As we start this third installment in our series, I want to share with you five benefits of a successful mentoring ministry:

1. Relationship building - women who might never have otherwise connected form friendships.
2. Knitting hearts together - anytime women grow together in the Lord it will benefit the church body as a whole.
3. Growth - everyone needs to be challenged to keep growing and having someone to be accountable with is a great way to help women grow.
4. Encouragement - words are a powerful tool to build the self esteem and life of another woman.
5. Enriched lives - when Christ is the focus of a relationship, everyone benefits.

Each of these will enrich the lives of the women involved and have far reaching effects into ministry, church, family and community.

There are lots of different ways that women can mentor others. Today I want to share ideas that have been sent in by three different Women's Ministry leaders. They illustrate how different Mentoring Ministries can "look" and function; and each one works!

From Kathy...
One thing that our church is doing right now is a ministry to teen girls. Since our youth leader is male, some thought that the girls needed a way to connect with the women in our small congregation. So....once a month they get together with some women of the church at someone's house for cooking lesson, making beaded Christmas ornament, girl movie evening,etc. The activity itself is less important than the relationships these girls are making with the women from the church. If something comes up in their lives that they just can't talk to Mom or Dad maybe they will have already established a relationship with another woman that they can turn to. Plus they have so much to learn and really we have much to give them.
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From Emma...
We just started a Mentoring Ministry in our church using Janet Thompson's Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry. It truly is phenomenal and really is highly organized with helping a Women's Ministry to set up a very organized Mentoring Ministry w/ a wonderful support team, great training and accountability for both the mentors and mentees. We even have Prayer Warriors that are assigned a couple of teams of Mentor/Mentees to come along side of them for the length of the mentoring time period.

I cannot say enough good about this particular Mentoring Ministry. We have had two other churches in our area observe us as we piloted a modified version of this ministry and have now started it in their own churches as well. I am also visiting another church in our area to share this ministry to their Pastor and Women's Ministry next week. I am excited and would love to see it spread to other churches in the Lehigh Valley here in PA.

Mentoring is probably the most important ministry that any Women's Organization in a church can offer. It is from the Mentoring relationships that women can grow and learn to serve their church together. I have such a passion for this ministry and feel that every church should have both men and women's Mentoring programs on some level.
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WM.NET Note: This next idea is also a youth based program, but could be easily modified for women.

From Trinka...
I have had a mentoring program at our church in Ohio for over 10 years. It's called Naomi & Ruth Mentoring Ministry. It has three parts to it.

Level One is called... "Esther: Preparing for the King" for girls 13-18 years of age. (Graduates who have completed levels 1-3 mentor the girls in this group.)

Level Two... "Naomi & Ruth." This level involves discipleship and relationship building with other women. It is a one year commitment.

Level Three... "Priscilla." These are the graduates from the Naomi & Ruth level two. Our focus is on developing leadership skills. The students learn to prepare lessons and take on more leadership responsibility . Our goal is for them to become future mentors.

All participants, no matter their level, are required to do a community project that we have titled, Service Saturday. This is always been a rewarding venture for each of us.

We have two annual events where all the groups and leaders come together. They are our annual tea that takes place in March and their graduation in June.

Because I am unable to attend each of their meetings I surprise one of the groups each month with a note from me that's titled, "TRINKA MAIL." In this note I always give them a scripture to read and words of encouragement. Sometimes I give them something to accomplish or a small gift item. They love it!

To keep track of each mentor and mentees interaction I have a monthly "Touch Time" meeting where we can see one another and touch base and make any announcements. This meeting takes place once a month between our first and second church service transition time for approximately 45 minutes. The mentors find this convenient because it does not require another meeting away from home.

At this meeting they turn in a written report (a form we provide) about their relationship with the person they are mentoring. It's also a great time for prayer requests and planning for our annual tea or graduation.


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As you see, Mentoring Ministries don't all look the same... but they accomplish the same thing. Women sharing into the lives of other women, and drawing closer to the Lord. What an amazing blessing!

In Him.... Robyne Beaubien, Editor

The best information we receive about the nuts and bolts of Women's Ministry is when we hear what you all are doing "in the trenches." Our new weekly poll is your opportunity to share your expertise and knowledge with all our subscribers!

Each week we will ask a question, and share a link for you to post your answers. The following week we will provide a link where you can see the results of the question, along with a new question. It takes just a minute, and your input is immediately added.

Sound like fun? Well, let's get going! This week's question is:

How many women are on your leadership team?

Answer the question HERE.

The results from last week are in and we are ready to share them with you.

How much time do you devote to Women's Ministry each week?

• WM Directors (part-time paid staff) - 71% serve 16+ hours per week
• WM Directors (part-time volunteer) - 40% serve 6- 10 hours per week
• Bible study leaders - 57% serve 0-10 hours per week and 34% serve 11-25 hours per week
• WM team members - 75% serve 0-10 hours per week and 22% serve 11-20 hours per week
• Pastor's wives - 62% serve 0-10 hours per week and 28% serve 11-20 hours per week
• Staff who oversee WM - 70% serve 0-10 hours per week and 9% serve 31+ hours per week
• Authors, speakers, and musicians - 50% serve 0- 10 hours per week and 34% serve 11-15 hours per week
• Parachurch staff member - 50% serve 0-15 hours per week, 33% serve 16-20 hours per week and 17% serve 40+ hours per week
• Provider of resources - 86% serve 0-10 hours per week

What are the best times to offer Bible studies for your women?

• Wednesday Evening 33.7%
• Tuesday Evening 30.6%
• Tuesday Morning 25.7%
• Thursday Evening 25%
• Monday Evening 20.5%

Also... several of you sent emails to tell us about how you are incorporating Bible Studies into Sunday School. This is a great way to include women who cannot attend studies during the week. We appreciate your sharing!

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After trying a few different ways to connect ladies and get them praying for one another, we have finally found one that works for us.

How did we do it? We host a Girl's Night Out every other month. Mid-way through the evening we share a devotion, then have the ladies write down a current prayer request along with their name and contact information.

Before the ladies leave, they draw a name out of the basket. They then commit to pray for this person until the next Girl's Night Out.

They are encouraged to send cards, look for them on Sunday morning, and otherwise encourage the lady whose name they have. There is no huge commitment, they get to pray for, and build a relationship with a new lady every other month.

Submitted by: Jennifer Hallenbeck
Church: Smoky Valley Community Church in Round Mountain, NV

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