- Build a Leadership Team & Strategy -
Just a few women with passion for international women's ministry, exercising their gifts strategically,
can build an effective outreach.
Use the International Women's Connection manual as a tool for developing ― and sustaining ― your IWC.
can build an effective outreach.
Use the International Women's Connection manual as a tool for developing ― and sustaining ― your IWC.
The key to a successful, sustainable IWC is relationship – not just when connecting with international women, but also when building your leadership team! With relationship as the basis of the leadership team, many will take responsibility for making ministry happen; it will not rest on the shoulders of only one or two people.
Jesus, our Master and Leader, the One we desire to emulate, used a strategy of building into the lives of twelve men to have lasting impact. For IWC, the numbers don’t matter so much as the principle of building into lives to nurture leadership.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit will work separately, but simultaneously, on the hearts of several women to bring forth a desire to reach out to international women in a coordinated fashion, and then He will bring them all together. God seems so in the mix when this type of synergy happens!
In other cases, those already involved in a women’s ministry of a specific church can form the core IWC leadership team. These women, if committed to IWC, can then come alongside others to help them understand that reaching out to international women – many with little or no Christian exposure – is a vital part of their own spiritual growth.
Still, in other instances, the Lord plants the seed to develop an IWC in the heart of one person, who then needs to pray, seek out, and ask others to join.
Whichever the case, it’s worthwhile to view this group of leadership women as a covenant group. This means the members commit to meet regularly, either face-to-face or virtually, or both. They also commit to pray for one another's needs, to encourage each other, as well as, to work together on behalf of international women.
If a true sense of love, concern, and commitment is shared among the members of the leadership team, it will be a huge witness to the international women whom the group is seeking to reach.
Aim to discern and cultivate the gifts of each team member while always seeking to strengthen the entire team. Celebrate victories and pray over trials together. By focusing on relationship first, followed by (but not avoiding) programming and delegating tasks, involvement on this team will end up being a true blessing and joy. Many will not want to leave!
When women join the leadership team, encourage their commitment for a set period of time, usually at least one school year. But also give them the option to “step off” the team if it becomes too much, ideally at specific times. (Summer session can often be a good time for this.) Challenge each member to pray about and invite another woman among her circle of friends onto the team during her second or third year of service, one that will overlap and replace her as she rotates off the team for a season.
A great deal more is written about IWC leadership and strategy in our manual. Check it out!
Jesus, our Master and Leader, the One we desire to emulate, used a strategy of building into the lives of twelve men to have lasting impact. For IWC, the numbers don’t matter so much as the principle of building into lives to nurture leadership.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit will work separately, but simultaneously, on the hearts of several women to bring forth a desire to reach out to international women in a coordinated fashion, and then He will bring them all together. God seems so in the mix when this type of synergy happens!
In other cases, those already involved in a women’s ministry of a specific church can form the core IWC leadership team. These women, if committed to IWC, can then come alongside others to help them understand that reaching out to international women – many with little or no Christian exposure – is a vital part of their own spiritual growth.
Still, in other instances, the Lord plants the seed to develop an IWC in the heart of one person, who then needs to pray, seek out, and ask others to join.
Whichever the case, it’s worthwhile to view this group of leadership women as a covenant group. This means the members commit to meet regularly, either face-to-face or virtually, or both. They also commit to pray for one another's needs, to encourage each other, as well as, to work together on behalf of international women.
If a true sense of love, concern, and commitment is shared among the members of the leadership team, it will be a huge witness to the international women whom the group is seeking to reach.
Aim to discern and cultivate the gifts of each team member while always seeking to strengthen the entire team. Celebrate victories and pray over trials together. By focusing on relationship first, followed by (but not avoiding) programming and delegating tasks, involvement on this team will end up being a true blessing and joy. Many will not want to leave!
When women join the leadership team, encourage their commitment for a set period of time, usually at least one school year. But also give them the option to “step off” the team if it becomes too much, ideally at specific times. (Summer session can often be a good time for this.) Challenge each member to pray about and invite another woman among her circle of friends onto the team during her second or third year of service, one that will overlap and replace her as she rotates off the team for a season.
A great deal more is written about IWC leadership and strategy in our manual. Check it out!
- Get ISI Resources for Evangelizing & Discipleship -
With over 60 years experience in direct ministry to internationals, International Students, Inc. (ISI)
has developed an extensive line of materials for your understanding and effective ministry.
has developed an extensive line of materials for your understanding and effective ministry.
ISI has many great resources for sharing your faith. You will find some free resources here. You will find a way to obtain resources for purchase here. For training options, check here.
You will find these helpful as you have the opportunity to share spiritual truths with your friend.
Keep in mind these two points:
You will find these helpful as you have the opportunity to share spiritual truths with your friend.
Keep in mind these two points:
- Your relationship has several stages to it. Take a look at the downloadable PDF, Stages of Relationship with Your International Friend.
- God is at work. See if you can discern where you friend is in her spiritual walk by looking at the Spiritual Stages Scale, which is available for download. Realize that she will have a process which she will need to go through to understand the truth of the Scriptures. Be patient and rely on the Lord. It’s God’s job, not yours, to reveal Himself to hear and draw her to Himself. Your responsibility is to be faithful in planting the seed and sharing unconditional love.
- Listen to Archived Conference Calls -
From time to time, ISI offers conference calls on various aspects of IWC ministry.
Listen to archived copies of some of these here and let us know if you'd like to be notified about future calls.
Listen to archived copies of some of these here and let us know if you'd like to be notified about future calls.
Our conference calls are provided to those interested in IWC as an opportunity to share ideas, learn what works and what doesn't, and to encourage one another in this awesome opportunity.
Below are some downloadable mp3 files for you to listen to so you can glean from others who are involved in ministering to international women.
Starting an IWC (mp3, 22.2 MB)
Challenges/Questions About Starting an IWC (mp3, 20.8 MB)
Conversational English Outreach (mp3, 15.0 MB)
What's Working; Marriage, Dating, Parenting, & Divorce (mp3, 20.5 MB)
Roadmap for Starting an IWC Ministry (doc)
Would you like to be contacted when these calls take place? If so, see the Contact Us feature to let us know your interest!
Below are some downloadable mp3 files for you to listen to so you can glean from others who are involved in ministering to international women.
Starting an IWC (mp3, 22.2 MB)
- Hear from women who have successfully started IWCs in their cities and get tips on what has worked for them.
Challenges/Questions About Starting an IWC (mp3, 20.8 MB)
- Participants share some of the challenges they have faced with developing an IWC or ministry with international women.
Conversational English Outreach (mp3, 15.0 MB)
- Those with experience leading IWCs discuss ideas about how to use Conversational English effectively as an outreach tool.
What's Working; Marriage, Dating, Parenting, & Divorce (mp3, 20.5 MB)
- Gain ideas from others for successful outreach ideas as well as dealing with marriage issues of international women.
Roadmap for Starting an IWC Ministry (doc)
Would you like to be contacted when these calls take place? If so, see the Contact Us feature to let us know your interest!
- Encourage Returnees -
Women need encouragement as they reenter their home cultures, and they appreciate your continued friendship.
Here are some ideas to help you keep in touch...
Here are some ideas to help you keep in touch...
The best way you can encourage returnee international women with whom you’ve developed relationships is to keep in touch. The fact that you remember them and care enough to reach out to them will encourage them a great deal.
Here are the most common ways to keep in touch:
Here are some ideas to consider:
Here are the most common ways to keep in touch:
- Facebook (increasingly useful)
- Other Social Networks (WeChat, WhatsApp etc.)
- Skype or other internet phone services
- Traditional card or letter
- Visit
Here are some ideas to consider:
- When a woman returns home, discuss who on your leadership team is the natural primary contact. Of course, this doesn’t exclude others from communicating with her, but rather, guarantees that one person will be most responsible. That way, few international women returnees will get overlooked.
- Keep a list of names of returnee women to contact on a monthly or bimonthly basis, and do it! Whenever possible, keep notes of what you hear back from them. Share this info with others in your leadership group through an email group or other means.
- Usually frequency is better than length, but contact should not be limited to shallow exchanges. Make your messages count in terms of sincerity, but realize you don’t need to ask or know everything.
- Send pictures (or links to your photos) and update them on your life, too. They will be particularly interested if you have younger children; International women like to hear about and see pictures of how your children have grown.
- Start a group on Facebook for returnee women who have been involved in the IWC in your city. This would be more of a “meet up” site for them, although someone on your leadership team should monitor it and add comments once in a while.
- As your friendships develop with women from a particular part of the world, you might consider visiting them in their part of the world. While sometimes expensive, doing so will communicate your love and commitment to the friendship in a new and powerful way.
Contact Us
|
