Does your church want to be more effective at reaching women for Christ? 61% of church attenders are women. If your church is going to reach it's neighborhood and nations for Christ - ministering to women must be a priority. Here are 5 keys to a successful women's ministry:

1). You need an active women's leadership team. Bethlehem Baptist Church blogs about the role and responsibility of their leadership team. If all the teaching, planning, and counseling falls on one lady - burnout and discouragement will soon follow.

2). You need Bible studies and discipleship groups geared towards women. Small group settings allow for sharing and developing close friends. The teacher/minister will also discover the real issues/needs sitting on a couch with friends.

3). You need women counselors available at your church. Not all women want to tell a male minister/deacon their problems (nor is that healthy) - here's a good book for women learning to counsel other women.

4). You need women involved in missions - including women-only mission opportunities. If your church does ministry towards people in your community, you'll notice the large number of women or single mothers receiving help. Ladies should prioritize missions towards other women - sometimes men are too prideful to ask or receive help - but a mother wants food, clothes and shelter for her children.

5). You need events, retreats and conferences available for women to attend. There are hundreds of women-only conferences, retreats and getaways for ladies to learn and grow. I attend at least 1-2 conferences a year - I always come home wishing everyone could have been there. Here's a women's conference coming up at First Baptist Moreland:

Women's Ministry Resources:

Biblical Woman
Living Proof Ministries
LifeWay Women
The Woman's Study Bible (coming April 2013)