Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Magic Formula for Family Ministry




Today I am joining the conversation with some friends 
in the Fammin Blog Tour to answer the question 
"What is Family Ministry?"


If there is a magic formula for Family Ministry, I haven't found it yet.
I would even say that it probably doesn't exist.

Our pictures of the families that we serve inside and outside of our churches are changing. No longer are we looking at the Dad, Mom, and 2.5 kids family model. We have more single parents and blended families. We have grandparents now raising their grandkids. We have foster families that we now serve.

The families that you serve in your church may not
be anything like the families that I am serving in mine.
So trying to put Family Ministry into a nice neat formula is nearly impossible.
Each of our families are different with needs that are different as well.

What if we began by first asking
"How can we serve your family?"

There are a few things that I believe about Family Ministry.
  • It's all about Jesus. Everything we do should point to Him and our redemption story through Jesus.
  • It's all about relationships. Everything happens in relationship. Building, equipping, encouraging, and teaching.
  • It's all about vision. Everyone should know the why behind the what.

These days I have more questions than answers 
when it comes to what Family Ministry looks like.

What if we looked at Family Ministry
through the lens of our church family?

What if we looked at everyone in our church 
family as having something to offer?

Imagine the impact on the next generation if the 
entire church family poured into them in some way.

Titus 2 in action with the older generation
walking alongside the younger generation doing life together.

Everyone would have and be a Paul and Timothy.
Mentoring and being mentored.

We will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
Psalm 78:4 

Asking the questions is just the beginning of something 
God has placed deep in my heart.
I am looking to Him for the answers every day.

I am so incredibly blessed and thankful
to be part of the Family Ministry team
at The Gathering.
What does Family Ministry look like for you?

6 comments:

  1. Love the question "How can we serve your family?" Such a perfect place to start. Now...answering the question. That's where the "work" begins! (Albeit fun work.)

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    Replies
    1. So true Keith! I think sometimes we plan based on what we think our families need rather than first asking that question. The next step is really listening to what they have to say and going from there. We need to know the needs before we can help to meet them.

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  2. You did a wonderful job of explaining "what is family ministry" - I expecially like "it's all about Jesus" (main thing - I totally agree) and then the part where you said that "all families are different and have different needs." - Just wonderful - thanks for sharing.
    I'm your newest follower - I found you through "our Everday Harvest" blog hop. If you get a chance I would love a "follow-back": http://godsgrowinggarden.com/
    Thanks again
    Angie

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Angie! Such a blessing to connect with you! Looking forward to getting to know you more! Blessings!

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  3. Wonderful post Wendy....like Keith, I also love 'How can we serve your family'? Such a simple place to start! Blessings!

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