So let’s begin with the biblical basis for a women’s ministry in the local church. Have you noticed that in social settings the women tend to cluster together? There are aspects of the feminine life that can only be understood by other women. Women profit from being with other females–they learn from each other and encourage each other.

I’ve read a few blogs recently that suggest the idea of a women’s ministry in a church is somehow passé.

I beg to differ.

Instead, I want to say that every church will always need a women’s ministry. Let’s talk about why that is. In this first article, I want to address the biblical basis for a women’s ministry in every church. And then, in the second article we’ll think about women’s ministry historically and why it is still needed today in our egalitarian society.

So let’s begin with the biblical basis for a women’s ministry in the local church. Have you noticed that in social settings the women tend to cluster together? There are aspects of the feminine life that can only be understood by other women. Women profit from being with other females–they learn from each other and encourage each other.

The apostle Paul built on this idea in his instruction to a young pastor, Titus, who was pastoring the church in Crete. Knowing that Titus himself could not do everything that the church needed done, Paul carefully instructed him about how to organize the church. Titus himself was to teach the older men, the older women, the young men, and slaves (Titus 2:1-9). But, what happened to the young women? Paul removes them from Titus’ direct teaching and entrusts them to the care of the older women (Titus 2:4-5). From the beginning of the church, women ministering to women was in the plan. Titus was to be actively involved in teaching, encouraging and instructing the godly older women so that they would be equipped for the task of leading the younger women. This should instruct pastors today and encourage older women.

The women that Titus was to invest his energy in were elderly. The word ‘older’ in the NIV as translated from the original Greek literally means ‘ancient’ and clearly indicates this woman is significantly older than the ones she ministers to.

Paul encouraged Titus to pick the older women based on some additional qualifications (Titus 2:3)—not all the old women were chosen! The women he should invest his time in were to be godly in all aspects of their life and behavior, from the grocery store to the prayer meeting.

They should have their tongues under good control—they were not to be slanderers or gossips. They were to be women who could be counted on to hold their tongues with the confidences of young women.

They were to be free from addictions, and alcohol in particular. But in another sense, these older women had to be free from any consuming addiction that would rob them of time and interest to invest in younger women. They were not to be addicted to gambling, Facebook, drugs, or even exercise or shopping.

And finally, they should have an interest in mentoring and training the younger women—older women who are young at heart, who remember the joys and stresses of being youthful, and who can come alongside young women because they care about them. These ladies were to be ‘teachers of what is good’. This is not literal teaching as we understand it today, but more of an encouragement and a ‘fanning of the flame’; the picture is of one gently blowing a fire to encourage it to burn. It is mentoring in its purest form. This ‘teaching’ is not primarily academic, possibly not even doctrinal, though it must always be doctrinally correct. The emphasis is on encouragement, the idea of, “Yes, you are doing well in mothering your children. Keep up the good work.”  Because young women need encouragement. Because young women need to see a godly life in the flesh.

The older women were also to be trainers of the younger women. The word ‘train’ is related to ‘self-control’ in verse 5. The word group has to do with virtues like being reasonable, sober, moderate and self-controlled. In classical Greek it meant to bring a person to his senses. Subsequently it meant to give good advice or encouragement according to Walter Liefeld in the NIV Application Commentary.

So these are the mentors, the leaders of a women’s ministry in the early church. Now, in what areas are they to train and teach the young women? And does the curriculum that Paul prescribes have any relevance for us today?

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