START A MOM MINISTRY FOR YOUR CHURCH

"Proverbs [11:25] talks about how those who are refreshed, refresh others. The whole church feels the impact of a refreshed mother. She’s able to have the strength to lead her home with a little more endurance and perseverance. And you see it on all levels in your church—serving, small groups, attendance, discipleship. When a mom’s poured into, there’s a legacy that’s built onto it. So, you may not even see it right now in your churches or when you have this Moms’ Night or this Women’s Night. But what’s happening is this generational blessing that, 10 years down the road—because mom was taken care of—her sons and her daughters are big parts of the church, building the Church."

"My advice to other pastors is first, investigate a church-based, Christ-centered program for moms. Second, make sure that your women’s ministry understands and addresses the needs of women and mothers. Third, have women on your worship planning teams. Our creative pastor is a woman. It’s never, “What would a man say?” or, “What would a woman say?” She brings wisdom and insight Also, figure out women’s programming that simply says to a woman, “We know you’re here; we see you. We may not understand everything about you, but we want to try to meet needs that are in your life.” Lastly, you have to ask. Sixty percent of our staff are women, many of them mothers. At our all-staff meeting, we probably have 30 women in there, and 10 of them have “pastor” with their name. So, we’re always getting that needed perspective."

"Pastors should take our cues from Jesus. Though we are committed to giving ourselves for the service of many, may we not neglect our own mothers. It is from our heart for our own mothers that a sincere love and compassion for all mothers grows. It’s no wonder then that Paul told Timothy to treat older women as he would his own mother (1 Timothy 5:1–3). In a practical sense, I think churches should have a tangible way to reach out to mothers who have recently given birth. When mothers are on maternity leave from worship, our churches should intentionally nurture them through prayers, relational support and gifts of love. Also, our churches should allow mothers to give voice to motherhood."