The management has been rearranging the workspace at my office the past couple of weeks, knocking down walls and erecting them in more efficient configurations and shifting my coworkers and me around, as well.

I’ve been moved into my own office after five years spent sharing a large room with never fewer than four others.

Although I am doing the same work as before, the new desk and configuration of my work area has been disorienting.  After a week, I still sometimes find myself pausing to think about what I’m doing and what comes next when previously I completed the tasks almost as though I were on auto-pilot.

Surprisingly, being forced to concentrate on each step of some of my tasks has created  opportunities to improve my work flow. Seeing my job from a fresh perspective has been a blessing.  Initially I was hampered and a little confused, but eventually I began to work more efficiently than before the change.

I’m thinking that the same may be true of our women’s ministry, especially for the local groups.

Some of us have become complacent, even stagnant, by becoming overly comfortable and predictable in our methods and practices.

When every meeting or function follows the same pattern it begins to lack freshness and appeal.

Perhaps if we switch things around we will begin to see our ministries from a new perspective that will allow us to discover where they can be improved.

Some of our routines might even be abandoned entirely, making way for something more relevant to our women today.

I challenge any women’s ministry leaders who might be reading this to shake things up, make a few changes just for the sake of change, and see what a new point of view will do for you and your group. 

Start small if you are timid. You might just change the location of your meeting or rearrange the room. Conduct your meeting in a different order than usual, or have your women swap roles for the event or meeting.

If you are bolder you might try a completely new format: if you are used to holding evening meetings, gather on Sunday afternoon; if your group usually has a formal business meeting, try an informal discussion over coffee…you might even meet at Starbucks!

Let your imagination and your fun side have free reign. If one change is unpopular, give it a rest for a month or two, then try something else. If your women know you are simply “trying it on for size” and that each particular change isn’t meant to be permanent, you may avoid resistance from the more traditional women.

You might even hold a little competition, allowing different women in the group to plan the next “shake up” and then vote on your favorites.

See how these little changes can give you and your women eyes to see your ministry from a new angle. Then you will be free to explore all the possibilities you never considered.

How exciting!