Church Connect Women are disengaging from church. 27% of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Church Connect

Women are disengaging from church. 27% of professional women are leaving the church. 38% of adult women have not been to church in the past 6 months. Why?  Difficult to find mentors and friends  Strengths, interests, and experience don ’t fit the typical volunteer opportunities  Schedule to connect is limited Julie Quin, Quitting Church: Why the Faithful are Fleeing and What to Do about It Barna, June 25, 2015

Contributing changes with women Changing Family Structures  Single women work, and are getting married later (includes divorcees and widowers)  Women are having children later – most likely spending the time before in the workplace  Increase in women working outside the home while they have children Other Factors  Competing priorities  Busyness  Lack of emotional support and engagement  Changes in belief Link to Barna Study in 2015 “Five Factors Changing Women’s Relationships with the Church”

Why is this critical for the church? Professional women are leaving the church because they feel isolated and underutilized … … and they are taking their families and tithing with them.

We need to move fast. “Without strong relational bonds within a church community, women’s absence from church can largely go unnoticed. This begs the question of where women are finding such support — and indicates a major opportunity for churches seeking to engage women in their community. ” - Barna, June 25, 2015 ● Equip leaders - Women in the workplace are often already leading at work and in their communities. It’s a strategic move to equip them to be leaders with gospel -centered lives. In doing so, you are equipping ambassadors for Christ. ● Be their answer - Women are communal by nature and will find ways to connect. Help them connect to other followers of Jesus by providing the place within, or sponsored by, your church. ● Win the right to be heard - Non believers are looking for community and appreciate the authentic discussion that tackles not just work, but also personal and spiritual lives. They will come for the leadership discussion, but may stay because they feel loved.

Women in the workplace Today:  Women earn 50% of professional degrees  51% of U.S. women were in the workforce in 2013  The above statistic has doubled in every age category since 1950

Mothers in the workplace  68% of women with children under 18 were in the workforce in 2015 (compared to 47% in 1975)  75% of these women work full time  Husband and wife are both employed in 47% of married-couple families  40% of U.S. mothers are primary breadwinners (compared to 11% in 1960)  37% are married mothers who out-earned husbands (average income $81,000) U.S. Census Bureau, released by Pew Research The White House Project Report, Benchmarking Women ’ s Leadership

Women in business  There are more than 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. – that ’ s 40% of all businesses!  These businesses employ nearly 8 million , contribute to 14% of U.S. employment, 30% of all privately held firms, and $1.4 trillion in 2014 sales. National Center for Education Statistics, NAWBO

4word mission & vision Our Mission: To connect, lead, and support women in the workplace to achieve their God-given potential. Our Vision: Women in the workplace will see their faith as their foundation, their relationships as their priority, and their work as the place where God has divinely gifted them to serve, so they may impact the world eternally.

4word pillars  4word: Digital Community  4word: Local Groups  4word: Mentor Program  4word: Church Connect

4word: Digital Community 4word produces and distributes a variety of content each week, including our Monday Blogs, Wednesday Interviews, and Friday Faves. 4word also has a robust presence on social media to help connect women to 4word content, resources, and each other. 4word’s digital community exists to support 4word’s goal of connecting and supporting professional Christian women who desire to be encouraged by other women living out their faith in the workplace.

4word: Local Groups Women are currently meeting in 4word local groups in more than 17 cities across the country. A Local Group connects professional Christian women at gatherings focused on growing authentic, life-changing relationships with each other and with God. These groups meet for monthly luncheons, morning coffees, and evening happy hour events to connect and encourage professional Christian women.

4word: Mentor Program Three times a year, the 4word Mentor Program matches women with mentors who connect in a minimum of six sessions over 10 weeks. 4word works to match younger and older women based on industry, interest, or stage of life and who share a faith in Christ and desire to honor Him in every area of their lives. 4word offers the only Christ-centered mentor program for Click to watch 4word: Mentor Program testimonials professional women.

Partnering with 4word 4word would be honored to partner with you in reaching professional women. We do not believe in a “one -size-fits- all” approach to ministry, and will work with your team to determine the resources that will most benefit your ministry and the women in your church. 4word partners with multiple churches through our Church Connect program and is in ongoing conversations with other church and ministry leaders about the best way to reach and support professional women.

Examples of 4word partnerships Austin Ridge Bible Church Austin Ridge Bible Church directs women to Austin’s 4word Local Group, led by members of the church. A page on the Austin Ridge website shares about the mission and vision of 4word and directs interested women to reach out and get involved in Austin’s 4word Local Group.

Examples of 4word partnerships Gateway Church Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas meets biweekly as a women ’ s small group to study 4word Founder & President Diane Paddison ’ s book Work, Love, Pray . Gateway ’ s program is just one example of how 4word can support with content and resources outside of an official Local Group!

Partnering with 4word Many women long for a mentor to walk with them through life’s many transitions, but few know where to go to find Christ-centered female mentors. 4word can work with your church or ministry to develop a Mentor Program within your community or connect women directly with 4word’s Mentor Program. In a 2011 LinkedIn study, two thirds of professional women between 45 and 66 said that they have not been mentored by women. More than half say they hadn’t had a mentor, because they had never encountered someone appropriate.

Partnering with 4word Above all, we aim to equip you to successfully reach and grow professional women in your church. The 4word Church Connect team would love to start a conversation about the challenges and opportunities you see reaching this demographic in Lori Berry Caitie Butler your own church or ministry and Director of Church Connect Church Connect Program Manager what resources we can offer to lori@4wordwomen.org caitie@4wordwomen.org support you.