Women’s Ministry
themes for your next event!

The first step in creating women’s ministry themes is formulating a vision. You have to begin with the end in mind. What is a “name” or theme without a vision, right? This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s very helpful in the long run. So many people neglect this important first step and I think it costs them some degree of productivity and effectiveness. In other words, they create a cool “sounding” event with little material substance or organization to support the idea.

Your first exercise in designing your women’s ministry theme…

Whether you’re meeting online or in person, you should start by thinking about your desired outcome as it pertains to the event. Humor me and close your eyes and think about your ministry or event for a moment. Read my ideas for women’s ministry.

With closed eyes, consider the following:

1. What do you want the women to gain as a result of the ministry event? Think of the challenges most women face – click this link to see what I think the challenges women face today actually are. This could be a good clue of where to start! You could also survey them in some way.

2. What skills should they be able to perform after being involved in or attending your event? Increased prayer life? Stronger relationships? Better Bible study practices?

3. How will the women’s ministry event change them in their daily lives? How will it change them in the long term? You need a vision for both your event and your approach to women’s ministry. Click here to read about creating a vision statement on my “sister” blog called Women’s Ministry Resources.

4. What sorts of things do you want them to say about the experience after they’ve attended it?

Journal your responses. Maybe discuss or talk them out with a friend or your ministry team.

Real Talk: it may be too soon for a women’s ministry theme.

If you haven’t thought about these details above, it’s likely premature to think about a theme because you don’t know why you’re hosting the event. The theme, if designed well, should be driven by the purpose of your event. It shouldn’t just sound cute or be a marketing ploy.

Yeah, I think it’s a good idea to detail each element of what you want your ministry effort to accomplish before you even choose your first event date or even think about a theme. What do you think?

Often, the “leading” of the Holy Spirit is just the start.

Sometimes, ministry leaders begin a women’s ministry based only on God’s unction. They get the idea to host a women’s event and they are suddenly off to the races!

Slow down. Chill a minute, Women’s Ministry Lady.

Personally, I don’t think that “unction” is where He wants us to launch from. The unction is just an embryo-type beginning place. It’s the place of conception for the idea. It doesn’t mean that God wants us to just throw an idea together from the “unction.” It also may not mean now is the time to plan it.

In my opinion, God is more of a systems thinker than that. He’s a God of processes and systems. If you don’t believe me, just look at creation! Think about how carefully He organized that. He does nothing willy-nilly.

Here’s a zany example. Say, God places it on our hearts to build a church, but that doesn’t mean we run out and buy concrete that very moment, right?

Instead, we pray, plan, and then execute His vision in HIS TIMING. Lots of folks skip this contemplation process and it shows in their women’s ministry events. Read my thoughts on praying and relying on God’s direction.

I think this is why we sometimes have so many raggedy ministries and processes in the church. I’m not trying to be mean, I just think we…of all people …should be people of excellence. We have the Holy Spirit residing in us for Pete’s sake. He’s the Source of all creativity so why shouldn’t we be awesome too?

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Take my free training for women’s ministry leaders:

Outcomes or your ministry “end” in mind first

Planning is good. Point made. But, planning for whom?

Before you brainstorm ministry ideas, get a solid idea of whom you are serving. Think for a moment about your ministry recipients. Pondering them has everything to do with your ministry’s success! Think about the women who will benefit from your ministry this way:

– What are the characteristics of these women?

– How old are they?

It’s important because different age groups experience the world differently.

They communicate differently and have different jargon. Ask a young woman about the “In my feelings” challenge or all the connotations of “lemonade” in this culture and you’ll see what I mean.

Lord knows “Tick Tock” means something completely different to me than it does to one of my young nieces. 🙂 Is that how you spell the app? I don’t even know. *haha*

– Consider which station of life’ or ministry are they in (is it relevant?)

This is an important consideration because women with young families have varying availability than women with no children or those who are “empty nesters”.

These differences could have implications on event attendance and even on how frequently you plan events for them.

– Do these women all attend the same church?

This speaks to social culture. Women who attend the same church sort of speak the same language. Plus, marketing to them is easier than to the community at large. Maybe you want to reach out to the entire community, but understanding that the main target is within your local church could make a huge difference in how you plan. Does that make sense?

The answers to the questions above (and others) help you not only create a women’s ministry theme that will appeal to your target but will also contribute to the overall concept of the ministry. It will guide you as you create everything from the ambiance to icebreakers. 

Know to whom you’re marketing with your Women’s Ministry Themes

I completely understand some things are intentionally left broad.

For example, a women’s ministry that focuses on prayer will reach women of a variety of ages.

You know, a 20-something may struggle with prayer just like someone in their 50s or 60s.

Yeah, some things are somewhat universal. Prayer is one of them.

However, how and when you plan the outreach events will be largely influenced by the specific needs and concerns of your demographic.

Remember my reference earlier to the empty-nester versus a mom with young children?

Both women may have similar needs to develop themselves in certain ways, but that mom with young children may need childcare during events or to meet on Saturday mornings when hubby is home from work. Important consideration indeed don’t you think? More important than a ministry theme. In fact, the answers to these questions can help you create your theme and make it more meaningful to boot!

It’s possible a lot of ministry events are thinly attended because people haven’t thought out those sorts of things. Instead, they spent their time creating colorful logos. Sheesh.

Start marketing your women’s ministry event and here’s to whom!

To further define the “plan”, think about…

1. A Ministry Avatar

Did you know the business world has crafted some great resources that could be useful to us in ministry?

One of which is the concept of avatars? No, I don’t mean the creepy animation lady.

Actually, this type of avatar is a persona (or imaginary person) that represents the type of woman you want to reach. It’s your target audience!

Avatars are largely used in innovative marketing circles to define an ideal audience for a product or an effort. It helps you be more successful in your marketing platform and really get into the “head” of those to whom you want to minister. With an avatar, you can create a profile of the kind of woman/ women your ministry hopes to reach. This helps in constructing the women’s ministry theme!

In addition to your avatar, you can also consider the varied personalities of the women. Knowing what each personality enjoys and how they process can help you create a perfect ministry theme!

What are the goals of your avatar?

So, let’s get into the mind of your avatar so we can think of a theme that will attract her.

Questions to consider are:

What does she value in life?

What is her current stage of life? (I touched on that earlier)

What might she find fun?

Does she have a lot of discretionary time?

Does she have any time limitations (again, babies, work, family, etc)?

How does she prefer to communicate – online or offline?

Indeed, when planning a women’s ministry theme, it makes sense to be as “micro” or basic as you can be so that you ensure you meet the needs of the people/beneficiaries of your ministry effort. Do you see how this info would impact your marketing efforts and even help when you plan events?

A glossy “dossy”

Many marketers create dossiers for their avatars. This may be too deep but consider it.

This can be a simple one-page collection of info (or data) about the type of lady you want to attract to your ministry.

Some marketers make theirs in the form of a story. They actually write a story!

It’s a wild theory, but it could really be a good ministry tool!

Imagine that you are the avatar you want to reach. Afterward, write about the day-to-day happenings in her life. Explore what she goes through and align it with the ministry you’re creating.

Ask yourself…

How would she respond to it? What would she feel about it?

What is she looking for in her life spiritually, creatively, and socially?

How did she hear about the ministry?

How did she feel once she attended a ministry event?

All of this plays into your theme. Do you see it? Huh? Huh?

This is [marketing] market research at it’s simplest!

GodsyGirl’s Avatar – as a frame of reference.

My avatar for GodsyGirl.com has changed over the years.

Initially, I targeted women in their 20s or 30s raising small children. Largely because that is what I was doing myself.

Additionally, I wanted women who were particularly busy and had a hard time finding time for prayer and other spiritual maturation processes.

I’m not a professional writer (as you can likely tell!), but I wanted to encourage women like me.

I wanted to be a source of encouragement and inform them of the latest cool things to enhance their spiritual walk.

I was successful.

However, my avatar has grown up and taken on new roles in life.

They have passed the elementary and are likely in leadership roles.

My Avatar – I’ll call her “Kim” – now looks a little like this:

Kim is a ministry leader. She is interested in working to improve the lives of others while being encouraged her self.

She attends a good church and really wants to make a meaningful difference there.

She’s busy and pulled in a lot of different directions in her life so she needs information that is comprehensive yet easy to understand. She’s busy. She doesn’t want bullet points as much as she wants well-defined information that includes the what’s and why’s.

Kim is part of planning Christian women’s workshops, women’s prayer breakfasts, and women’s ministry events.

I created this avatar (Kim) based on the traffic GodsyGirl.com gets on a regular basis. I’ve also asked people who tend to read the blog about why they do and what they’re looking for. From that feedback, I created Kim the avatar.

This is a great resource for creating an avatar for your blog.

Surveys for women’s ministry feedback

Some of the most important information you need for your avatar is very easy and costs absolutely nothing!

It’s as simple as asking around and getting fresh perspectives from other women in your target market.

Surveying women outside your group is one of the smartest things you can do to develop your women’s ministry theme.

You will get insight into what these individuals need and what they crave in ministry.

I guarantee asking around will help you be more successful in creating a theme that will attract women.

Visit Camp Pro – Help with your Women’s Retreat. I love this site for all sorts of ministry tools.

Back to me: Women’s ministry is so important!

Your event is an extension of Jesus right here on earth. You’re going to be AMAZING! All you have to do is build a foundation that will position you for success.

A catchy ministry theme can sound good to the ear, but it’s nothing more than a gimmick if it’s not well-thought-out, right?

So, go ahead and cultivate a clear picture of who you’re creating the ministry for (your avatar), and the women’s ministry theme will come easy.

What do you think of using avatars in ministry? What do you think of this “take” on meeting the needs of your target audience?

I’d also like to know if you have any ideas for cool themes for Christian women’s workshops!  Share!

Who knows who you will help? 🙂

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GodsyGirl is a Christian lifestyle blog featuring Christian faith articles written by an ordinary Christian woman blogger, Christian inspirational podcaster, and a pastor’s wife. GodsyGirl is about Christian inspiration and living your fullest life as a fabulous Christian woman. Explore GodsyGirl.com to find articles on everything from daily Christian living to hair, makeup, and living your absolute best life!

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