There’s a really good chance that more than half of the students in your ministry are girls. How are you intentionally ministering to the needs of the girls in your student ministry?
Girls Ministry isn’t about establishing a program that has a budget, theme, and a t-shirt. It’s a targeted way to intentionally minister to the needs of teenage girls through the local church. It takes women who are ready to share their lives with girls and invest their time in girls, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Maybe God has put Girls Ministry on your heart, and you’re trying to navigate how to make it happen within the life of your church. Have you hit some roadblocks? What have your challenges been? Hopefully debunking a few of these myths will help you as you communicate to your church staff why it’s important to minister to girls.
- Girls Ministry has to be a program. It doesn’t have to be a program at all! It’s all about creating intentional in-roads for girls to connect with each other as girls, and learn from the women in your church. How can you help this happen within the mission and vision of your church and student ministry?
- Girls Ministry is only for large churches with a dedicated staff person. Girls Ministry isn’t about a staff person, but it’s about directing some time and attention to the girls in your ministry. Some churches have the opportunity to have a female on their staff whose primary role is to minister to the needs of their girls, but it’s definitely not the only way to make it happen.
- It’s not important to have gender-specific ministry opportunities. While there are a ton of reasons to put guys and girls together to learn, there are definitely reasons to give them opportunities to learn in gender-specific groups (and not just when you’re talking about purity). As we raise teenagers to be godly men and women, they need to learn how to connect with one another. Girls need connection just like women need connection. They are our younger counterparts!
Maybe you’re a Student Pastor reading this post, and you don’t know what to think about Girls Ministry. Did a woman in your church pass this along to you? Is there someone you know is passionate about ministering to the girls in your church in a way that you’re not able to? Take the first step today. Explore what it might look like to create environments and opportunities for girls to learn together, do life together, and learn from women who are further along the road than they are.
If you’re a woman reading this, you’ve been a teenage girl. You’ve walked in their shoes to some degree, and you have a lot to offer. Girls are looking for you to help them navigate life, and they need you to step up to the plate. You have an incredible opportunity to make an investment in the next generation – will you say yes? If you’re already leading girls, what’s the next step you can take? How can you be more intentional with the girls God has placed in your life?
What myths are you trying to dispel about Girls Ministry?
What else do you want to know about Girls Ministry?
Let us know in the comments! We recently released an episode of the Lifeway Student Ministry Podcast on this same topic, and we’d love for you to check it out.
Mary Margaret serves as the Girls Ministry Specialist for Lifeway, which basically means that teenage girls and the women who lead them are her favorite people on the planet. She served several churches as a Girls Minister, has a master’s degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and is a former Event Coordinator. Mary Margaret has a passion to equip girls and women to dive deeply into God’s word and live out their calling. She also hosts Lifeway Women’s {MARKED} podcast and co-hosts the Lifeway Student Ministry Podcast. Mary Margaret is married to Jonathan and they love living in Franklin, TN.
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