International (MNN) – Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, Global Disciples’ Wendy Nagle explains that women are often a difficult group to connect with when it comes to the Gospel message.
“[Women] may be in household, not out in the marketplace, and we’re looking for unique ways that we can connect with them,” she says. However, through Global Disciples’ ministry, these women are becoming easier to reach. Global Disciples is an organization that mobilizes local churches among the least reached people groups all over the world. Their programs help churches thrive and multiply.
Reach the women, reach a community
(Photo courtesy of Global Disciples)
“We have facilitators who work for Global Disciples in their own countries, and those facilitators partner with the program directors that lead church programs throughout more than 57 countries,” Nagle explains. “Those program directors work inside their church to do trainings.”
These trainings include programs in discipleship, small business development, and leadership. This proven approach enables local churches to flourish and grow. The discipleship training in particular helps equip congregation members to effectively share the Gospel with their family, friends, and community. “Many of those trainings will include the ladies [in the] church,” Nagle says.
She explains this is key to reaching other women in the community. “What we’re hearing more and more is women ministering to women is the perfect outreach strategy for them. Whether they’re ministering in the homes of family members, going to visit relatives, or in some cases domestic workers who are living in households, they’re being effective in reaching the people right inside their four walls.”
Creative collaboration
The collaborative aspect of the trainings encourages the women in them to think critically about how they can best reach people in their own lives. “These ladies have gotten creative,” Nagle says. “[They] are finding new ways to begin conversations with each other. Last week, we got a notification [about] a group of young women all meeting together for their training, looking at how they could engage in their neighborhood and encourage their families as well.”
(Photo courtesy of Global Disciples)
Most importantly, the women who attend these trainings learn how to articulate the transformative message of salvation and through faith in Jesus. “As these ladies go through the training, they’re learning strategies of multiplication and discipleship, and they’re taking those strategies into the household,” Nagle explains.
“[They’re] sharing the importance of the Good News of Jesus and intimacy with the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of prayer, and what the Word can mean. In many of these cases, they’re introducing [the Gospel] to women who never have had the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus before.”
Why the message connects
Nagle explains the Gospel message connects with many women because of the hope it offers. “Those messages of healing and forgiveness and love are powerful messages for many of these women who live in areas that are struggling to understand how they can be truly loved and accepted for who they are.”
Another important facet of Global Disciples’ ministry is an initiative called Graceful Women of Global. “We look at it as the possibility of connecting women to women, and in our case resourcing generous women to pray, share, and give to reach the world’s least reached,” Nagle says.
To support the Graceful Women of Global initiative, Nagle encourages readers to pray for their sisters in Christ around the world, visit the website to give financially, and read the stories Global Disciples features online about the amazing work God is doing through these women.
Headline photo courtesy Global Disciples https://bhphoto.pl/IS/sri_lanka_380.jpg
