How important is family ministry in your church?  Is it more than a fad or buzz word?

Likewise, how important is ministry to “non-family” people in your church?

Families are important but the church consists of singles, couples without and perhaps unable to have children, older people past child rearing age, as well as families.  (1 Cor. 12:14-20)

• What effect does revolving the whole church around families have on all these people?
• How can the church serve families without neglecting other people groups?



Families are important but the church is commissioned to reach people in general, not specifically families.  (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)

• Where does a non-family person turn if the church focuses primarily on reaching families?
• How can the church reach and assimilate non-family people without making them secondary?



Families are important but the church is commanded to first and foremost love God and then our neighbor (people in general). (Matt. 22:35-40)

• When so much emphasis is on catering to families, how might non-family people feel in terms of their value?
• How can the church provide a family-friendly atmosphere without being insensitive to the non-family people in their midst?



Families are important but the church is charged with shepherding the flock, not merely families. (1 Pet. 5:2-4)

• What message do non-family people get when so much of the church’s time and resources are focused on the needs of the family?
• How can the church make sure non-family members do not slip through the cracks?

The intent of this post is not to minimize the importance of family and the ways the church can help the family. At the very least, the church should . . .

Train parents to faithfully fulfill their responsibility.  When, where, and how we do that is what makes the difference.

Train teachers to keep a good line of communication open between teachers and parents.  Teachers keeping parents informed about what is happening in class gives parents a platform for taking it further at home.  Parents keeping teachers informed about what is happening in the home gives teachers a platform for better understanding students’ needs.

The intent of this post is to challenge us not to minimize those who attend our churches who are non-family people.  Let’s remember the all-inclusive nature of the church and how God uses diversity.  At the very least, the church needs the following:

acknowledgement that the church consists of families AND non-family people

advancement of the cause of Christ with all people in mind

affirmation of love and value of all people regardless of their status

accountability to shepherd all who are a part of the church

The legacy of grandparents can be for eternal good as seen in the example of Timothy whose mother and grandmother passed on their faith by rooting him in God’s Word (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-17).  

“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children …” (Ps. 103:17)

This legacy can also have a negative impact as the effects of an unbelieving or hardened heart and a life of sin spills over in familial dysfunction for years to come.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, … maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”  (Ex. 34:6-7)

When you consider the potential influence of grandparents on children now and in their futures, we must ask what role the church should have.

1. Is your church building up, equipping, and encouraging them to leave a positive legacy?  (classes, special speakers, reading material, etc.)
2. Is your church providing opportunity for the younger generation to learn from them?  (giving them opportunity to share in the service, pulling on their wisdom through teaching and mentoring the younger generation, interviewing them, including their stories in newsletters or bulletin inserts, etc.)
3. Is your church honoring them in a special way?  (verbal recognition, small gifts, praying for them, making a display to recognize them, a special luncheon, having grandchildren make a card or craft to give to them, asking grandchildren to testify to how God has used their grandparents in their lives, etc.)

And, for those who are grandparents:

1. Are you taking in nurture for your soul, growing in your walk with the Lord, so you have something of eternal worth to pass on?
2. Are you willing to invest into the lives of the younger generation in strategic ways?
3. Are you someone your children and grandchildren are pleased to honor, not just because a special day is set aside to celebrate grandparents, but because they are truly blessed through you?

God places responsibility on both children and parents:

• Children – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother” (Eph. 6:1-3).
• Parents – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 provides a good pattern for the consistency with which a parent is to nurture children in the ways of the Lord.  Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp looks at parenting as more of a discipleship process than merely a caretaking role. (The book link will take you to our affiliate bookstore.)

The church should not be usurping the responsibility of parents for instructing their children in the ways of the Lord.  Rather, the church should be holding them accountable and training them to do their God-given part.

What are we doing in the church to encourage healthy parent-child relationships?

There are many good resources for family life.  

What are some you have found to be effective?