Women today are busier than ever. Raising families, pursuing careers and managing households takes a lot of time. So, while conferences, retreats and other ministry activities are often designed to help women become more spiritually engaged or to help provide a night of fun and fellowship, it isn’t surprising that it may be hard to get women to commit.
Here are a few ways you can take technology beyond the sanctuary so they can participate.
Make it easy to be there
Sometimes attending an event is more trouble than it’s worth. Picking up children from school or daycare, taking them to ball practice or music lessons, and arranging for childcare or the family meal can leave females feeling frazzled and frustrated before they ever walk through the doors of the church. It may be hard for them to feel especially joyful or receptive to spiritual insights if they are already bone tired.
So, if your church is organizing a women’s event, the first thing to consider is how you can make it as easy as possible for the women to get there. Use online forms for event registration and make check-in and check-out as quick and painless as possible.
Consider offering free childcare and food (not just for her, but for the kids, too), even if the event doesn’t technically fall during a meal time. If it’s a potluck, use online meal sign-ups such as Meal Train and Perfect Potluck to make the organization a little easier.
Attendance NOT required
Another great way to reach women is to not require their physical presence at all. Technology makes “getting together” easier than ever. Instead of hosting an event that requires women to come to your church, take your church to them.
Remember that livestreaming goes beyond worship. Try using services such as Google Hangouts or Facebook Live to stream your event so that women can watch from the comfort of their own home. Women who live close to each other may prefer meeting in small groups to watch together. Set the time, and encourage women to participate no matter where they are located.
Since many personal computers are now equipped with microphones and cameras, you can even include interactive segments in your event. Or go “old school” and just ask for volunteers to phone or text if you want audience engagement.
Put it in a podcast
Get-togethers are fun. Everyone loves a good meal and fellowship. But spiritual education doesn’t have to come in the form of a “big” event. Record a podcast or a series of podcasts to make available to the women in your congregation.
Women can download and listen to the podcasts while on break at work, while driving the kids to soccer practice, or at any time that is convenient. Inspiring podcasts make multi-tasking easy. Get spiritually recharged and knock a few things off the to-do list at the same time.
Encourage virtual volunteerism
Women can be gamechangers, and volunteerism is an important part of many ministries. In addition to being a blessing to others, volunteers experience the benefits of setting and achieving goals and being part of a team.
To help accommodate busy schedules, you may want to incorporate virtual volunteerism into your ministries. Virtual volunteerism includes volunteer activities that can be completed at home with a personal computer and internet access. So, women who may be too busy to join the local soup kitchen ministry may be more than willing to help out with mission projects and activities that can be done on their own time.
Play with Pinterest and other social media sites
If the only time the women of your church see each other is on Sunday morning during worship service, they probably aren’t really connecting. Urge them to stay connected on social media.
Pinterest is a great way for ladies (and gentlemen, for that matter) to share ideas, inspirational quotes, Bible journaling tips, life hacks and more. Forming your own Facebook group can help women “do life” together, sharing photos and staying connected on a day-to-day basis.
Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are other fun ways to encourage one another, promote events, and just “connect.”
