What does a woman want? That question has been asked, with varying degrees of exasperation, over the ages.

Glancing at women’s magazines while waiting for an appointment with my doctor I noticed the common themes proclaimed on each cover. I surmised that these publications had done lots of research to determine the types of stories most likely to cause a woman to become curious and want to buy the magazine. That would mean that these topics piqued the interest of most women all across the country.  As a women’s ministry we can take advantage of all this expensive research, especially where our services match the common needs.

The three common topics on the magazines I saw at the doctor’s office (and these same themes are dominant in the magazines in my own home, as well) were health (including weight management), financial security, and happiness.

How do our ministry’s resources address those themes?

The Bible speaks to these issues, of course, as does the Christian lifestyle. But how does our ministry and its resources address these issues specifically and in a way that speaks to women or in a way that is not being covered in the secular media?  And, equally important, how are we getting those high-interest programs and resources into the hands of women who need them?

Knowing what women want isn’t so hard, after all. Modern marketing research has solved that problem. Letting women know that we have what they want is the tricky part.

Looking inside the magazines I found that without exception each article included personal stories as illustrations. Women want to hear how other women struggle in these areas and have achieved some success. From that I deduce that what a woman wants is to hear her sister’s testimony.