Women’s Ministry Bible Studies

Do you have questions about how the LORD wants you to serve in his church?

Do you have questions about what the LORD made you to do as a woman in his church and in this world?

Do you wonder what “headship” is really about?

Do you know how to use your gifts to the fullest and yet also honor and respect headship as part of God’s design for his church and people?

Do you see headship as a burden or a blessing as you strive to serve the LORD with your words, actions, and life?

You’re not alone. Those of us on the Women’s Ministry Committee have had some or all of the questions you may have.  After more than a year of Bible study with pastors, seminary professors and laywomen, we were delighted to find that God answered all of those questions himself in Scripture. The WMC felt the need to let God answer those questions himself for you too.  Therefore a Bible study was written by that committee entitled, “Heirs Together of God’s Gracious Gift of Life.”  We encourage you to work through our foundational Bible study, Heirs Together, for an in-depth look at the beauty of God’s design.

This bible study begins with an emphasis on the shared blessings and responsibilities men and women have in serving Christ. The lessons provide opportunities for men and women to discuss what Scripture says about their interdependence and the unique applications of unchanging principles for different ministry settings.

There are 11 Lessons in the book, each has 2 parts.  The topics in the first half of the study are: Equality in God’s Image; Equality in Sin and Salvation; Our Shared Mission as Royal Priests of God; The Spiritual Gifts God Gives both to Men and Women. The second half of the study looks at our unique callings as male and female by defining head, helper and calling, and then applying these relationships in marriage, church and the unbelieving world.

This book was reviewed by Pastor Armin Panning and is recommended by our review team. It is available at NPH!

This book offers mothers the chance to see and apply the principles for motherhood that God has given in His Word and provides material for discussions on practical ways to apply these truths to our own lives.

God intended for your children to know Him and His true and unconditional love. He longs for us to live a life of purpose and meaning. He asks us to travel a road that often isn’t easy but comes with rewards that don’t fade or rust.

There are 12 lessons in this book.  For a complete list of details, please visit the website www.biblemoms.com.

Tips for Leading a Small Group Study

Congratulations! If God has led you to lead a group of women through this material, you are sure to have some interesting discussions, some disagreements, and most importantly, you will find the joy of Christian fellowship as you bond in the process of studying the Word together. I was pushed, shoved, and all but bound and gagged into leading the women in my church through these studies. I was happy to write them, but I certainly didn’t want to get in front of people and read. I like to talk, but I hadn’t been trained as a teacher. Here are a few things that helped me get through the first lesson and the years after:

1. Prayer: I asked my pastor, the Adult Spiritual Growth Team, my family and friends to pray for me. I asked them to ask for courage, and for the Lord’s guidance and direction. Start each lesson with a prayer, too, for the Holy Spirit to come to you and to lead you to the truth.
2. Humility: Two months into the “Mom’s Bible Breakfast,” as we called it at my church, a woman came up to me and said what she loved about the study is that I wasn’t so much a leader as a part of the group. I didn’t quite know how to respond to that, but in the course of the next several months, I realized it was because I often asked if anyone could explain what particularly confusing portions of scripture meant, or I’d say what I was thinking, then add, “Am I way off with this?” Humility is helpful, too, if you are able to admit the things you are struggling with in your life. I found that when I opened up, the other women were glad to open up, too, and that’s how we got to know each other, and how we knew how to pray for each other.
3. Time Management: This can get tricky and only gets easier with experience. If you were to go straight through each lesson, it would take about two hours. However, the best classes were the ones when we all shared our insight into how the scriptures changed our lives or the struggles we had, etc. I learned that the most profound truths often came from diversion. I also learned to limit the diversion, especially if it went down an avenue that couldn’t bring a lot of insight to the group. If one person gets going on things specific to her that doesn’t add a lot to the group, try to encourage her and move on, then approach her after the study to talk more with her individually.
4. Let each woman know she is important: Greet each woman when she comes. Introduce visitors to the group. Never put anyone down when they say something, even if they are way off base. If you put them down, they may never come back and they might not ever learn the truth. To respond, try saying, “Does anyone else have a different take on this?” or, “I was thinking it meant this. What do you guys think?” Be gentle and considerate, and when you are totally at a loss for words, say a quick prayer for help.
5. Be prepared: You will need Bibles, and a dictionary is good to have on hand. Work through each lesson beforehand so you are prepared with an answer if the group gets stuck.
6. Ask for volunteers: The rule in our group was you didn’t have to read if you didn’t want to, and I didn’t call on people for answers. I read the devotion and any passages I didn’t have a volunteer to read. Often, if we had several passages to look up, I had one table look up one passage, another table the next, and asked for a volunteer from each table to read the passage so as to save time.

Holy Father, reveal Yourself to all those who work through this book. Enter their hearts, and plant in them the seeds of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.