No matter your age, there is a younger woman in your church that God would have you mentor. 

I love encouraging women on this topic, and enjoyed leading a retreat on the subject.  Here’s one of the handouts.  Take a look at these simple tips to get started:

A Few Small Hints for a

Mentor

Do it.  Mentor. Be mentored. Set an example for others by mentoring.

Who will you mentor as a Christian woman? _______________________________________________________________________

Informal or informal. Make a plan.________________________________

First:

1      Be reverent in the way YOU live…

1      Not slanderers

1      Worthy of respect

      1    Teach what is good.

Then:   

Spend at least a few minutes together every week.

             Can only teach if you spend time. When? ___________________

             Listen carefully to her story.        

Use Titus 2:3-6 as a checklist guide after each meeting together: Encourage her…

1     To love her husband. Teach by example and encouragement

1     To love her children. Learn her children’s names. Be there when it counts.

1     To be self-controlled. Model self-control in difficult areas: Spending, eating, time management, priorities, temper, chocolate.

1     To be pure. Modesty. Motives. Priorities

1     To be busy at home. Not busybodies

1     To be kind

1     To be subject to her husband

Be approachable.

Speak well of her.

Introduce her to your friends.

Sit by her occasionally at church…

Remember the pig. (Proverbs 11:22)

Love her in spite of her imperfections.

Invite her to your home at least once.

Occasionally write a Scripture for her.

Help her discover and use her spiritual gifts.

Occasionally invite her out for coffee or lunch.

Recommend great Christian books you enjoy.

Include her in ministry with you when possible.

Set an example of joyful service in the church.

Put her birthday and anniversary on your calendar.

Pray for her daily. How can I pray for you? How has God been working in your life this week?

Always pray aloud for her. Bible study? Read same Christian book? Chats?

Set a great example for younger women in every area of life–body language, dress, attitude.

New published articles by Diana: 

Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist, September 08 issue

The Indiana Baptist - state convention magazine

Texas Baptist Crossroads magazine - article for Texas’ Baptist’s 10th anniversary

The Illinois Baptist, September issue

The Indiana Baptist, state convention magazine

B&H Publishing Group’s Book & Bible Update newsletter

Take a listen to this radio interview about Fresh Ideas for Women’s Ministry on CDR radio, by Chad Bresson.

There’s a fabulous book review on Amazon.com about the book, too!  You can link to it or read it pasted below:

Most Helpful Customer Reviews (on Amazon)

Among the BEST Resource of Its Kind - Inspirational, Purposeful, Impactful, September 4, 2008 By  L. MCDERMEIT (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews    I recently purchased several (>5) books on getting a women’s ministry started or going again… and of all the books I purchased, THIS ONE is the one that provided me with the most inspiration and ideas. It truly contains “fresh ideas” and “creative plans”! Using this book as my guide, I put together a five-month plan to radically upgrade our church’s women’s ministry, and presented that plan to our pastor. We’ve been a small congregation that started growing rapidly, so we need to take our current women’s ministry to the next level and grow with our congregation — their needs and our church’s ministry needs. I’m in the process of implementing that plan with our pastor and the church staff — all of whom were impressed with the concise, thorough plan. I told them that this book provided the inspiration, ideas, and templates. As I read through the book, so much of it resonated with me — so many of the ideas and tips gave voice and validation to my own hopes and plans for reviving our women’s ministry. The easy-to-follow examples and templates for surveys, leadership position descriptions/duties, classes, ministry opportunities, and more helped me to quickly put it all together. Throughout the book, the author emphasizes that women’s ministries need to be more than social clubs. To truly be a WOMEN’S MINISTRY, it needs to be about ME, US (church and community), and HIM. A well-balanced women’s ministry more than meets each woman’s need for fellowship, it helps to cement life-long friendships, diversity, teamwork, and most of all, purpose — taking our rightful place as the body of Christ to minister to one another, to our community, and to our world. And it’s not as difficult as it sounds! The author has laid out sound biblical principles, spiritual advice (pray! get your pastor’s buy-in immediately), and ideas on how to apply these ideas and plans to every church, whether building a new ministry or reviving an existing one — for any size church!

If you’ve never had the privilege of spending a couple of days at one of our six Southern Baptist Seminaries, you’ve missed a blessing!  God is working in a miraculous way in the lives of young men and women who are preparing for ministry at those campuses. 

Last year, my husband, Steve, spoke in chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth; his alma mater), at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest NC). As we traveled to each of them, I marvelled at the uniqueness of each one, and the quality and commitment of their faculty and students. 

We’ve also had the privilege of visiting at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (New Orleans) and Golden Gate Theological Seminary (San Francisco) in the past.

The only SBC seminary we’d never seen–until last week–was Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City MO.  The MBTS campus is beautifully situated on a hill overlooking Kansas City, and the students and faculty on that campus are amazing. It is obvious that God is at work there, and the atmosphere is charged with an enthusiasm about sharing Jesus. The school had invited several state executive directors for informational meetings about the school, and Steve was invited to share a word about Indiana Baptists during their chapel service. President Dr. Philip Roberts and his wife, Anya, were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed hearing their heart for preparing future Christian leaders.

If you’ve been following the path of Hurricane Gustav, you may know that New Orleans seminary was evacuated. Their preparation for such an event is extraordinary, however, and seminary classes continue via Internet until students return later this week.  God’s work must go on!  An email from Dr. Rhonda Kelley, President’s wife, says “Thank you very much for your prayers. We feel them. God has been faithful to protect us.” Check their website for updates, and keep on praying for NOBTS.

Our Cooperative Program dollars are well-invested in these six academic training institutions dedicated to teaching future ministers.

I also had the privilege of visiting the campus of the Cuba Baptist Seminary in Cuba this spring, where training has exploded off the campus. We heard personal testimonies of men who spent many years of their lives in prison because they were seminary students. I was on Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary’s campus last month to take a graduate class, and observed a beautiful campus with an enormous commitment to God. Steve and I were at Kiev Theological Seminary last year and were enthralled with our IMB missionaries teaching church planting to Ukrainian pastors. God is raising up many committed young people to vocational Christian ministry across our globe, and He is using seminaries across our world to train and inspire them for service to God.

Pray for our seminary leaders and students! Encourage them. I’ve pasted a chapter of ways to encourage seminarians from my book, Fresh Ideas-1000 Ways to Grow a Thriving and Energetic Church. (pasted below)

RECENT PUBLISHED ARTICLES:

“Fresh Ideas” articles were published this week in the Illinois Baptist and The Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Witness.

—–

SEMINARY STUDENTS

“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

God’s called them. We’ll encourage them. Need fresh ideas to lift up seminary students from your church?

Recognize Them

Encourage the church to faithfully pray for church members who are called to fulltime ministry by occasionally printing a list of seminary (more…)

It’s always an exciting day when Rick Warren uses a “Fresh Ideas” article on his website.  Don’t miss the current newsletter on Rick Warren’s website, Ministers Toolbox–they’ve used one of my articles. What a joy! 

Ministry Toolbox offers bimonthly newsletter of wisdom and tips to encourage ministers. The website subscription is free.  

We’re in Iowa for another day. Steve’s meeting with North Central States leadership and I’m going with friends to ride a water taxi on the Mississippi River tomorrow. What’s a water taxi????

Phil Miglioratti does a great blog that centers on prayer. He asked me to do an interview recently. Take a look:  IBSA Prayer Ministries

Just saw this recommendationfor my book, Fresh Ideas–1000 Ways to Grow a Thriving and Energetic Church, on a blog/website called MinistryLive. Take a peek.

http://ministrytools.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/ideas-for-church/

Love this quote: “Well, I am posting this book as a ministry tool, because I feel it is not only extremely practical for ministry within the local church, but also very creative. Full of, well….’fresh ideas’!”

Nice website, too!

Thanks, MinistryLive and Lindsey.

Links to a few recent articles:

The Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist 

LifeWay Pastors Today

The Indiana Baptist

South Carolina Baptist Courier

Let’s Worship Magazine

Deacon Magazine

I enjoyed leading a breakout class during the Southern Baptist Convention’s WMU Missions Celebration. The title was “Igniting a Missions Fire in Your Church” and we discussed simple ways to add missions into a women’s ministry program or church events.

One lady asked if I’d put part of the powerpoint presentation online, so, Amy, here it is!  Hope you can use it!  Find more ideas in my Fresh Ideas books…

 http://www.dianadavis.org/keeponshining/downloads/TipsForAddingMissionsToYourWomensMinistry.ppt

Pastors.Com is an amazing resource of encouragement and mentoring-type wisdom for pastors.

I’m truly honored when they use one of my Fresh Ideas columns! Take a look:

Pastors.Com