INSPIRE Project: Inspiring Women Around the Globe to Share Their Faith

How does a church go about changing the spiritual climate of a city or even an entire country? Melinda Henderson, founder of The INSPIRE Project, has observed that when women passionately pursue a lifestyle of evangelism, experience contagious Christian community, and understand the value of reaching one, then that change is possible.

The INSPIRE Project began when Henderson was serving as an Assemblies of God World Missions missionary along with her husband, Larry. The two served overseas as pastors of Vienna Christian Center in Austria. She realized that while the church had a great legacy of worship, and had wonderful Sunday gatherings, there were still many unreached in their city. That led to the first INSPIRE event, held in Vienna in 2018; it was so well-received that two more were held in subsequent years. In 2019, AGWM missionary Paula Boone joined Henderson to help accomplish the mission and to help build a team.

The Covid-19 pandemic increased the desire for community, but travel restrictions also forced events to go digital for a while, streaming content to “house parties.” With an initial goal of 200 online gatherings, over 750 were held.

As word of the Vienna events spread, other missionaries began asking for help hosting similar evangelistic events that would help ignite a spark in their local women and girls, to begin to make sharing their faith normal. The INSPIRE Project has grown to 17 countries and over 22,000 women so far have been part of an event, with 21 events scheduled for 2025. Three additional host countries will be added by 2026.

The main purpose is not just to attend the event, but that every woman and girl at INSPIRE can leave realizing their responsibility to be a part of the Great Commission.

Women share certain commonalities that span cultures and economic circumstances. The conferences enable women and girls to worship together, forge new friendships, and deepen their spiritual roots. Events are intentionally multi-generational, and host churches experience growth as they incorporate younger girls into ministry and activities.

A primary emphasis of the INSPIRE events is to encourage women to share their faith with another individual. Women leave the conferences with the knowledge that God has given them an assignment.

The INSPIRE mission statement includes, “We believe every girl can Inspire the next girl to believe in Jesus,” and Boone and Henderson believe sharing one’s faith should be “as normal as drinking your coffee.”

Along with fun, fellowship, inspirational speakers, and worship, conference attendees are taught to watch for divine appointments—at the grocery market, on public transportation, etc.—because simply starting a conversation can impact another woman for eternity.

In 2025, a big focus will be on the value of hospitality. Although some cultures naturally practice hospitality, it has fallen by the wayside in many places as busyness crowds out intentionality. Even simple gatherings can mean big opportunities and INSPIRE reminds women that their local table can be a tool for evangelism.

Also emphasized in 2025 are spiritual disciplines, such as prayer and Bible study, to help women grow in their faith. To encourage these habits and help women stay connected between events, INSPIRE Global Sisterhood offers a regular social media presence, plus the INSPIRE Podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify. These digital platforms also help increase the sense of community in more remote locations or sensitive areas, where in-person events may be restricted. The INSPIRE Project also utilizes Bible study plans, enabling women worldwide to share devotional time.

Testimonials underscore the impact of the project.

“Something has changed in my spirit,” said a 2023 attendee at INSPIRE Wales.

At INSPIRE Mexico, a woman shared that like many of us, she had grown weary of not seeing “fast answers” to prayers for unsaved friends but was now encouraged to keep praying and sharing her faith.

“God spoke to me,” said a young teen girl at INSPIRE Mexico. “I understand things that I didn’t before. This was such a wonderful time to share with my mom and my sister.”

Planning, coordinating, and staffing an event doesn’t just happen, though. Typically, a missionary or national pastor reaches out to project leaders, as the goal is to come alongside what is already happening in a community and help increase impact with women and girls.

A three-year commitment is usually planned, allowing the conference to grow as women invite others to the next one. A local coordinator is selected and trained; and a mission team attends and serves at each conference, with local volunteers doing more in each successive year.

Participating in a mission team is a great chance for women from U.S. churches and AG district ministry networks to minister to other women. Assemblies of God Women’s Director Nonda Houston plans to take a group of district women’s leaders to INSPIRE Prague, so they can in turn build vision for more teams.

U.S. leaders who have participated say the team experience can transform local church women’s groups.

Michele McLain, who serves with her husband in pastoral ministry at Bridge Church in the Austin suburb of Hutto, Texas, took a team of women to the first INSPIRE conference in Vienna in 2018.

“It was nothing short of incredible,” she says, “with lives being touched. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully.”

“Partnering with the INSPIRE Global Sisterhood movement has shaken our local women’s ministry,” agrees Christy English, who leads women’s ministry at Christian Life Center in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where her husband, Mark, serves as lead pastor. “Our eyes focus more on the next girl, making sharing our faith normal.”

English says INSPIRE Global Sisterhood combines the best of both missions and women’s ministry, as the trips use the skill sets of every woman, from decorating to handing out Bibles to cheering on first-time volunteers in the European churches.

“I am super thankful for what INSPIRE Global Sisterhood is doing around the world,” says McLain. “But it is also inspiring and changing the teams and their churches in the U.S.!”