Ministering to Moms
The most recent research from Barna & OneHope is proving to affirm what we have known for years. The work of motherhood in faith formation matters. For many years is was common for faith formation to lean solely on the involvement or lack of involvement of the dad, and that is still important, but we are beginning to see that moms matter.
We have limited ministry to moms to “moms night out” or pinterest themed craft nights. While I do love a good margarita moms night, I think the church was do better. If Gen A is twice as likely to go to their moms for faith questions than their dad, how are we equipping the moms in our churches to answer hard questions, to foster a life-long faith, and own their own walk with Jesus?
To be honest, there are SO many ways the church can do this and sometimes people have REALLY high expectations that simply cannot be met. This is not an exhaustive list of ideas, this is just a starting point.
RESOURCES
Risen Motherhood Emily Jenson & Laura Wifler
Missional Motherhood Gloria Furman
Mama Bear Apologetics Hillary Morgan Ferrer
Life Your Eyes by Whitney Newby
The Worry Free Parent by Sissy Goff
The Gospel Mom by Emily Jenson & Laura Wifler
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
Fresh Mercies: Postpartum Scripture Guide by Amy Gannett
Made New Study by Amy Gannett
Titus: Displaying the Gospel of Grace by Courtney Doctor & Hunter Beless
Genesis by Jen Wilkin (part 1&2) *our church just finished this and it was amazing!
EVENT IDEAS
New Moms Class: Gather new moms (one year postpartum or less) for a 6-week class. In this class you can cover everything from finding new rhythms, depending on God’s strength, building a community of moms, keeping marriage at the center, or self-care. Create space for not just the new moms to gather together, but the new dads. You can even build a new home group or small group out of this new class. Creating space for new moms communicates that the church sees new moms and wants to come alongside new moms in one of the most vulnerable seasons.
Host a Women’s Bible Study: Gathering moms together is so special, but there is nothing better than sitting across the table with women who are seasons ahead or in totally different seasons in general. There is so much wisdom to share and so much wisdom to glean. Studying God’s Word with women is encouraging and empowering and if we want to disciple the next generation, let’s start by discipling the moms. That means helping them read and understand God’s Word!
Quarterly Mom Meet-ups: If you are looking for something small but still impactful, consider hosting quarterly mom meetups. Create an environment for moms to get to know each other, laugh a little, and learn something new. This is a perfect opportunity for the flower making night or the board game night, but don’t miss the chance to equip and encourage. Include a time of teaching over a meal or pick a theme like discipline through the lens of the Gospel or creating small moments of discipleship. Gather often, make it meaningful, and give space for moms to have fun.
Something to think about: childcare. I know, it is so hard to find childcare for the kids. Offer it as much as you can so that you can include single moms or moms that have husbands who travel for work.
RESEARCH
One Hope research on Gen A: https://onehope.net/global-outreach/research/
Barna + MomCo research: https://www.growthechurch.co/motherhood-today/