Planning women's events is hard work. There are (seemingly) endless decisions to weigh concerning a goal, theme, agenda, speaker, and venue—to name a few! The process is just beginning when it seems like you're bombarded with managing a multitude of volunteers, facilitating innumerable meetings, and handling infinite details—which can leave coordinators bone-weary and brain-dead.
You might ask, "Is it really worth it?"
Oh yes, it's worth it when . . . the undeniable presence of the Lord shows up and women meet with Jesus.
And yet the slickest event planning doesn't promise the purposes of God will prevail when women gather for a concentrated, set apart time—but prayer does (Ps. 57:2). Planning + prayer invites God to do what we're humanly unable to accomplish despite our best event coordination.
Prayer is the work that ensures all ministry is worth it.
Let's learn from three churches in North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan who are fully accessing the power of prayer to execute Holy Spirit-saturated women's gatherings. Here are their suggestions:
Prayer Leading Up to the Event
- Establish a prayer coordinator to recruit a prayer team.
- The prayer team meets regularly to intercede for the planning committee, event decisions, and details. A prayer team member can be paired with a planning committee member to personally undergird them with prayer throughout the process.
- Bring together all the leaders and volunteers for a special time of seeking the Lord one month before the event is held.
- As soon as women register for the event, begin praying for them by name.
- Saturate your key speakers and worship leader in prayer. Schedule a time for your team to pray with them, even if by phone, to align your hearts for the mission. (Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth leads multiple prayer conference calls with the speaker team of our national women's events.)
- Don't wait for your speakers to ask for prayer; seek specific requests from each one as you faithfully intercede for her message preparation, health, and family. One popular speaker asks the event coordinators to fast with her in preparation.
- To prepare the women to hear from God at the event, distribute a heart preparation guide in advance. Here's a 21-Day Heart Preparation from Revive Our Hearts to use or adapt.
- Conduct a prayer walk at the event location on the day of the event or the day before. During the walk, pray over each seat and attendee by name.
Prayer During the Event
- Recruit volunteers to pray during the event. This role can be filled by men or by women who are unable to attend. "Senior" women are often eager to participate as intercessors. Assign time blocks so every hour is covered, and provide them with a list of prayer prompts. Afterward, be sure to convey how God worked through their prayers.
- Arrive early to allow time for the team to pray over the speakers and to ask God to move powerfully to display His purposes and glory through the event. Some women's ministries invite a pastor to lead this prayer time and then later welcome and pray over the women as the day kicks off.
- Have a designated prayer room where an attendee can slip away to be alone with God or to ask for prayer from a prayer team member. Set a peaceful, private environment (with tissues!).
- Include a prayer basket or box where women can place personal prayer requests. During breaks, the prayer team can pray over them. Provide a space on the request cards for women to indicate their contact information and whether they'd like someone to follow up after the event.
- At the beginning of each session, enlist a different volunteer to pray for the speaker and her topic.
- Incorporate into your agenda a time for corporate prayer or praying in small groups.
- Overnight retreats can include a guided personal devotional time. Some ministries like to incorporate the discipline of solitude and silence.
Prayer When the Event Is Over
- Circle up the team for a time of thanksgiving. Ask God to continue to bring fruit from the work He began in women's hearts. Pray for protection over the team members and speakers as they battle enemy attack and fatigue in the days ahead.
- Distribute the personal prayer requests among the planning committee and prayer team with a reminder that the requests are to be held in strict confidence. If requests are private or sensitive, consider leaving off the name or specific details. Agree to pray for a set period of time following the event.
A Unique Method to Pray for Event Speakers
One women's ministry has a tradition of selecting a special bracelet to give their speaker, which they call a "prayclet." In the months leading up to the event, the prayclet is rotated among the planning committee. For one week, the member prays daily for the speaker using the bracelet as her reminder. She then passes it to the next team member. The prayclet is presented to the speaker at a special meal before the event starts.
When a women's event isn't wholly bathed in prayer, the outcome will never be what it could have been. Why waste the hard work you've invested when you can experience the supernatural power and presence of God in your midst through prayer?
We're sending a shout-out to Providence Baptist (Raleigh, NC), The Church of The Apostles (Atlanta, GA) and Grace Community Church (Hudsonville, MI) for contributing to this article.