Can anyone please help me with some gracious ideas on how to handle those who want to sell their home business products, i.e. Pampered Chef, Avon, Tupperware, Arbonne, and even political opportunities at a Bible study? I have been facilitating 2 studies for 6 years and all of a sudden this is becoming a huge issue. Others are becoming offended by this and coming to me to solve this. I don't want to offend anyone in this situation. Help!

Nancy,

I had this issue when I led Bible study with a beauty consultant for a newer cosmetic company to our area and church body.

May I suggest that after you have worn out your knees praying for the words.. you might perhaps have a coffee date with your entrepenuer members and set out some guidelines that remind them the purpose of Bible study is to focus on God's Word and His presence. That you understand their need and desire to network with others, but you also need to be sure you respect the time and commitment of those who are feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of being solicited when they attend the study. In the future you may want to include a "no solicitation" policy for your Bible study groups in your guidelines.

Perhaps you could offer to host an "EXPO" at a luncheon where these women can set up displays about their services and products allowing women who are interested to seek them out. Perhaps you could even get other women's ministry leaders involved and open it up to more than your group. You can advertise the EXPO and let women know there will be an opportunity to peruse the products and services of Christian women in your fellowship of believers. Then, the entrepenuers can have give aways or sign up sheets where the women who are interested in their services volunteer their information for contact.

Our church hosts an annual women's conference and sets aside a room and time for "Expo" shopping where local entrepenuers can come in and "peddle their wares" in a voluntary environment. These businesses also are the ones who contribute "door prizes" for the conference that are given away throughout the event. It is a great way to promote Christian business owners and their businesses without "Hard Sell" solicitation tactics in a ministry environment.

I believe having clearly defined guidelines and requiring everyone to observe them is a good place to start.

I hope this helps, I will be praying for you.

Blessings.

Michelle...thank you for some great wisdom on this subject. The first think of course is prayer, but your note about guidelines is terrific. I have no professional training on facilitating a women's Bible study, just started in my home and was urged to begin one in the church I attend. I do the Beth Moore studies and thought, "All I have to do is go and press the button on the video player and do the homework." Whew, was I wrong. But God has been huge and this has grown beyond my wildest imagination. I noticed you were from TX where I am sure the attendance not only in your churches but also in your women's ministry is more than I could even imagine. I live in the Berkshires of Massachusetts and am blessed to have 43 women sign up for Bible study. I started with 4. So guidelines? I was blessed to be able to push the button. I also would be blessed if someone else wanted to help with women's ministry. I also do a women's breakfast at the church every other month from September to April. Attendance usually averages about 30. For this area, I'm thrilled. I will work on those guidelines.

Be blessed.

Nancy,

Let me just say that we got into women's minsitry about the same way. Bible study at home and then asked to do it at church... Three weeks later I was leading 12 women in Beth Moore studies. By the time we were called to move forward to another church, we had 20-25 women who were regular women's ministry attenders. (Our church was in a small rural community in North Central Texas.) I was scrambling with 8-12 members, but when we got up around 20 for the third study... I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it. By the time we did the last study in the Spring of 'O7 I was thouroughly elated with what God did. I

I had a ministry covenant... if I can find it in my documents I will send it along to you... that each woman who attended the study signed and I kept a copy of it. I told them these were not binding contract issues, simply a set of guidelines that we would work hard to honor.

I also developed a ministry plan with focused ministry points to grow and develop women's ministry and grow up leaders in that ministry. During the year I developed the ministry plan, my son began to have lots of problems and God really grew my faith during that time. Ultimately my son's choices would leave him in a coma for 8 days before his injuries claimed his life. That was in Aug of 2005 when we began our sixth Bible study. It was amazing to see these women I had been leading step up and take over the ministry I had been administrating and overseeing for two years. It blesses me so looking back. With 40 or more women - do you have additional facilitators who lead discussion. It was difficult to manage discussion in a group fo 20... I can't imagine double the gab.

You definitely need to get some help. Ask for Apprentices - women who may not be interested in leading women's ministry in particular... but wouldn't mind filling in for you occasionally and facilitating discussion groups. Pray for God to show you those members with leadership, teaching or people skills and then pray for them to step into those roles. I had our women do spiritual gifts one time. Also if you do sign up sheets for volunteer positions you might be surprised about how the women take ownership of the ministry and assume responsibility for what happens there.

My problem was before my son died, I held the reigns so tightly, no one else could get beside me. But, the truth be told I needed to see how God wanted to use the other women. I can send you my ministry plan and notes as well. It helped me to really develop vision. You can perhaps use it as a spring board as you pray for direction in how to manage a women's ministry of your size. It is actually a very good number of women - more than good.

Our old church had a membership of around 200 - the new church - 13,000. As you can imagine it is a huge difference. I am in one of approximately 200 small group Bible studies and truthfully - there are 20 women in it. Imagine what that looks like and we are adding more groups next semester.

Our women's ministry hosted a three day conference in March and I was a volunteer in charge of one small area - Gift Preparation (as in gifts distributed throughout the event). We prepped 6,000 gifts and distributed 8,000-9,000 at the event. The total attendance for the event was 1,697 women and I just learned they are planning to host the event at two campuses next year. We registered 400 for next years conference the last day of the event this year! So... you do need to garner help, especially if you have grown exponentially since the time you started some years ago. Having a plan helps keep the ministry going and you don't burn out or stall out from being too big to manage. I am praying for you. The largest event I ever held had an attendance just around 40 people and it was a one day conference event with break out sessions. We had another planned the year my son died, but that obviously got postponed and then undone in the time after - no one was prepared to take on what I had already done there.

Anyway... I am praying for wisdom and direction and for God to direct your words and your path as you seek to resolve such issues of large groups.

Blessings.

Michelle: Both of these posts are extremely helpful. Thank you so much. Any further info would be very much appreciated. The fourty three ladies are two groups, one group of 12 at my home and the rest at the church I attend. Both of these and the Women's Breakfast is an outreach to the community. Therfore a wide variety of denominations. You are right about a group of over twenty can be difficult to manage alone. My church has grown this past year to about 320 attenders. I have been praying that I would not be the only one who felt that women's ministry is important. My pastor is very supportive of course. However, it is extremely difficult to get other women to make even a short commitment. I am really praying that God would place a calling on more ladies in the church to help. It would be great to get a committee of dedicated ladies. I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. I know that given my abilites and training in this it is DEFINATELY A WORK OF GOD!!! GLORY TO HIS NAME!!!

I can't thank you enough for this helpful information. It is definately an answer to prayer. Again, I would be very grateful for anything you feel would be beneficial for His glory and honor in this area. I want to be a good steward of this ministry to His daughters. I It is an awesome responsibility.

Blessings to you special friend.
Nancy G.

Nancy,

If you feel comfortable, please email me - my email is in my profile. I will then do a search and send you the documents that I think would be helpful.

Perhaps you could start with something small. Make a sign up sheet for women to bring snacks - ask one person to make sure everyone knows about the sign up sheet, and ask for one volunteer to come early to help you set up. Ask for someone who will hand out name tags and maybe someone who is fairly social to be a greeter. Let them know you need this type of help to make the ministry better. Also, look for people who are "influencers." Who are the women the others seem to be drawn to - who are the ones that share the deeper insights in discussion... etc. Start asking God to spotlight those women in your meetings and then you encourage them with your words - send them notes and make them feel valued. Acknowledge in writing the gifts that would make them a good leader and find one person to partner and agree with you in prayer (someone in your church circle) for God to raise up leaders among your women.

You will be amazed at what happens. That is exactly how it happened for me.

I'll be praying and be in touch. Blessings.

This happened when I was in BSF. Had one lady actually follow me to my car trying to sell me a bunch of stuff. I had the head teacher announce that it just has to be done on your own time, and not on the premises.
I guess with a more intimate group, you need a more intimate announcement.
I am self employed and I never liked talking about my business at church or Bible study, so I simply handed a card to the person if and only if they asked.

Thanks so much for responding Emmab2002. I understand how women are trying to help their families by trying to work and yet stay at home. It is not easy. I was a single mom with 7 children. However, we neeed to be sensitive that we are all struggling in these economic times. And others feel uncomfortable when it comes up at every Bible study.
It is not easy to find a way to not offend a sister in Christ at times.
Blessings

I would have to send out a "Newsletter" or maybe write a note to all of the ladies in the class. Try to be very careful not to call anyone out by name. Scripture shows that Jesus became righteously angry about those who used the temple for things other than what God intended it to be used for (money changers). You have every right to set a boundary in your class about this issue. But do it with humility and love.

You could have a meeting with the one's who are self-employed and try to find out how you can support them in a way that lets them know you are caring towards them but stress that the classroom is not the place for finding business. Maybe a new ministry will surface from this opportunity that you hadn't considered before.

Many blessings to you!