4 Tips for Planning a Girls Event

A Note from Mary Margaret West: Taylor is one of the best women I know to speak into this topic! I’ve watched her execute intentional and creative events for girls over the last few years, and she’s got some great tips to share with you today. 

Planning an event for your Girls Ministry can be a powerful catalyst for connection and community among your girls. Whether it’s a weekend retreat, a conference, or a one night event, getting all of your girls together in one place at the same time gives you the opportunity to begin cultivating unity in your girls ministry. No matter what type of event that it is, loving and leading your girls all at once is invaluable for you and them.

Unfortunately, regardless of the size of your church, getting everyone together all at once can be pretty challenging and planning a girls event takes a lot of work. Just like investing in your girls individually takes effort, investing in them collectively does too. Thankfully, investing in your girls is always worth it.

So here are 4 tips for planning a girls event!

1. 1. Ask for help. If you’re planning a girls event, don’t do it alone! Chances are, there are women who would love to help you every step of the way. Reach out to your pastors’ wives, girls small group leaders, and even some of the girls themselves. Don’t be afraid to ask for their help when it comes to brainstorming fun ideas or decorating for the event itself. This is your opportunity to set an example for your girls as their leader by asking for ideas, advice, and prayer from other women instead of trying to make it on your own.
   2. Just plan it.  Unfortunately, when it comes to event planning, there’s no such thing as perfect timing. Conflicts will inevitably come up and some girls won’t be able to come. Don’t keep putting it off until you find the perfect time or you’ll never have your event! The best thing you can do is just plan it.  Look at the calendar and make the best decision that you can with all of the information that you have. Then trust that the Lord is in control of who comes and who doesn’t.
   3. Be creative. No one knows your girls better than you. You know the kinds of things that they love to do and the things that they get excited about. Be creative with how you can appeal to the girls you’re going to invite. Do they love to get dressed up or would they love a pajama party instead? Would they rather have a paint war or make their own flower crowns? Only you know! Have fun coming up with creative ideas to engage the girls that are in your ministry. Don’t forget that you’ve been uniquely equipped by God to minister to the girls that He’s entrusted to you and because of that you are more than capable of planning the exact event that they need.
   4. Invite them. One of the scariest parts of planning a girls event is wondering if they will actually come. And while the Lord is ultimately in control of who comes, you have to be faithful to invite them. Invite them in as many ways as you can. Invite them on instagram, at church, in person, and over the phone. Especially invite them individually. Sometimes all it takes is a personal invite from you as a leader to encourage a girl to come. You can even ask some the outgoing girls in your ministry to help you invite. Being invited by a peer goes a long way, as well.

At the end of the day, no event is perfect. Inevitably, there will be things that don’t go according to plan and that’s okay. Your girls don’t need a perfect event, they need Jesus – if He’s the center of your event, you can’t go wrong.

---

Taylor Cage is a newlywed living in Tulsa, Oklahoma serving students alongside her husband, Baron. After college, she spent three years as a Girls Minister and she’s passionate about building gospel centered community among women of all ages. She’s an avid reader, writer, and caffeine consumer. You can catch her telling cheesy jokes and taking long walks down the aisles at Target.

Connect with Taylor: Instagram