So you want to Set up a Womb Ministry ...

A great way to reach out to pregnant women in your community/church is to set up a womb ministry to support them and their partners through pregnancy. This can provide a forum in which you can share some principles of ministering to children in the womb with a wider number of people in your area, as well as providing support at a critical point of their lives.

We have found ministry to the womb often takes on a very prophetic edge as God reveals His plans for children and reassures parents for the future. This section will provide a model of some of the things that we have done. If you are interested in discussing your ideas more please feel free to contact us.

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What do you do in a womb ministry?

A monthly meeting

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Invite mums and dads to join together at the meeting. This meeting may include some of the following elements:

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• Fresh fruit, snacks and drinks ready to welcome people. As well as being a great way to make people feel welcome, it can help keep hunger at bay – something many pregnant women will be very grateful for.

• Time for parents and the team to mix, share together and get to know each other

• Speak out declarations together as a group (you can find some declarations in the free resources section and in our book, Jesus, Your Baby and You. There is power in our words and as we join in faith together for our families it can be a great source of encouragement to all.

• Pray with and prophesy over the families.

• Teaching times. These sessions can be run on a rolling programme so that over the 7-9 months of attendance regulars will get to be part of most sessions. For some sessions you can  separate the mums from the dads at the teaching time and run sessions applicable for their different roles.

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A great starting point for topics is found in the book Jesus, Your Baby and You. In addition to this teaching, here are some other suggestions of topics you could cover:

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1. Pregnancy from a Christian midwife’s perspective.

2. Pamper those ladies – get a beautician in who is willing to give some free time to the church for pregnant ladies. Find a masseur who can teach dads how to deliver that soothing massage.

3. Tips for dad from other dads.

4. Feed that baby and you – nutritional advice.

5. Paediatrician’s talk on baby development.

6. Bring and take week – ask your local churches if there is anything people don’t need and are willing to give to new mums and dads to be.

7. Baby Shower/thanksgiving week. This session became an annual event for us as we invited all the families who had been in contact with the womb ministry to come and join us to give thanks to God for their babies.

8. Practical and spiritual things you should know in preparing for labour.

9. Parenting seminar – preparation for after your child is born.

10. Testimony time – previous womb ministry members loved to come back and share their stories.

11. All about the children’s and family ministry in the church.

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We also had a board on which we wrote the names of couples who were desiring children but were not able to conceive. There is something special about those who are pregnant praying for the blessing of children for those who cannot conceive. Many of the couples we prayed for joined the womb ministry the following year as God opened their wombs.

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Support outside the meetings

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Intercession prayer line. All the parents who came to the womb ministry were given a contact phone number that they could call whenever they needed prayer. Parents felt so supported to know that there was a team of people ready to pray for them.

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We encouraged all parents to let us know when they went into labour so that we could pray. They also called when doctors gave bad news, when they were worried about anything or when issues in their family flared up. This was not a counselling line or a medical hotline, it was simply a prayer line.

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A team of intercessors with a heart for babies and families were committed to praying as text messages and emails were sent to them.

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Starter pack.

As each parent-to-be joins you, why not prepare a welcome pack for the womb ministry. It could include:

• Birth declaration

• A copy of 'Jesus your Baby and you- A guide to trusting God during your Pregnancy' book (or another book on the spirituality of children in the womb)

• A pregnancy CD - 'Jesus your Baby and you - Resting in Gods Presence' for expectant mums for them to relax in God’s presence

• An introduction to the womb ministry – who’s who and what to expect

• Dates of the next six months of meetings

• Details of the intercession hotline

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Congratulations.

Once a baby has been born, be ready to send out a card of congratulations. Some churches arrange a meal rota so that different members of the congregation deliver food to the house for the first couple of weeks after the baby is born. This practical help can be a real support as new parents adjust to having a baby.

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Send an information pack on recommended Bible books and music for babies and young children as well as details of what is available in your church for babies and toddlers.

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Get people involved

The success of such a ministry is dependent on the people who are part of the team. We recommend having strong intercessors and people who move in the prophetic on the team, as well as someone from the medical profession (such as a midwife).

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Take a look at the skill sets of the people in your congregation: midwives, beauticians, pastors, paediatricians and parents all have something that could enrich your sessions.

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Get in touch with a maternity shop and ask for any clothing that is out of season or not saleable to give away to the ladies for free as a tax deductible charity donation, or if you have a budget go to your local charity shop and ask them to put to one side any maternity clothing that comes in.

 

Gather a group of intercessors in your church who are prepared to pray for the ladies and their partners by name throughout their pregnancy and labour. They don’t need to attend the meetings, but will be steadfast in their prayers for the unborn children and their parents. I gathered a lot of faith throughout my pregnancies thanks to our intercessory team who prayed for me through difficult seasons and through the labour process. There truly is power in the prayers of these amazing people. Set up an intercession board for all the ladies who would like prayer throughout their pregnancy, so anybody who has a heart will pray for them.

 

Nana's testimony – a midwife in womb ministry

“The monthly meetings are a blessing and a joyous occasion as we share thoughts, feelings, ideas and experiences about pregnancy, childbirth and also pray together for our unborn babies and families. We’ve seen husbands and wives unite, men begin to recognise themselves as heads of the household and begin to take their God-given authority as the head and spiritual leader of the family.

 

As one of the midwives in the team, I have not only seen miracles happen to childbearing women and their families, but the hand of God has moved on my family too and is still moving. I recommend the womb ministry to anybody who can make any contribution whatsoever to families. Come and be a part of the team and your life will never be the same.”

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Go to our free resource page for some free downloadable resources that will help you and do contact us if we can be of any help.