Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women's Groups

Are you interested in connecting with other women who share your faith, interests, and everyday concerns?

A vibrant, self-sustaining women’s ministry will help you achieve this goal, can take many forms, and is a key component of any vital parish, says Elizabeth Tomlin, who for nearly a decade has launched and grown Catholic women’s ministries in the United States and abroad. In Joyful Momentum, Tomlin shows you how you also can start, expand, strengthen, or retool an existing women’s group or ministry in your own Catholic parish.

God can use even the most unlikely people to build up a successful women’s ministry, Elizabeth Tomlin says. “If someone had told college-aged me that I would someday lead a global women’s ministry, I would have said, ‘No way. I’m not smart enough. I don’t know enough. I’m too sinful. I’m not good enough.’” And yet, that is exactly what happened. Tomlin is a founding member of the Military Council of Catholic Women Worldwide, the women’s ministry organization of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA.

Whether you are interested in starting a spiritual book club or a group for moms with young children, retooling an existing ministry for moms who work outside their homes, or revitalizing a languishing prayer group or committee, you may feel underqualified and overwhelmed when first facing the challenges. Joyful Momentum provides the tools you need to get started, including “Momentum Builders” that will give you the confidence to do what needs to be done.

Tomlin shares her personal stories, spiritual insights, and practical tips to show how almost any group can create a spirited, sustainable outreach. With natural warmth, honesty, and self-deprecating humor, she makes a compelling case for the importance of women’s ministry in the life of a parish, and coaches you through all the details.

Used for personal formation or as a group study, this book conveys the important elements of women’s ministry—from a small book club to a larger undertaking that might include social media-based prayer supports, on-call childcare helpers, or multi-committee annual festivals or parishwide events.

This book will teach you:

  • why spiritual friendships and pastoral connections are essential to the success of any women’s ministry;
  • how to build a team dedicated to prayer, simple hospitality, faith-filled catechesis, humble service, and personal outreach; and
  • tips for handling trickier aspects of team leadership, such as conflict resolution and long-term transitional planning.

Each chapter offers practical advice and inspirational stories to help you discover how to cultivate Christ-centered friendships; discern a call to women’s ministry in yourself and others; invest in prayerful preparation, biblical hospitality, and faith formation; develop a leadership team; and create a mentoring plan that will sustain the group over time. 

1133895202
Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women's Groups

Are you interested in connecting with other women who share your faith, interests, and everyday concerns?

A vibrant, self-sustaining women’s ministry will help you achieve this goal, can take many forms, and is a key component of any vital parish, says Elizabeth Tomlin, who for nearly a decade has launched and grown Catholic women’s ministries in the United States and abroad. In Joyful Momentum, Tomlin shows you how you also can start, expand, strengthen, or retool an existing women’s group or ministry in your own Catholic parish.

God can use even the most unlikely people to build up a successful women’s ministry, Elizabeth Tomlin says. “If someone had told college-aged me that I would someday lead a global women’s ministry, I would have said, ‘No way. I’m not smart enough. I don’t know enough. I’m too sinful. I’m not good enough.’” And yet, that is exactly what happened. Tomlin is a founding member of the Military Council of Catholic Women Worldwide, the women’s ministry organization of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA.

Whether you are interested in starting a spiritual book club or a group for moms with young children, retooling an existing ministry for moms who work outside their homes, or revitalizing a languishing prayer group or committee, you may feel underqualified and overwhelmed when first facing the challenges. Joyful Momentum provides the tools you need to get started, including “Momentum Builders” that will give you the confidence to do what needs to be done.

Tomlin shares her personal stories, spiritual insights, and practical tips to show how almost any group can create a spirited, sustainable outreach. With natural warmth, honesty, and self-deprecating humor, she makes a compelling case for the importance of women’s ministry in the life of a parish, and coaches you through all the details.

Used for personal formation or as a group study, this book conveys the important elements of women’s ministry—from a small book club to a larger undertaking that might include social media-based prayer supports, on-call childcare helpers, or multi-committee annual festivals or parishwide events.

This book will teach you:

  • why spiritual friendships and pastoral connections are essential to the success of any women’s ministry;
  • how to build a team dedicated to prayer, simple hospitality, faith-filled catechesis, humble service, and personal outreach; and
  • tips for handling trickier aspects of team leadership, such as conflict resolution and long-term transitional planning.

Each chapter offers practical advice and inspirational stories to help you discover how to cultivate Christ-centered friendships; discern a call to women’s ministry in yourself and others; invest in prayerful preparation, biblical hospitality, and faith formation; develop a leadership team; and create a mentoring plan that will sustain the group over time. 

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Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women's Groups

Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women's Groups

by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women's Groups

Joyful Momentum: Growing and Sustaining Vibrant Women's Groups

by Elizabeth A. Tomlin

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Overview

Are you interested in connecting with other women who share your faith, interests, and everyday concerns?

A vibrant, self-sustaining women’s ministry will help you achieve this goal, can take many forms, and is a key component of any vital parish, says Elizabeth Tomlin, who for nearly a decade has launched and grown Catholic women’s ministries in the United States and abroad. In Joyful Momentum, Tomlin shows you how you also can start, expand, strengthen, or retool an existing women’s group or ministry in your own Catholic parish.

God can use even the most unlikely people to build up a successful women’s ministry, Elizabeth Tomlin says. “If someone had told college-aged me that I would someday lead a global women’s ministry, I would have said, ‘No way. I’m not smart enough. I don’t know enough. I’m too sinful. I’m not good enough.’” And yet, that is exactly what happened. Tomlin is a founding member of the Military Council of Catholic Women Worldwide, the women’s ministry organization of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA.

Whether you are interested in starting a spiritual book club or a group for moms with young children, retooling an existing ministry for moms who work outside their homes, or revitalizing a languishing prayer group or committee, you may feel underqualified and overwhelmed when first facing the challenges. Joyful Momentum provides the tools you need to get started, including “Momentum Builders” that will give you the confidence to do what needs to be done.

Tomlin shares her personal stories, spiritual insights, and practical tips to show how almost any group can create a spirited, sustainable outreach. With natural warmth, honesty, and self-deprecating humor, she makes a compelling case for the importance of women’s ministry in the life of a parish, and coaches you through all the details.

Used for personal formation or as a group study, this book conveys the important elements of women’s ministry—from a small book club to a larger undertaking that might include social media-based prayer supports, on-call childcare helpers, or multi-committee annual festivals or parishwide events.

This book will teach you:

  • why spiritual friendships and pastoral connections are essential to the success of any women’s ministry;
  • how to build a team dedicated to prayer, simple hospitality, faith-filled catechesis, humble service, and personal outreach; and
  • tips for handling trickier aspects of team leadership, such as conflict resolution and long-term transitional planning.

Each chapter offers practical advice and inspirational stories to help you discover how to cultivate Christ-centered friendships; discern a call to women’s ministry in yourself and others; invest in prayerful preparation, biblical hospitality, and faith formation; develop a leadership team; and create a mentoring plan that will sustain the group over time. 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781594719448
Publisher: Ave Maria Press
Publication date: 02/07/2020
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 192
Sales rank: 982,449
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

Elizabeth Tomlin is a Catholic author, general counsel for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and a catechist and director of stewardship for the Military Council of Catholic Women, where she also served as president, director of faith formation, and finance manager.

Tomlin earned her bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 2002 from the College of William and Mary and her juris doctor from the George Mason University School of Law in 2010. She is a member of the New York State Bar, Catholic Bar Association, John Carroll Society, Catholic Women of the Chapel, and the Military Spouse JD Network.

Tomlin is a regular contributor to Salute, the magazine of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, and TheWell, the newsletter of the Military Council of Catholic Women. She has twice been a speaker at the Mid-Atlantic Congress and occasionally writes for WINE: Women In the New Evangelization and CatholicMom.com.

She lives with her husband, Gregory, and their children in Washington.

Table of Contents

Introduction: They Shared All Things in Common xi

1 Foundational Relationships: The Favor of Spiritual Friendship 1

2 A Call within a Call: Discerning a Vocation to Women's Ministry 15

3 United in Hope: Cultivating Christian Hospitality 33

4 Gifted to Serve: Offering Our Charisms 53

5 Go to the Well: "Inreach" and Outreach 75

6 Return to Draw Water: Practicing Assessment 93

7 Go to Your Sister: Resolving Conflict with Mercy 107

8 Passing the Baton: Mentorship and Accompaniment 131

Conclusion 149

Acknowledgments 155

Notes 159

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