A young professional stepped through the doors of the church, looking for a place to heal and grow spiritually.

No one would have guessed this impeccably dressed, self-assured woman’s broken past. Growing up in an alcoholic home, she endured physical, emotional and mental abuse. As a teen, she experienced horrific sexual abuse, sending her into a tailspin of depression and drug abuse before she finally committed her life to Jesus. After settling into her new church, she took every opportunity to connect with other women who could help her grow in her faith.

Women’s ministries in the local church cannot afford to offer only entertaining but shallow events. Women in need of healing and spiritual development sit in our pews every week.

Women’s ministries need to go deeper. Here are three essential reasons why:

1. The Church is called to make disciples. Organized social gatherings and church service projects can be beneficial, but these are not enough to meet women’s deepest spiritual needs.

True discipleship requires more than merely gathering. Women need a spiritually dynamic life in Christ that informs everything from their day-to-day living to their worldview. They need spiritual depth to manage their many roles in a way that honors God. Women’s ministries can help them develop a faithful, consistent relationship with Jesus, rooted in the Word of God. Women teaching women to follow Jesus happens best in community.

This is true for new Christians and lifelong believers, single and married women, young and old. All women need vibrant, life-giving discipleship that builds a foundation for every season of life.

2. Women need spiritual discernment and a robust theology to navigate cultural landmines. A plethora of Christian living books for women line the shelves of bookstores and populate the pages of Amazon. Not all adhere to an orthodox biblical theology, however.

In recent years, a few high-profile bloggers and authors writing books in this genre have taken a weak stance on the veracity and authority of Scripture. Several have promoted a culturally driven worldview, influencing readers to abandon belief in the authority of the Bible.

All women need vibrant, life-giving discipleship that builds a foundation for every season of life.

Eastern religions, New Age thinking and liberal worldviews have quietly permeated marketplace discussions, muddying Christian theology. To discern the truth, Christian women need a biblical foundation.

One woman quickly accepted her co-worker’s invitation to attend church. Well into her 60s, she brought with her a liturgical background mixed with years of involvement in crystals and New Age philosophy. The woman’s live-in boyfriend accompanied her to services, and both became regular attendees.

Before long, the woman committed her life to Jesus, asked her boyfriend to move out, and began earnestly studying the Bible. She needed a rock-solid biblical theology to dispel religious confusion and stand strong when tested by friends and culture. A spiritually mature woman began mentoring her, taking her through Scripture, and providing a safe place for her to ask hard questions.

Fluffy activities and lightweight events aren’t enough to empower women today to recognize and replace counter-biblical views with God’s truth.

3. Women need spiritual transformation and healing for brokenness. Though wounds to our souls happen in myriad ways, many women experience brokenness specific to their gender and societal roles. Brokenness for women can come through miscarriage, infertility, addictions, domestic violence, sexual abuse, past abortions, anxiety, life-controlling issues with body image, and more.

Women’s ministries within the local church need to offer a safe space where women can work through brokenness, talk with other women about sensitive issues, and hear testimonies of God’s faithfulness.

Author Carolyn Tennant said, “Lost souls are about a condition, not just a destination. The soul can become a junk drawer.”

Christian women, no matter their background, can find their souls cluttered. They need healing, transformation and freedom from brokenness. Women’s ministries that go deep in healing these areas bring wholeness and life to women in a safe and trusted environment.

Through vibrant, Spirit-empowered, biblically-based ministry, women can experience healing and transformation from every form of brokenness and grow in their theology and understanding of Scripture.

We cannot afford to stay in the shallows. Ministry to women needs to go deeper.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2020 edition of Influence magazine.