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WIC 101
Dear Sisters,
This Resource Letter is a keeper. It is a foundation piece. It is WIC 101.
WIC at the Assembly level gets many questions from representatives of local
churches. The church situations vary, but the questions and the answers are
essentially the same. For that reason, we are using this issue of the WIC
Resource Letter to answer the most-often-asked questions:
- Who is WIC?
- What is WIC?
- Why do we need a WIC?
- How do we start a WIC?
- How do we revitalize a floundering
WIC?
The stated purpose of the PCA’s Women In
the Church, which was approved by the first General Assembly, is:
“The purpose of the Women In the Church is that every woman know Christ
personally and be committed to extending His kingdom in her life, home,
church, community, and throughout the world.”
The foundation of this purpose statement is a covenantal understanding of
the church. God has entered into a grace-relationship with us and bound
Himself to us in covenant faithfulness. Our relationship with Him is
personal, but it is not individual. The covenant is corporate. Our
relationship with God puts us into the covenant community. We have covenant
privileges and responsibilities in the community. We are to live with one
another in a way that reflects our covenant relationship with God.
Everything done by the WIC ministry at the Assembly level is prayerfully and
intentionally designed to help make this purpose statement a reality by
providing training and resources to help local churches. Our goal is that
every resource will be consistent with the doctrinal standards of the PCA.
The remainder of this Resource Letter takes you on a step-by-step journey of
how that is done. We hope this also gives you a model to follow, and a
resource to adapt, as you design and implement a WIC ministry in your
church.
We are driven by the WIC theme verse and by Titus 2:3 (on the sidebar). It
is for Zion’s sake—the sake of the church of Jesus Christ—that we must not
keep silent. Women must train women to reflect our redemption for Zion’s
sake, for the sake of the King of the church.
For Zion’s Sake,
Susan Hunt
WIC Consultant
“For Zion’s sake I will not keep
silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her
righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing
torch”
Isaiah 62:1
“Teach what is in accord with sound doctrine....Likewise, teach the
older women ...Then they can train the younger women...so that no one
will malign the word of God”
Titus 2:3-5
Step 1: A Look Back
Understanding our history helps us understand why we are where we are—and
this helps us know where we need to go.
The WIC ministry is a part of CEP.
Charles Dunahoo is Coordinator of Christian Education and Publications.
Georgia Settle was the first WIC Consultant. Her husband, Paul, was the
first Coordinator of CEP.
Q. Georgia, who, or
what, is WIC?
A. WIC is simply the female population
of local PCA churches. How their ministry/service is structured, or how they
function together, is left up to each church. The CEP WIC office provides
resources and training to help local churches, but we do not give
guidelines/directives regarding organizational structures.
Sometimes people say, “We do not have a WIC.” Technically this would mean
they do not have female members.
Q. Charles, when and
why did the PCA establish the WIC ministry?
A. When the PCA was being formed, we recognized the importance of our mother
church’s effective women’s ministry. Moreover, we believed that for the PCA
to be effective in ministry, men and women would need to use their gifts in
concert to build the church. Ministering to and encouraging women in
ministry was important to us on the organizing committee.
Q. Georgia, how did
the WIC ministry begin?
A. Before the PCA was formed women began to contact the office of the
Steering Committee for a Continuing Presbyterian Church to ask for Bible
study materials that were true to historic Presbyterian standards. That
office printed and made available two studies prepared by Mrs. Don (Jean)
Patterson. The same women began asking the Steering Committee for guidance
regarding women’s ministries in the church. The Steering Committee sponsored
a meeting of women in conjunction with the Advisory Convention in August
1973. At that meeting women were selected to bring a recommendation to the
first General Assembly regarding a design for women’s ministry.
Q. Charles, why was
WIC assigned to Christian Education and Publications?
A. Because the thrust of WIC is to encourage women in their own spiritual
development and then to train and equip them for ministry in the church,
CEP is the natural fit. It fits the overall design of the Christian
Education and Publication’s purpose and reason for being.
Q. Georgia, what is
the Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee?
A. The Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee (WASC) is made up of six women
selected by the Christian Education Committee from different regions of the
denomination. Their role, under the oversight and authority of the CEP
committee and Coordinator, is to be in touch with the local churches of
their region and to advise the CEP committee regarding needs and ministries
of women. They work closely with PresWIC Presidents in their region. They
also work directly with the WIC Consultant in planning and implementing
training opportunities, materials and programs for women.
Q. Charles, what is
the PCA’s position on the role of women in the church?
A. The macro position is that women are a vital part of the church’s
ministry and though our standards do not allow the ordination of women, they
are free to serve in all kinds of ministries. Therefore, gifted women are
involved in every phase of the church’s ministry with the exception of
ordination.
The micro position of the role of women varies from church to church. In
organizing the PCA we tried to be as broad and as flexible as the Bible
would allow. Recognizing the complex makeup of the PCA, we left many details
to the local churches to determine.
Q. Charles, why do
you think it is important for the PCA to have a WIC ministry?
A. Women have a purpose to fulfill just as men do, and ministry describes
much of that purpose. Men and women must be equipped for the work of
ministry. One of the ways that God accomplishes this is by leaders equipping
women to train other women. While we must remember that the entire body is
responsible to minister to one another, specialized ministries such as WIC
also have an important role in the church. WIC is an effective vehicle for
training women and implementing ministry in the local church.
Step 2: A Philosophy of Ministry
A philosophy is simply an overview of the reason we do what we do. It is a
longer version of the purpose statement.
The WIC philosophy of ministry is grounded on woman’s helper design. “The
Lord said, `It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper
suitable for him’” (Gen. 2:18).
The Hebrew word for helper is ezer. Throughout the Old Testament this word
is used to refer to God. In discussing this word, The Theological Wordbook
of the Old Testament says:
The Lord is seen as the helper of the underprivileged: the poor (Psalm
72:12) and the fatherless (Psalm 10:14) . . . He (the Psalmist) is conscious
of divine assistance at a time of illness (Psalm 28:7), at a time of
oppression by enemies (Psalm 54:4), and at a time of great personal distress
(Psalm 86:17).
This explanation of how God is our ezer gives insight into the helper
design. Community and compassion are two of the ways God is our Helper. God
enters into a covenant relationship with His people (community). He comes to
our aid, comforts us, and is merciful toward us (compassion). This touches
our souls because entering into nurturing relationships, and extending
compassion to those in need, is part of our creation design. Our nurturing,
relational strengths grow out of our helper design. Our design equips us to
demonstrate community and to be channels of compassion in our marriages,
families, churches, communities, and throughout the world. This does not
mean that all women will express their design in the same way; it frees us
to practice community and extend compassion creatively according to our
gifts, abilities and circumstances. This concept has application to women as
individuals, and it also gives definition to the purpose statement of Women
In the Church. The WIC ministry should have the effect of bringing a deeper
sense of community and compassion into the home, church, community, and
world. The WIC task at the Assembly level is to help churches encourage and
equip women for this mission. A covenantal understanding of the church
demands this.
The Westminster Confession of Faith says:
All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by His Spirit, and
by faith, have fellowship with Him in His grace, sufferings, death,
resurrection, and glory; and, being united to one another in love, they have
communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the
performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their
mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.
Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion
in the worship of God, and in performing such other spiritual services as
tend to their mutual edification; as also in relieving each other in outward
things, according to their several abilities and necessities. Which
communion, as God offereth opportunity, is to be extended unto all those
who, in every place, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus (WCF XXVI Of the
Communion of Saints, 1, 2. Italics added.).
“An holy fellowship” is the launching pad for ministries of compassion, and
compassion is the grace-reality that draws unbelievers into the community of
faith.
A biblical strategy for encouraging and equipping women to share their gifts
and graces for the mutual good, and to maintain an holy fellowship, is found
in Titus 2:1-5. The Titus mandate for women to nurture women should be the
driving force of a women’s ministry because this is part of our covenant
privilege and responsibility.
The goal is that each woman will “know Christ personally and be committed to
extending His kingdom in her life, home, church, community, and throughout
the world” and thus God will be glorified.
The WIC ministry is not project or event-driven. It is theology driven. The
philosophy gives the guidelines for mapping out the specifics of the WIC
ministry. Each project, event, and written resource is one point on the
total ministry-map. To understand the purpose of any specific project, one
must understand the philosophy of ministry and where a specific project fits
on the map. The WIC ministry-map is just one piece of the total ministry-map
of Christian Education and Publications, so it must always help to achieve
the over-all objectives of CE/P. The map is on the next page.
Step 3: Ministry Map
The map shows where we have been, where we are going, how far we have come,
and where we need to go next. No event or project should be planned just for
the sake of planning an event or project. There should always be a purpose.
Since the beginning of the PCA, the WIC philosophy of ministry has been a
work in process. As the philosophy has developed, so have resources to equip
women to facilitate the philosophy. Some of the major roadmarks along the
way:
- Appointment of a Women’s Advisory
Sub-Committee by the denomination’s Christian Education Committee. These
women represent six geographical sections of the country.
- The annual WIC Love Gift
- Publication of a yearly study for
women
- An annual WIC Leadership Training
Seminar. This is a training event for two representatives from each
PresWIC, women on local church staffs who have responsibilities for
women and/or teen girls, women on denominational staffs, student
representatives from Covenant College, and student and/or student wife
representatives from Covenant Seminary.
- The WIC Resource Letter which is sent
to all local WIC presidents, PresWIC Presidents, and pastors wives. This
mailing includes The WICK which each church is asked to reproduce and
use as a bulletin supplement for all women in the church.
- The WIC Core Curriculum which enables
local churches to develop WIC ministries based on the WIC philosophy.
(More on page 6.)
- The 1989 National WIC Conference which
highlighted our “community” as PCA women.
- The 1992 International WIC Conference
which highlighted the need for ministries of compassion.
- The 1994 Women In Ministry conference
was designed to minister to pastors’ wives and women in ministry
positions, to provide them an opportunity to learn and fellowship with
others who share a similar calling, and to equip them to minister to
others.
- The 1995 Regional WIC Conferences were
training events to teach women about our privileges and responsibilities
in the church and to equip them for ministry. These conferences also
helped develop a deeper sense of connectionalism in the various regions.
- The 1997 Helpers By Design Conference
for wives of Ruling and Teaching Elders and wives of Church Ministry
Staff. The purpose of this conference was to explore some of the unique
privileges and responsibilities of these women.
Remember, the WIC ministry does not exist in a vacuum. It does not have
a life of its own. On the denominational level, it is a department of
Christian Education and Publications. So the WIC ministry map is just
one part of the total ministry of CEP. In the local church, the WIC
ministry is just one slice of the total ministry of the church. As with
all other ministries, it is under the authority of the elders.
WIC Core Curriculum
Q. What is it?
A. The WIC Core Curriculum is written for the specific purpose of teaching a
biblical philosophy of womanhood and some of the corporate implications of
that philosophy. These corporate implications give definition and focus to a
women’s ministry in a local church. One implication is that woman’s helper
design equips us to cultivate community and to be channels of compassion in
our homes and churches. There are five components to the curriculum, and
each book has a Leader’s Guide.
Leadership For Women In The Church
The objective of this book is to help women explore the benefits of a WIC
ministry, to design a WIC ministry on the foundation of the philosophy of
ministry on page 3, and to train a leadership team for WIC.
Spiritual Mothering, The Titus 2 Mandate for Women Mentoring
Women. This study is designed to teach women the biblical model for women
nurturing women to live for God’s glory and to help build covenant
relationships between women, thus building community among women in the
church.
By Design, God’s Distinctive Calling For Women
Spiritual mothering relationships should be the launching pad to equip women
for ministries of mercy. This study teaches women about our creation design
and equips us to cultivate community and to be channels of compassion.
Treasures of Encouragement.
The purpose of this book is to reinforce the previous studies, to teach
women the biblical ministry of encouragement, and to show them how to be
encouragers. This study is a catalyst for women to have such a ministry of
encouragement that our churches will be known by the “faith we have in
Christ Jesus and the love we have for one another.”
The True Woman
This study reinforces the entire curriculum by refocusing on redemption, our
call to reflect our redemption in all of life, and the necessity of sound
theology to be and do what we have been called to be and do.
Q. Why did WIC
develop a core curriculum?
A. First, our denomination is committed to the biblical concept of
connectionalism. This connectionalism runs deeper than commonality of
location, personal interests, or personal preferences. We are bound to one
another by a commitment to a theological standard that extends to what we
believe and how we behave. God’s Word is our rule for faith and practice, so
we must have a biblical apologetic for all activities and programs.
Therefore, in our WIC ministry we are not event/
program-driven, but theology-driven. This commitment to theological
integrity in crafting a women’s ministry compelled us to develop a
philosophy and then to begin an educational process among women.
Second, as we looked over existing materials on women’s ministries, we found
nothing from a distinctly Reformed perspective. We had to prioritize. We
can’t do everything, but we felt the most urgent need was to produce
materials that teach women the whys and hows of a women’s ministry within
the context of our doctrinal standards.
Q. So you see this
as part of a program of Christian education?
A. Absolutely. The WIC ministry is part of the ministry of Christian
Education. If we are going to have a WIC ministry, we must know why we do
what we do, that reason must be rooted in Scripture, and it must be taught
to women. This is part of the Christian education of God’s covenant family.
It is because of our commitment to Christian education that we developed
extensive leaders’ guides for each study. The leaders’ guides are actually
teacher training tools that are designed to help women become more effective
teachers.
Q. Is it working?
A. There are strong indicators that our quest to understand our female
design and calling has helped to unify PCA women and to propel us into
greater service in the church. We receive thrilling letters about how women
are growing in their capacity and passion to cultivate community and to be
channels of compassion in their homes, churches, and communities. But the
true measure of our obedience in developing WIC ministries that are faithful
to God’s Word will be seen in the lives of our daughters and granddaughters.
Will they be lured into the world’s view of womanhood, or will we tradition
biblical womanhood in such a compelling fashion that they will be attracted
to the Savior we love and be equipped to serve Him as virtuous women?
Q. What about other
WIC studies? Are they not part of the core curriculum?
A. A new WIC study is produced each year, but all of these are not part of
the core curriculum. The core curriculum is specifically designed to help
teach a biblical philosophy of womanhood based on a covenantal perspective
of Scripture, and to help craft substantive WIC ministries based on the
corporate implications of our understanding of biblical womanhood.
Q. How do you decide
what other studies you will produce or recommend?
A. The CEP procedure regarding WIC studies is:
“At this time CEP usually publishes only one WIC study per year. Therefore
it is important to be intentional and focused in what we publish.
“In the local church, the WIC circles/Bible studies are a part of the total
Christian education program of the church and not the only educational
experience the church offers women. The WIC studies should accomplish a
specific function in the total educational plan. It is our belief that Titus
2:3-5 provides this focus.
“Carrying out the Titus mandate will involve training women in biblical
truth and providing opportunities for women to develop nurturing
relationships. This does not mean that WIC studies are limited to this, but
it does mean that these issues are dealt with on a regular basis.
“Since CEP is limited in the number of studies we can publish, we feel that
at this time our primary responsibility is to offer studies and leaders’
guides that will help churches accomplish the following:
1. Teach the Bible from a covenant perspective with emphasis on biblical
womanhood.
2. Provide interactive study opportunities that help women to develop
covenant relationships with one another.
3. Suggest ministry ideas that will help women to fulfill their individual
and corporate mission.
“We do not know of materials that are addressing these issues from a
Reformed perspective. Our commitment is to prayerfully pursue such
materials.”
Q. Why does CEP
only produce one WIC study per year?
A. Easy answer—money and time. Producing a study is costly and it requires
an enormous amount of staff time. Presently, we simply do not have the
resources to do more.
Q. Do we really need
to study anything but the Bible? Why don’t you just produce Bible studies?
A. This question assumes that the only way to study the Bible is a verse by
verse or book by book type study. The books in the core curriculum are Bible
studies that focus on a specific topic. A comprehensive understanding of the
Bible demands that at times we study a particular portion verse by verse,
and at other times we step back and get an overview of what the Bible says
about a specific topic such as God’s sovereignty, or redemption, or the
covenant, or parenting, or marriage, or biblical womanhood. We have made the
decision to produce some topical studies on the specific issue of womanhood
because we know that women are taught God’s Word in an expository fashion
from the pulpits of our PCA churches. Our WIC studies are designed to
complement the pulpit ministry. We also feel the urgency to deal with
biblical womanhood because of the influence of feminism in our culture.
Q. Do we have to use
the studies produced by CEP?
A. No. We make no assumptions that women will only study the core curriculum
or the other yearly studies produced by CEP. These are resources we provide
for you. Whether you use them is a decision for the local church. We do
advise local WICs to be sure they submit all materials to the elders for
approval. Usually this is done by submitting it to the Christian Education
Committee which has oversight of all materials used in all programs of the
church. This protects doctrinal consistency and it gives coordination to the
entire Christian education plan of the church.
Q. Why should PCA
women use the WIC Core Curriculum?
A. I will answer that by sharing two letters from women who have used it.
I wanted to share how much I have enjoyed and grown from all the resources
the WIC staff has made available to us in the last few years. I began my
“women’s ministries” pilgrimage when you came to Covenant Seminary. Even
then in my “youngness” I thought, “here is something I truly believe in —
biblical principles that will make a difference in women’s lives.” I
continued my journey at the National Conference in 1992 and I truly
appreciated the risk in exposing the great needs which I knew existed, yet
were hidden on our church pews.
I began reading and studying and I have thoroughly appreciated all the books
and tapes. I have read all of the “core curriculum” books and listened to
tapes. During the reading and studying, the Lord has allowed me the school
of experience as well. Both of my parents have died, we had a new baby, made
a move and as I look back I realize all the lessons I did learn as He walked
with me and as He held me up with the strength I did not have. This school
of experience taught personal pain, real depression, grief, compassion...all
the things that you addressed in Spiritual Mothering at some level or
another.
I must confess that the first time I read Spiritual Mothering I thought,
“This is great!” But the second time I read it I thought, “This helps me
where I hurt.” Somehow I was spiritually mothered through Spiritual
Mothering. The third time I read it I was also teaching it as a Sunday
School class —and now I’m finally learning to practice it!
In the middle of the Spiritual Mothering Sunday School class we went to a
Regional Conference. This was perfect timing as we are getting ready to
organize a women’s ministry program in our small church. The fifteen women
who attended now understand the “language” of WIC; and they caught the
vision of what women’s ministries can be in the local church as well as
connecting on the larger level. We will start Loving Leadership in a few
weeks and hope to have a small women’s ministries program that matches us in
place by fall.
I have said all of the above to say this—it does work. You have communicated
well. And those of us who have listened and read have profited from what the
Lord is doing through WIC. It’s like ripples on water that keep going out
from the center.
Another sister writes:
. . . My life and relationship to my husband will never be the same.
Thinking I had settled many of the “design” issues long ago, the Lord showed
me that I still ran my home and expected my husband to “help me” with the
day-to-day events. With respect for our God-given elders, we have submitted
our women’s ministries to our session. The fruit has been a session that
offers clear, strong leadership and a women’s program that has run so
smoothly. The entire atmosphere at church has changed as we humbly submitted
ourselves to our leadership. What leaders they have become! The Lord is
good!
We would never be so presumptous as to say this is the only way to do a
women’s ministry. What we are saying is that as your denominational
Christian education resource, we feel it is our responsibility to provide
you with tools to help facilitate a WIC ministry, and our prayer is that the
WIC Core Curriculum does that.
A final word:
The WIC Core Curriculum is not a study to be completed and left behind. It
is a way of life. It is a process. The materials should be repeated over and
over to incorporate new women as they come into the church and keep the
concepts ever before all the women.
WIC Resources
Go to our website
www.pcacep.org/wic/index.htm for a current list of valuable resources.
(Call the CEP Bookstore at 1-800-283-1357 to order any of these materials
or to receive a complete catalog with prices and descriptions)
WIC Ministry to Teens
VISION:
For Women In the Church to help cultivate a nurturing environment which will
attract girls inside and outside the church in order to teach them the joy
of biblical womanhood, and will encourage them to continue to be an integral
part of God’s covenant family.
PURPOSE:
For the WIC ministry to equip and encourage women to obey the Titus 2
mandate by serving as models and teachers of biblical womanhood to junior
and senior high girls.
STRATEGY:
Some ways this will be accomplished:
• Articles in the WIC Resource Letter.
• A Resource Guide that will give various models of ways this could be done
in a local church as well as ideas for adapting the WIC core curriculum to
use with teens.
• Encourage local WICs to include teens in their events, retreats, etc.
• Encourage teens to attend PresWIC and national WIC events.
• Invite female staff workers who work with teens to the WIC Leadership
Seminar.
• Train PresWIC presidents to use resource materials.
• Train specific women to lead seminars at regional conferences for youth
staff, PresWIC meetings, EQUIP conferences, etc.
In August of 1996 a task force of women met with CEP staff members to
discuss the potential for WIC ministry to teens. The women on that task
force were Barbara Thompson, Janet Colton, and Marlys Mulkey. During the
meeting, Will LaRose, Youth Ministry Coordinator for Christian Education and
Publications, shared his insights regarding this concept. The following
interview gives some of Will’s thoughts.
Q. In your
experience of working with teens, what are they asking for from the church?
A. First and foremost, teens are looking for someone to listen to them. They
want relationships.
Q. What do adults in
the church need to know about teens?
A. That they can minister and establish these relationships.
Q. What models of
ministry are being used in local churches for discipling teens?
A. The Pioneer Clubs model where teens are assigned “grandmothers” has been
used successfully in churches. Also, the Christian Service Brigade has some
models for mentoring. Many churches are using small groups which are
organized by age and gender and taught by men and women of the congregation.
The groups often use the same curriculum, but with activities and
applications geared to their particular group.
Q. What have you
observed about youth ministers on local church staffs?
A. Youth ministers are often pressed for time and resources. There is a need
for adults in the church to view youth ministry as every member’s job.
Q. What kinds of
resistance can occur when groups or individuals want to be involved in youth
ministry?
A. The most frequent resistance relates to scheduling activities. Teens are
very busy people and the church ministries must be carefully coordinated so
there is no competition among the ministries for the teens’ time.
Q. How can WIC
coordinate with youth ministers to encourage and assist in the youth
ministry?
A. First, be sure that youth ministers don’t hear about these plans after
the fact, but that you involve them from the beginning. Listening to their
ideas is very important. Recognize their time limitations and their need for
encouragement and assistance. When you approach them, emphasize that you are
not creating more work for them to do, but that you want their direction and
that you want to reinforce what they are doing.
Q. What one word do
you think would describe an effective WIC ministry to teens?
A. WIC ministry to teens could best be described as enhancing the youth
ministry.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Maybe as you read about Marlys and Janet your response was “no way.” Many of
us cannot imagine pouring our lives into teenagers. But perhaps God is
nudging you to pioneer inother ways. Here’s how other PCA women are
investing themselves in the lives of teen girls.
Marlene Roese, a widow from Lake Osborne Presbyterian Church in Florida, is
discipling a group of teens on Sunday evenings. She gave the disclaimer of
her old age to the girls, but the reality for all to see is a young at
heart, genuine and willing servant.
Women of Palmetto PresWIC recently invited teens to attend their annual
retreat at Ridge Haven.
There were a number of young women jogging around the mountainside. What a
joy to have women from 16-80+ as they worshipped, fellowshipped, and studied
together.
Debra Perret, from Plains Presbyterian Church, in Zachary, LA is teaching
Treasures of Encouragement, the 1996-97 WIC addition to the core curriculum,
to a group of senior high girls. Jenny Mills, who recently returned from
CoMission in Ukraine, is co-leader. A ruling elder’s wife is their secret
prayer partner and encourager. She will become known to the girls when she
gives her testimony of the encouragement of the Word of God in her own life.
Step 4: What do we do?
Now it is time to think about those most-often-asked questions.
Q. Why do we need a
WIC organization?
A. Women need women. Paul must have understood this. He told Titus to be
sure that older women in the church were equipped to teach younger women
certain aspects of covenantal life. The church needs to provide some way for
this to happen.
Q. But in our church
men and women serve side-by-side on committees and in various ministries.
Why do we need an organized WIC?
A. Women still need some way to nurture one another. In the church-structure
you mention, your WIC may focus primarily on fellowship and nurturing
relationships among women. These relationships will energize women to become
involved in the various ministry-opportunities offered by your church. The
WIC ministry should be a place where women are enfolded, nurtured, equipped,
and sent out to minister in all aspects of the life of the church.
Q. Our church
emphasizes small groups. Why do we need an organized WIC?
A. The answer is still the same. There needs to be some way for women to
connect with women and to learn about issues involving biblical womanhood.
Married and single women express their need for mentoring by other women. A
WIC ministry can provide this.
Q. How do we
organize a WIC ministry?
A. Begin with prayer, prayer, and more prayer.
This should be followed by a time of study. Women must have a vision for a
WIC ministry before they will have energy to do it. Events and programs, as
exciting as they may be, do not elicit long-term commitment. An
understanding of a biblical philosophy for a women’s ministry is essential
for long-term commitment. So we encourage you to begin by gathering a group
of women to work through Leadership For Women In the Church, using the
accompanying leader’s guide Loving Leadership. This will help the women to
develop a group vision for the ministry, assess needs and resources, set
goals, determine structure, and plan the strategy for implementing the
goals.
If you are a new church just starting your WIC ministry, you may want to ask
all interested women to participate in this study. If you are an existing
church with an already established ministry, this is a training course for
your leadership team. It should be used each year to train new leaders.
Q. How do we
revitalize a floundering WIC? We can’t get anyone to take a leadership
position.
A. Prayer and study...the same as the answer above. Stop worrying about
structures and filling positions and spend time praying and developing a
vision.
Q. But I want a
formula—step one, two, and three. Tell me exactly what to do.
A. We have done that in the WIC Core Curriculum. Get it and read it. In
addition to dealing with vision, philosophy, and goals, the leader’s guides
for these books are filled with practical ideas for recruiting and training
leaders, developing programs, implementing a Spiritual Mothering program,
etc.
Q. In addition to
the curriculum and other printed studies, do you have any other resources?
A. The Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee and your PresWIC President have been
trained to assist you. You may want to invite one of them to teach the
leadership course to your women. Our WIC staff is also available to you. But
we encourage you to get the curriculum materials first because we really
believe this will answer most of your questions.
The WIC Resource Letter is an ongoing training and networking piece. It is
published five times a year and is sent to pastors’ wives and local WIC
Presidents (or contact person).
The WIC Resource Manual gives suggestions for various kinds of
organizational structures, a constitution, etc.
Q. Does it matter
which book in the curriculum we study first?
A. Usually it is best to study them in order, however it is important for
the leadership team in your church to make this decision based on your
particular situation.
Q. What is the role
of the PresWIC President and council?
A. Just as with local churches, PresWICs determine their own ministry-focus
and structure depending on their particular needs and opportunities.
Basically, however, PresWIC officers serve as a resource to help local WICs
and as a facilitator to connect the women in local churches. Your PresWIC
officers are one of your greatest resources. On the presbytery level there
are opportunities to experience our connectionalism as you meet with other
women to share ideas, study, pray, serve, and fellowship together. No matter
how large or small your church is, you will be richer if you become involved
with women from the other churches in your area. This is the way we do it in
the Presbyterian church. We believe it is the biblical way.
A final word:
Whatever else you do, you must pray. Everything we do must be saturated with
prayer. Unless God shines His face upon us, there will be no blessing. We
must live in His presence and radiate His glory. Then we will know His
pleasure upon us. The ultimate question: Is God glorified?
Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together (Psalm 34:3).
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