They asked past leaders to become members of the church. Our elders taught a systematic theology class for women leaders, encouraging them to think deeply about what they were teaching. It was the Wild West of women’s ministry!Ĭhanging leadership took time, effort, and patience. She had 40 women in the group she was leading-some Hindu and Muslim-and she had never considered that some of these women didn’t know the one true God. Others weren’t even Protestant, so they had no teaching or oversight from our elders and weren’t united by any particular theology.Īs we started getting to know the leaders, we realized that one didn’t believe that faith in Christ is necessary for salvation. Some leaders weren’t members of the church.
Anyone could volunteer to lead, using any study she chose.
In the past, our Bible studies had leadership problems. Wean yourselves off videos and study the meat of the Bible for yourselves. Look for studies that accurately focus on the meaning of the text and apply that meaning to women’s lives. It’s important to make sure any materials we use are closely tied to the Bible. We devoured Kathleen Nielson’s Living Word Bible Studies, and since it was so hard to find pure inductive studies for women that were theologically grounded, I began writing my own (most recently two volumes on the Gospel of Mark). We introduced a regular diet of inductive studies through books of the Bible with straightforward questions that lead women to understand and apply the text. Video teaching can also intimidate women into thinking they can’t handle the Bible themselves.Īt the United Christian Church of Dubai, we stopped the videos. Polished teachers can make us laugh and cry, but if we remember illustrative stories more than the text we’re studying, we miss the point and can become dedicated to the teacher rather than God’s Word. Some video studies are theologically solid and helpful, but many focus more on eliciting emotional responses than leading women to understand the Scriptures. Women need confidence in their ability to understand the Bible. It’s good for women, and it’s good for the church. There’s a place for parachurch Bible studies, but to maximize spiritual growth in Christian women, keep your Bible study under the authority of your local church. Outreach-oriented Bible studies in the community, workplace, or school can be fantastic ministries where people hear the gospel and meet Christ. We encourage these things in large-group talks, smaller discussion groups, and one-on-one conversations. Women and families now regularly join the church and become involved through the vehicle of our Bible studies. We invite them to become committed members of the congregation-to sit under biblical preaching, affirm our statement of faith, reach out with hospitality, and serve and be served.
There’s a synergy that takes place when we root women’s Bible study in the local church.Īt my current church, we encourage women who attend Bible study to also attend our church. There’s a synergy that takes place when we root women’s Bible study in the local church. They become united in their theology, engage in covenant relationships where they spur each other on, and benefit from the same elder oversight.Ī church-based Bible study furthers the work of the main gathering and helps to build up not only the women but also the whole congregation, as fellowship becomes more intimate and women connect their families and friends. When women worship together in church, sitting regularly under expositional preaching of God’s Word, it feeds their souls. So what made these studies so profitable? Here are three ways we strengthened our studies-and you can strengthen yours: Not all women’s Bible studies are created equal. In each case, the whole congregation profited because women were growing in their knowledge of the truth. I’ve participated in women’s Bible study in three different churches over the past 20 years. God uses his Word to ignite robust spiritual growth that spurs women on and unifies the church. When women truly study the Bible for themselves, they change. These women traded their obsession with a video teacher for an obsession with Scripture, and it resulted in their spiritual growth-which ultimately encouraged the whole congregation. They began attending church and became hospitable, servant-oriented members. Their new love for God’s Word then ignited a new love for God’s people.
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