A small church can have a women’s ministry with active participants numbering from five to fifty-five. Your numbers will affect the size of your leadership team. Hopefully your church leadership has provided the women with a director on staff. Whether she is paid or volunteer, a director cannot lead a ministry without a team. She should gather around her at least three leaders who jointly guide the ministry while dividing major responsibilities among themselves.

The women’s director might begin by delegating some Bible study responsibilities. She may recruit a teacher for the evening Bible study, a worship leader, someone to oversee childcare for the morning study, and someone to do hospitality. It is in the director’s best interest to allot as much of the detail work as possible to other women. In doing so, she creates a sense of ownership and excitement in them as they serve their fellow women.

The second team leader — let’s call her the administrator — might manage the finances, publicity, annual retreat, and various other tasks. With so many day-to-day responsibilities, the administrator is in a perfect position to form a small sub-team.

She might find someone who understands computer graphics to help with publicity. She definitely wants to recruit a retreat coordinator, hopefully someone who has experience with past retreats. Socials, prayer functions, special events — all of these require detailed oversight, and one person cannot perform those duties without help. 

The third leader can serve as a shepherd to the women. This means practical as well as spiritual help: discipleship, following up with the hurting or visiting or needy, arranging visits to the sick and meals for new moms. This leader builds relationships through the Bible study ministry so that she can more accurately assess where the women are spiritually. It can be a very pastoral role.