This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at 10:30 pm and is filed under Articles. This entry has been tagged Candy Tolbert, Charles Crabtree, Gay Wall, Girls Ministries, Missionettes, Pentecostal Evangel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
There have been many rumors going around, many of which are absolutely false, concerning the Missionettes ministry in result to a change that was made on March 15, 2007, at the national Misssionettes conference in Springfield, MO. There has already been one post on the Waco Section Royal Rangers blog (Name Change to Broaden Missionettes Ministry to Girls on March 16, 2007) that dealt with the name change, but with a recent article in the Assemblies of God publication Today’s Pentecostal Evangel (TPE) the discusses this name change and how the leaders of this great ministry feel that this is a good change, I felt that a second post was appropriate. The article is located on pages 10-11 of the Mother’s Day May 13, 2007, edition of TPE. The article was written by Christina Quick. The article can be read online at the TPE web site.
In the article, Candy Tolbert, National Girls Ministries director is quoted as saying, “As with the rest of the world, our church culture is undergoing quantum changes. These emerging trends, issues and needs are making a tremendous impact on girls ministries as we know it, and if we are to remain relevant, we must also be willing to adjust to the times.” The article goes on to discuss plans that are already under way to “help parents and leaders address contemporary issues. NGM also plans to place a greater emphasis on ministry to teen girls and offer a new optional line of curriculum that is not award-based.” It should be noted that this name change does not necessitate the need to purchase new curriculum. The names of the individual clubs have remained the same: Rainbows, Daisies, Prims, Stars, Friends, and Girls Only.
“The optional line of curriculum being developed will offer an alternative for clubs that choose not to pursue traditional award tracks.” The article includes a quote from Gay Wall, Georgia District children’s ministries directory where she welcomes the change. “Some girls are very competitive and want the awards. Others just want to be a part of something and enjoy the fellowship. However we reach them, our intention is to get God’s Word in their hearts. That’s where our focus needs to be.” This changing of approach is in “response to declining church participation in Missionettes as well as cultural issues affecting today’s girls.” The supplemental material that is being developed will help parents and teachers “navigate some of the issues that are new to today’s generation.” Friends and Girls Only, the program for teens, are under a separate heading called Teen Girl Ministries. This move is for “developing more targeted material for adolescents and the specific issues they face.” “[Gay] Wall says the Georgia District already has started placing a greater emphasis on teen girls, many of whom have abandoned Missionettes in recent years. The district recently appointed consultants specifically for Friends and Girls Only…We’re seeing girls on medication … Many of these kids just need to feel wanted. The church needs to be ready to respond.”
The assistant general superintendent of the A/G, Charles Crabtree, says that he believes that NGM “is heading in the right direction with these changes. ‘I see Missionettes as moving from den mothers to care providers,’ Crabtree says. ‘The needs are so cast that unless we have broader designations of ministry, we are going to miss some of these girls.’” More information about the NGM can be found on the NGM web site.
I believe that these changes that are taking place at the national level are steps in the right direction, and that we are going to see great things coming from the NGM. The leaders of the NGM are in tune with the changes that are happening culturally and within the church, and they are looking outside of the box on ways that they can attract and keep girls so that they can impart the same spiritual truths while still being culturally relevant. The Royal Rangers stand behind the National Girls Ministries and the changes that they are taking. The staff here on the sectional level are excited about what these changes can mean for the churches here in our section and how the NGM can reach out to the girls here in the Waco Section and help reach them for Christ.
David Trower
Sectional Web and Publications Coordinator