Ministry Makeover | Facts & Trends

Refresh a plateaued women’s ministry

by Rhonda Kelley

At various times in life, people need a makeover. Makeovers are also needed in the life of any ministry program. Leaders step back and assess the ministry to see what type of refreshing will make the ministry more relevant and appealing. A ministry can be like a house—even though nothing drastic happens, it still loses its freshness over time. It may need a thorough cleaning, or it may need to be spruced up with some fresh paint.

Plateaued ministries needing refreshment can follow the same principles impacting church growth. Whether the ministry needs to be revitalized or restarted all together, here are some tips on how to give your ministry a makeover if it is stagnant, declining or dead:

Refocus the ministry. If evangelism and outreach are not the ultimate goal of your women’s ministry, it is stagnant. Sometimes internal issues need to be addressed before a ministry can adequately shift attention back to reaching lost people in the community.

Reenergize the ministry. Sometimes this can be done through simple rebranding. Consider changing the title, the name or even the logo of your ministry to draw the focus back to what is important.

Restructure the ministry. A ministry leadership team may need to be changed. At our church, we reassessed the women’s ministry committee and started with a blank piece of paper. It was a huge step of faith! While some long-time members continued serving, new members were added to the team.

Restructuring the leadership team instilled fresh energy into our ministry and allowed us to reach a new demographic because of the interests, ages and stages of the new team members.

Restart the ministry. Churches that are dwindling and near death often restart or relaunch. Just as a church will relaunch through a partnership with another church, perhaps a women’s ministry can relaunch in partnership with another ministry from within the church or with a sister church. Don’t be afraid to take a big step of faith.

Refreshing a plateaued ministry can be hard. It takes time and energy and can even be scary. But on the other side of the process is a refreshed and renewed ministry more focused and impactful than before.

Rhonda Kelley is adjunct professor of women’s ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.