Events are the secret sauce of any successful women's ministry and having good women’s ministry event ideas should be a focal point for any church. That’s because women's ministry ideas usually incorporate one or more of the following goals:
- Practicing spiritual discipline
- Learning practical skills that relate to the Bible
- Giving service to the community
- Engaging in fellowship with ladies' church groups
With these three goals in mind, here are the top 20 women's ministry ideas to try this year. These fun activities for ladies church groups are sure to generate plenty of laughs and smiles. No matter which one you choose, be sure to promote church events so everyone knows how to join in the fun. An event invitation letter is a good starting point to make sure everyone is aware of the event details. They're great resources to help grow your church membership.
1. Weeknight Bible Study
If your women's group isn't hosting weekly Bible studies already, it’s about time you did. Bible studies offer women the chance to learn this important spiritual discipline.
Bible study is a time for women to read the Bible together and talk about their spiritual journey with the Word of God and your group can do this through the unique lens of being Christian women.
But it's important to not only talk about the Bible – the women in your church should also put its teachings into practice. For example, women’s ministry leaders can teach groups how to study and interpret the Bible.
These more practical, hands-on lessons are critical. These church activities can help women get excited and feel energized about the Bible and this can go a long way in helping your church group feel more connected to Christ when you're not at church.
2. Themed Potluck Dinners
Potlucks are a classic church fellowship event for a reason. They’re fun, filling and family-friendly. But we recommend trying a ladies' only themed potluck dinner to boost social bonds within your church group.
You could try holiday-themed potluck dinners during the festive season, or incorporate a cultural cuisine into your potluck dinner. For example, everyone could bring Mexican or Sichuan dishes to the potluck.
Fellowship events like potlucks are great ways to bring new members into the fold. After all, who can pass up free food and fun socializing with a group of like-minded peers?
However, make sure your potluck women's ministry event ideas also incorporate the gospel. Read a passage before everyone starts eating. Or have a new member of the group share her testimony.
3. Christian Book Club
Book clubs are another great fellowship event for church groups. But when you incorporate a book with spiritual teachings, this type of social event can be even more meaningful.
Try fiction books from Christian writers like romance author Francine Rivers (Redeeming Love). Mystery book lovers will enjoy Wanda E. Brunstetter's The Amish Greenhouse Mysteries - and you can’t forget the classic Left Behind series!
But make sure you also include inspirational non-fiction books. These books can help teach women in your church group spiritual discipline. There are books on subjects like parenting, marriage, prayer, Bible study and much more.
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin is a great book for teaching Bible study and Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline is essential reading for anyone learning about spiritual discipline.
There are so many excellent books out there for your ladies' church group book club. Check out this list of 20 must-read books for Christian women if you're searching for more book club ideas.
4. Craft Night
Crafting is a practical skill many women use every single day. According to Exodus 35, craftswomen were essential to the building of the Tabernacle during the time of Moses. That’s why this is yet another of the best women's ministry event ideas.
The passage specifically talks about craftswomen who created jewelry out of precious stones and metals. The same craftswomen spun clothing from yarn, too.
Your church group will love a craft night inspired by the craftswomen of Exodus. Host a jewelry-making class and discuss the contribution of the female jewelry-makers at the Tabernacle.
There is an organization called Women at Risk that hosts charitable jewelry crafting nights. The jewelry your ladies church group creates helps Women at Risk help women rescued from the global sex trade.
You could also host a sewing or knitting night to honor the craftswomen who clothed Moses and his followers.
5. Weekday Afternoon Tea
Women's ministry ideas should strive to include all the different kinds of women in your church group. That includes stay-at-home moms who may be looking for fellowship during the week.
Weekday afternoon tea is a great fellowship event idea for stay-at-home moms at your church. Make sure to offer childcare so that your group will not have to stress about their watching their children while socializing over tea.
You could host themed afternoon tea parties (Paris-themed tea, anyone?) or even teach your group about high tea. Afternoon tea could also be a great mother/daughter event, especially for moms with young girls.
Make sure to brew up many different types of teas, including iced teas and don’t forget the snacks! Cucumber sandwiches, mini quiches, sweet and savory scones, tea cookies and cheese trays are all great ideas for afternoon tea.
6. Prayer Circles
Practicing prayer is a great way to bring the women of your church together. You can also incorporate community service into prayer when you host prayer circles for your congregation, community or both.
Prayer is so powerful and when groups of women come together to pray for people who are struggling, it can be even more powerful.
Plus, the best thing about prayer circles as women's ministry event ideas is that you don’t have to be in the same place.
You can email a list of people to pray for during the week and each member of your church group can pray separately on their own time as part of an online prayer ministry.
When you all come together again, you can pray for everyone on your list together. You can all join hands and stand or sit in a circle to pray. Circles are a sign of eternity and perfection in the Bible, granting even more power to your prayers.
7. Bible Journaling Meetings
Bible journaling is a practical skill that women can use for Bible study. It takes inspiration from the wildly popular bullet journaling trend. Here’s how to incorporate Bible journaling into your church group meetings.
First, instruct your group to read a passage from the Bible. Afterward, ask each member to respond to their readings creatively. This could mean something different for each member.
For example, some women may prefer to draw, sketch or doodle their thoughts. Other women might be less visually inclined. They can use prose or poetry to digest their readings.
Finally, have your group come together and share what they learned from the passage. Relate each woman's learnings to the message the passage relays.
8. Flower Arranging Events
Flower arranging is a fun women’s ministry idea for ladies of all ages. Flower arranging is the act of creating beautiful floral bouquets. Believe it or not, this is a skill you can learn.
As with any fellowship event, make sure to relate the activity to the Bible. For example, you could use fresh flowers and relate your activity to 1 Peter 1:24-25.
These verses describe that human flesh is like flowers. It withers and dies with time. Yet, the Lord and His word remain for eternity.
Your church group can take their arrangements home and this activity is a great visual representation of the teachings in 1 Peter 1:24–25.
9. Fashion Swaps
Another one of our favorite women's ministry event ideas is hosting a fashion swap.
Women in your church group can bring a friend and everyone brings their unwanted clothing, shoes and accessories. You can create tables to display each woman's items. Then, let the women in your group "trade" fashion items with each other.
To have even more fun, you could put on a church fashion show. Women can show off the new items they traded for. This is yet another fun event to host for mothers and daughters at your church.
You can tie this type of event into the Bible, too. Use the opportunity to discuss modesty and fashion for Christ. That way, you can add some Biblical meaning and depth to this super fun activity.
10. Weekend Marriage Workshops
The divorce rate among people who go to church regularly may be lower than it's for non-churchgoers. But for the entire Christian population, the divorce rate is about 20% higher than the national average. What does that mean?
The women who infrequently attend your church group may need help in the marriage department. What better way to support these women than with marriage workshops?
Christian marriage retreats and workshops focus on putting God back into your marriage. You can also bring in a Christian marriage and family counselor to offer more secular advice.
Of course, even advice from a counseling professional should have backing in the Word. Ephesians 5:22–27, Genesis 2:18, Matthew 19:4–6 and 1 Peter 3:7 are all great verses to reference about marriage in the eyes of God.
11. Holiday-Themed Philanthropy
The holidays are a great time to give back and depending on where you live, your community may also host charitable events, which are great for women's ministry event ideas.
You and your church group could volunteer at the local homeless shelter. Many shelters host soup kitchens for the homeless around Christmas time. You could also host a donation event for local charities like Toys for Tots.
To make your philanthropy event even more meaningful, have your group meet up afterward. You can meet up off church grounds for coffee and hot chocolate, or meet in your Bible study room for a quick debrief.
This is a time when each of you can share the impact of your work and discuss the Bible's definition of philanthropy. You can also remind with your group how Christlike women should always have charitable hearts.
12. Movie Night
A movie night is one of the easiest fellowship events for your women's ministry. It doesn’t require much planning and it allows members of your church group to unwind and relax while receiving a profound spiritual message.
You can show an inspirational movie. It doesn’t even have to be a Christian movie as long as it has a positive message.
Secular movies like Soul Surfer, A Fall from Grace and The Chronicles of Narnia have amazing allegories to the Bible. You could also watch classic Christian movies like The Shack, A Week Away and Facing the Giants.
Movie night is a great time to bring the kids, too. Just make sure you bring snacks for everyone! Popcorn, peanuts, pretzels and candy are essential to any good movie night.
13. A Mother/Daughter Retreat
The Bible says that like mother, like daughter, and that's why it's so important to include your daughters in your women's ministry event ideas.
We’ve talked about a few mother/daughter event ideas already, but a retreat is something more than a fashion show or afternoon tea could ever be. While fun and filled with fellowship, these events are not as deep as your relationship should be with your daughter.
The Bible also says that it's common for mothers and daughters to be divided. If you're the mother of a teen girl, you know how true this can be. A weekend retreat can bring mothers and daughters back together.
Plus, there are dozens of Christian organizations that sponsor these types of retreats. Mother/daughter pairs can learn to heal and strengthen their relationship through Christ, and daughters will learn by example from their mothers.
14. Church Swaps
There is a growing trend among various Christian church denominations called the church swap. Church swaps allow women's church groups to switch Bible study locations and/or leaders with a local church.
You can swap with a church of the same denomination, or you can swap with a different denomination or even religion. This can help ladies in your church group understand the different ways of interpreting God's teachings.
You could try swapping with another Bible study group every other week. At the end of the month, both church groups can come together in fellowship. You can even host a joint Bible study or another fun event together.
There is much to learn from other Christian religions. Although we may share some distinct practices, we have a love of Jesus in common.
Learning about other denominations can also teach women about the history of the church. Incorporate lessons about how and why different denominations split off and discuss the implications of this in terms of what the Bible says.
15. Exercise Fellowship
Three in five women report wanting to lose weight and get healthier. Weight contributes to a woman's confidence and it can often come between a woman's relationship with Christ.
So, another of the best women's ministry event ideas hosting exercise classes. Women can fellowship together through exercise to improve their confidence and relationship with God.
You can host exercise classes at your church fitness center or host meetups at a local gym if your church does not have one.
Before, during or after your exercise class, you can talk about what God says about physical fitness. The Bible says that physical training is important, but it should never come at the expense of your spiritual values.
16. Prayer Stations
Prayer stations are an excellent way to practice spiritual discipline. These fun church events allow you and your group to meet up in different locations around town. Then, you pray at those different locations or "stations."
These women’s ministry ideas work best when you meet somewhere you wouldn't usually pray. For example, you could meet at a local park. Or you could host a prayer around the flagpole at a local school.
Women's ministry event ideas like this one can teach prayer discipline. After all, we often forget about prayer once we step outside the church's walls.
Prayer stations remind us that prayer isn't just for the church. It's an essential activity Christian women should partake in, no matter what time or day it is or where they are.
17. Self-Defense Classes
Are you searching for ways to bring new members into your women's church group? One of the best women's ministry ideas for getting new members is to offer free classes. Self-defense classes are an especially good idea.
Self-defense is a practical skill that all women can benefit from, but women from low-income communities can particularly benefit from this skill. Any woman who has experienced violence or domestic violence can also benefit.
You could host a self-defense class for your church group. Then, allow each member to bring a plus-one. If you bring in a professional instructor, your church group could pay for the service, while their plus-ones get to come for free.
Try contacting your local police department. They may have a female police officer who can give your church group some tips. Because it’s for a good cause, they may even do it at no cost to you.
18. A Road Trip to a Women's Conference
Road trips are the ultimate bonding experience. When you take a road trip and attend a life-changing conference, you can create even stronger bonds between the women in your group.
There are so many conferences to consider, no matter where your church is located. For example, HeartStrongFaith Women's Conference took place in Dallas, Texas this year and it’s one of the top women's ministry event ideas for 2023.
Lifeway is another organization to contact for information about Christ-centered women's conferences. This organization has an event in almost every state.
And there is still a conference for your group even if you don’t want to take a road trip. Organizations now host conferences over the internet. Your church group can meet up and attend the conference together virtually.
19. Weekend Spa Days
Stress is a big factor in many women's lives. We have jobs, families and our relationship with God to tend to and these tasks alone can often leave us feeling that we have little time for ourselves.
That’s where spa-inspired church activities can come in! Your women's church group will love a day of peace and relaxation that's just for them. They can fellowship together while also getting some much-needed "me time."
A spa day at your church may sound too difficult to put together. But all you need are a few plastic tables and household ingredients. Try giving sugar hand scrubs, foot massages and mani/pedi stations.
This type of event could be even better when you get the men involved. Have husbands or sons administer the spa treatments. After all, the Bible says that men should do their best to cherish and nurture their wives!
You can even incorporate prayer stations into this fun fellowship event. Have a station where women can pray and reflect on the Bible quietly. That way, you can easily tie your spa day into a more meaningful and deep activity.
20. An Adult Ladies' Only Retreat
If a spa day isn't enough for the overworked ladies in your church group, consider a retreat. We’ve talked about mother/daughter retreats already, but this one is meant specifically for adults.
Retreats can incorporate one or many of the goals of women's ministry event ideas. You can have a retreat that's exclusively about socializing and fellowship, or you can incorporate skills-based activities backed by the Bible.
Philanthropic retreats are also common. Your women's group can spend a weekend or week giving back to a community in need. This could be a local community or somewhere more distant.
But the majority of ladies' spiritual retreats incorporate some type of spiritual discipline. That could mean learning how to analyze Bible verses better or learning the best ways to incorporate prayer into your daily life.
Now it’s your chance to take these women’s ministry ideas and put them into action. Choose one or multiple ideas and implement them to help the women in your church grow and build community. Once you host an event, be sure to follow up with a thank you for attending message to encourage participants to come back for future fun church events.
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