It can be so much fun to take an idea and create something amazing and fun for the women in our church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the Women\u2019s Ministry Toolbox Community Facebook Group<\/a> leaders regularly share event ideas that I want to recreate for our women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if I get the chance to peruse Pinterest<\/a>, I end up pinning several great ideas to my women\u2019s ministry boards too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be super tempting to plug and play these great ideas into our women\u2019s ministry calendar. <\/strong>What could be easier?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet years of serving in women\u2019s ministry and even utilizing that approach have led me to discover there is a better, more fruitful way to plan our ministry year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though it\u2019s easy, I\u2019m solving our calendar problem backward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve selected the solution before I know the question.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t asked God what our women need and looked to Him to set our purpose for the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest event planning mistake women\u2019s ministry leaders make is neglecting to define the purpose.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We must determine our why before we settle the how.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to flip our planning process and start with a purpose, the why, first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you define your why?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hosting an event because it would be fun or you think your women would like it is not a strong enough why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can do better than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to offer women\u2019s ministry events and activities that point women to Christ and encourage deep faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even beyond that, we can ask the Lord to lead us to a more specific purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what area or way does God want to grow the women in your church in the next year?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>.) Keep in mind, it should align with your ministry mission statement<\/a> too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say the Lord leads you to a scripture passage about prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that your purpose has been defined, it’s time to skim through the list of event ideas you\u2019ve filed away or pinned on Pinterest. Keep in mind, we’re only pulling out those ideas that align with our purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019ve got an idea for an evening of praise and worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about the prayer stations<\/a> you pinned? Wouldn\u2019t those work well at your fall retreat?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you could incorporate the prayer board craft with a testimony<\/a> on prayer from one of your women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could invite a missionary or parachurch ministry to speak to your group and you conclude with a time of praying for their ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could offer a workshop on how to pray out loud (see my Prayer Warrior Boot Camp Kit for Groups<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would host a movie night<\/a> to watch and discuss the movie War Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can still be creative and offer fun activities, but now they are tied together with a unified purpose.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a team member brings forth an idea, ask how it supports your purpose? If it doesn\u2019t, or it seems like a forced fit, then the answer may be \u201cnot right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save any ideas that don\u2019t fit for another time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more intentional we are with our women\u2019s ministry plans, the more likely we are to see spiritual growth in the area that God is asking us to focus on.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may also want to check out:<\/strong>
Women\u2019s Ministry Event Planning Course<\/a>
10 Things to Do After an Event<\/a>
How to Know If It\u2019s Time to Let Go of a Ministry Tradition<\/a>
3 Keys to Planning a Successful Women\u2019s Ministry Event<\/a>
The Ultimate Women\u2019s Ministry Event Planning Resource List<\/a>
Women’s Ministry Prayer Resources<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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