Introduction

The Bible gives great insight into the role of women. Biblical women were entrepreneurs, judges, homemakers, and Bible teachers, to list only a few. Thus the Christian woman is called to live her life in terms of the great potential for the development and use of her abilities.

Christian women are compassionate with godly wisdom. They choose to act, to be voices proclaiming a better way, to be hands making a tangible difference, to work toward spiritually strengthening people already in the membership as well as the non-members in the community. Christian women are committed to changing the world through prayer and sharing their faith in the Lord.

As our model, Jesus ministered to women (Mark 7; Luke 7, 8, and 13) restoring their self-worth and value as human beings. The increasingly complex needs of women within North American society and the church make women’s ministries a key priority in the church. “They (women) can do a work that men cannot do. They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. The labor is needed” (Evangelism, page 465). “Why may they (women) not understand their own powers, and realizing that these powers are given of God, strive to make use of them to the fullest extent in doing good to others, in advancing the work of reformation, of truth, and of real goodness in the world” (Welfare Ministry, page 161). “Let woman realize the sacredness of her work and in the strength and fear of God, take up her mission” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 3, page 564).

Women today are commissioned to use the talents and opportunities God has given them to fulfill His eternal plan. The responsibility of sharing the Good News is the burden of all who call themselves Christians. If the church were not to fully utilize women’s gifts the church body would be denied the internal freedom under which it best flourishes. It would be denied the benefit of the spiritual and intellectual gifts of over half of its membership. Women would experience loss, and those to whom they might minister also would lose the needed help. Women’s ministries involves encouraging women to discover and use their gifts.

Duties of the Women’s Ministries Leader

The major tasks of the women’s ministries leader include the following:

1. Appointment by the local church nominating committee. Qualifications include a sensitive, caring nature, a clear spiritual understanding of God’s design for women, and a burden for women’s broad needs and concerns.
2. Membership on the church board.
3. Serves as chair of the Women’s Ministries Committee to encourage ideas and plans that maximize women’s contributions to the mission of the church. The chair will put together an agenda, moderate discussion, and facilitate group cohesion through personal sharing, prayer, and fellowship.
4. Assists the church in meeting the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual needs of women in their various stages of life and cultural diversity.
5. Creates an environment that encourages productivity, rewards effort and initiative, and provides a spiritual climate in which each woman can experience growth.
6. Assesses the needs of the women in the church through surveys and inter- views and develops programs and activities to meet the identified needs.
7. Works closely with the pastor and the local conference women’s ministries director.
8. Sends regular reports to the conference women’s ministries director.
9. Is an advocate of women’s concerns, needs, and contributions to the church. Keeps the church membership informed of women’s ministries and its contributions to church life. This responsibility includes allotting time during personal ministries, announcement period, or Sabbath school to share with the congregation at large, being a liaison between the women of the church and the church board members, assisting the board members to keep in view the needs of the women in the church and recognizing women’s ministries as a significant and vital part of church growth and church dynamics.

Responsibilities in the Local Church. North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. Copyright © 1997, Revised 2017. Permission to copy for local church use.