A church is only as strong as its families. Whether they be traditional husband and wife; husband, wife, and children; single parent and child; single adult; or a blended version of these, families form the backbone of our churches. Because of this, the spiritual life of a church reflects the spiritual lives of its members and families. This makes family ministries a critical element of a strong church.
The guiding principles of the Bible direct Christians to nurture the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social needs of the individuals, couples, and families who constitute the fabric of fellowship in the church. When the church ministers to the needs of families as Jesus ministered to those around Him, they are restored to wholeness. When families feel complete and have harmonious relationships, they are more likely to be dedicated to God’s goals.
A home should be the kind of place where values are passed on, where healthy self-esteem is built, where each individual learns about the love of God. The home is the ordained environment in which human beings can experience love to its fullest—romantic love, friendship love, and redemptive love.[
The family is probably the best illustration God has given of what He is like. A family that is spiritually healthy will show the kind of patience, hope, and loving acceptance that God extends to each of us.
“God designs that the families of earth shall be a symbol of the family in heaven. Christian homes, established and conducted in accordance with God’s plan, are among His most effective agencies for the formation of Christian character and for the advancement of His work (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 430).
Family ministries in the church
A dysfunctional family doesn’t become healthy simply by joining a church. While conversion and baptism do create change in a person’s heart, a lifetime of learned habits can still strain family relationships. Even growing up in or raising your children in the church does not guarantee a healthy family situation. We must each learn how to be a good spouse, a caring parent, or a healthy single.
This is what family ministries is all about. It exists to help our families become stronger and healthier because in doing that, our churches become stronger as well.
A family ministries program is tangible evidence of a caring church. The church that works personally with its members, touching individuals where they are and helping them find more fulfilled lives as singles or couples, as parents or children, is a church that creates strong bonds not easily broken.
While family ministries has a role to play in responding to families in crisis, its primary goal should be to encourage healthy family functioning. A church’s family ministries leader doesn’t function as a counselor. Instead, their role is to make resources and training available and to promote their use as ways to build strong family relationships. They also represent families in church board and discussions and planning.
Ideas for celebrating families at church
• Have whole families meet for song service and a short multigenerational feature before dividing into Sabbath School classes by age group.
• Organize parent support groups arising out of the Sabbath school context, such as Beginner Sabbath School (Cradle Roll) mothers’ group.
• Prepare a children’s activity sheet or a special children’s church bulletin that draws young people into the various aspects of the worship service.
• Have couples or families lead various aspects of the worship service by providing special music, reading, scripture, announcing hymns, or praying.
• Distribute a handout at the close of the sermon with practical ways the message of the morning can be put into practice at home.
• Provide childcare from time to time for single parents so they can enjoy the full blessing of the worship service.
• Build into the yearly worship program appropriate emphasis on days such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparent’s Day, or create special days of your own such as Christian Marriage Day, Christian Home Day, or Family Togetherness Day.
• Have a time of commitment/recommitment for couples/families at the close of the worship service.
• If families with children do not regularly attend prayer meeting, plan a monthly mid-week family night with spiritual activities and features of interest to children and youth, perhaps beginning with supper together.
• On communion Sabbath, let fathers wash the feet of their sons and mothers the feet of their daughters to teach them and give them a sense of specialness and inclusion in the service.
• On communion Sabbath, designate a special place for couples and/or families who wish to share the ordinance of foot washing together.
• To commemorate a baby dedication make a scrapbook of photographs, the church bulletin of the day, the dedication certificate, etc., to give to the family.
Reprinted with permission from the February 2006 issue of Southwest Union Record.
