On any given Sunday, at least one-half of church attendees are women. However, the vast majority of pastors and church leaders are still men (75 percent of credential holders and 95 percent of lead pastors in the Assemblies of God). Given this reality, it is incumbent upon those who lead and speak to consider ways in which their message may be failing to connect.

A woman’s highest calling is the same as a man’s: to be a disciple of Jesus. Yet, too often, the implied or explicit message to women in church is that our highest calling is to be wives and mothers.

While many women in your church probably are wives and mothers, speaking of women only in these terms reduces them to their relationship status and the roles they fill. It also highlights what single or childless women may already feel is lacking in their lives, creating a sense that they are somehow second class. This ultimately distorts everyone’s perceptions of women and limits women’s contributions to the church.

Since the time of Mary of Bethany, many women have been passionate disciples of Jesus. They long to learn, study and worship. However, if you’re not intentional about speaking into their lives, women may never feel comfortable fully engaging in your church.

In your teaching, do you incorporate examples, illustrations and metaphors that are feminine? Speakers frequently approach the message solely from their own experiences and interests. While this is natural, it keeps them from connecting with those in the audience who don’t share their perspective. Avoid using gendered language that excludes half the congregation. Consider not only the pronouns you use, but also any other communication habits that might alienate women.

If you rarely mention women outside of Mother’s Day or Women’s Ministries Sunday, you are not only neglecting a large segment of your audience, you are passing over a lot of Scripture. These women-centric Sundays may also be the only time the congregation hears about female leaders in the church. This is a loss to the body of Christ.

If you’re not intentional about speaking into their lives, women may never feel comfortable fully engaging in your church.

Women appear throughout Scripture, both as saints and sinners. They played a critical role in the life and ministry of Jesus. And they continue to build the Church today. To limit your teaching on females from the Bible, or how Scripture speaks of women, to one or two Sundays a year weakens the church’s understanding of how important the ladies are to God.

Do you intentionally meet with women to discuss your sermons and to speak into their lives? (If you are a female pastor, do you meet with men in this same way?) Do you consult women on your sermon preparation? Are there women on your teaching team, pastoral staff or board? Through intentional consultation and engagement with women, your ministry will have a depth of insight and perspective it may otherwise lack.

Are you intentional about encouraging women to answer the call to ministry? Do you challenge the ladies in your congregation to pursue ministry in a vocational way? Are you mentoring women who already express a call to vocational ministry?

Your influence on the women in your church as you encourage and facilitate their ministry callings goes a long way — not only in the lives of those in whom you invest, but also in the lives of those who are raising the next generation of female church leaders.

Finally, do you make jokes at the expense of women or demean them in ways you may not realize? Too often, it is not just what we say, but how we say it that impacts lives.

When you speak about women in your church, do you focus only on externals, like appearance? Do you mock women by using phrases such as “like a girl” or “girly”? Do you condemn elements of manhood by using feminine language to describe these things? Do you honor women with your tone? How do you speak about your wife, mother, sisters and female friends? Are they the heroes in your stories, or do they come across as silly or shallow?

God created both men and women in His image (Genesis 1:27). In Scripture, God sometimes reveals His character and attributes in feminine terms (Hosea 13:8; Isaiah 66:13; Matthew 23:37). Women, as image bearers, reflect those attributes. But like men, women are not limited to the social or cultural attributes that we often ascribe to them. Women can be nurturing, sensitive and gentle. They can also be strong, strategic and bold. Consider ways to juxtapose such attributes scripturally.

Pastors, what women want you to know is that they long to be a part of what God is doing in the church. They are critical to the success of the church and have much to contribute. In fact, they are already leading in ways you may not even realize. Pastors who disciple and invest in the whole body of Christ intentionally minister to women — and from this comes a thriving body of believers.