What does it take to be a women’s ministries director at a church these days?
Gone are the days where most normal size (meaning 500 and above) churches do not have some sort of women’s ministries director (whether volunteer, part time, or even full-time in large churches). Church leadership has become wise to the fact that since probably more than half of their adult population in their congregations are women, they need someone to “shepherd” them - or at least plan tea parties, Bible studies, and girly retreats.
But, if a church is seeking to hire a women’s ministries director for their church: what should be on the list of requirements?
To Include:
1. Salvation. Yes. That is a given, but not only salvation, but a growing, vibrant, real relationship with their Creator, Lord, and Savior. When interviewing, don’t just ask them how did you come to know Jesus, but also ask what is Jesus doing in your life today, this morning, last weekend…
2. Biblical Knowledge. Coming from one who has a seminar degree, yes, I do believe that you need some biblical training to adequately lead a larger church’s women’s ministry. Just as you would want a pastor to have a seminary degree, I would expect a women’s ministries director to have the same. Seminaries today, like Southern and SEBTS, have great programs that many women are excelling in. Seminary is not just for pastors, but are for anyone who is called into ministry.
3. A Passion to See Women Grow in Jesus. This is a given, too. Women must be their main focus. And, if you love women - you have to love their families and children (if they have any). To love women is challenging, I think. It takes a high level of patience, creativity, and an ability to show love and leadership to many different personality types.
4. Ability to lead. Just as the qualification for pastors is to lead, so for the women’s ministries director. She will have to lead small groups, training teams, conferences, etc. She will need to be on staff with men so she needs to be able to not only lead, but also be submissive to her pastors over her on the church staff.
5. Competency to Counsel. We all come with baggage. Women need strong, loving, Biblical counsel in how do handle WELL every situation they encounter. They don’t need someone to coddle them or to pacify their problems or to overlook their sins, but someone to rightly divide the Word of God in answer to the distresses in their lives.
Optional:
1. Ability to Write. As some churches are looking for women’s ministries directors now, they want a superwoman. Writing is hard. I am not good at it and I’ve been doing it for 13 years now. To be an effective women’s ministries director, you do not have to be the most talented and gifted author who has the ability to write the top ten best seller Bible study.
2. Ability to teach large groups. You don’t have to have the most dynamic speaker to head up your Spring Conference or Winter Retreat every year. Not everyone has those gifts. But, they may. That is why this is optional.
3. Looks. Let’s face it. If you are in a large city church who has mostly 30-somethings in your church and you have many rock-star pastors on staff - you don’t want a frumpy women’s ministries director. You want someone who looks like she just stepped our of a MadeWell catalogue or off the JCrew runway. Most women aspire to be that - but most women are not that.
4. Someone like them. Do you hire from within or bring someone in from the outside. You want a woman that your women can relate to. You don’t want someone who is totally different from your women. They will need to sit and have coffee with her and be in her home, these should be ideas that are appealing to your women in your church.
The problem I see with most churches who are looking for a women’s ministries director: most people want the total package. They want someone who is married with three children, a seminary degree, the ability to write and teach with stellar audience appeal, and one that is HOT. Let’s face it, a church isn’t going to put “Wanted: a HOT women’s ministries director” on the job description. But, it is more than understood. Don’t even apply if you don’t have the looks.
How does your church handle women’s ministries?
As a woman who graduated from seminary with an M.Div. in Women’s Studies right at the beginning of the decline in women’s ministries that you mentioned, I have often wondered what exactly most churches are looking for in the women they want discipling their women.
I have discovered most aren’t entirely sure. If they’re looking to designate one woman in particular as leader, there’s a “we’ll know her when we see her” attitude, or the same woman has been leading the ministry for ten or more years.
The shift seemed to come when churches began realizing that, without a paid (or even designated volunteer leader) other women in the church stepped up and did the work as a volunteer team.
And paid ministerial women’s staff came to an end.
Most seminary trained women now find work overseas or in parachurch ministries. Many who married while in seminary have the blessing of being trained well to serve alongside as a helper to her husband even in direct ministry.
I think you bring up a good point with the appearance factor. I’m not sure if it’s an example of how societal pressure has snuck into the church, but looking a certain way or following specific trends are things I catch in myself; not when I go to work every day as a teacher, but when I attend or speak at women’s events. I sense a pressure to look a certain way that it just doesn’t seem to exist with men in ministry. Maybe I miss it because I’m not a man.
Any men out there think men in ministry face appearance pressures?
Men have to also be concerned with appearance because I don’t know many “rock star” pastors who don’t own slim shirts or hav a cool haircut or are even “nerdy” cute.
And churches may have a volunteer team but at least they have women who come from the community within who are capable of leading other women -