-
Trustworthy
Counselors - mentors
who will serve as sounding boards in a non-judgmental manner, encouraging,
listening, supporting.
-
A
True Partnership In Marriage—where
the couple shares vision, love, and direction as well spiritual unity.
-
Better Child
Development Skills—most
parents want to aid their children in developing appropriate moral values,
self-esteem, and ways of handling extreme emotions but lack the knowledge on how
to practically reproduce these in their lives.
-
Better Parenting
Skills—few
people take classes in how to better communicate, resolve conflict, and manage
their time and finances but each of these areas are elemental to being a
well-rounded, fulfilled individual.
-
Greater Courage to
Change—so
often we perceive that the way we have lived our lives has been fruitless and
frustrating but we do not always have the knowledge of alternatives or the
emotional capacity to make changes.
-
Greater
Emotional Support—because
we are created in the image of One whose essence is love, we crave interaction
and support from others like ourselves, who share our fears and faith; people
who will struggle with us and along side us.
-
A Family Crisis
Safety Net—we
all yearn for sanctuary, a place to go where, even in a time of crisis, we can
feel some security and stability.
With these needs in
mind, Barna proposes that churches envision themselves not as fixers but as
facilitators—training centers where families receive and develop the skills
needed to be functional rather than dysfunctional.
To achieve this goal
churches must:
·
Outline clear
standards
of morality and spirituality which are expressions not of condemnation but of
clarification of that which is beneficial and enriching.
·
Promote goals and
planning
in the family setting where the needs of each member are purposely examined and
attended to.
· Approach
families holistically
avoiding the common practice of dividing everyone up into different groups as
soon as they enter the doors of the church. Creating an atmosphere of cohesion
and cooperation in worship and prayer at church could help in transferring this
same approach at home.
·
Diversify approaches
of learning—we all have different ways we learn and the most
effective churches build their congregations by bringing the same message
through a variety of avenues including preaching, teaching, visual aids, and
interactive games.
· Provide
coaches and mentors—seasoned
individuals who will give encouragement and support, focusing less on advice and
more on simply being an understanding ear.
· Be
able to see their leadership as examples and advocates
for families and family life by making their own family a priority on their
schedule.
· Seek
God’s blessing
by helping families develop good spiritual habits at home. Remember the old
adage: the family that prays together, stays together.
· Be
brave
enough to judge the health of their church not by the numbers attending but by
the spiritual, emotional, and relational health of the families who compose the
congregation.
In the end, we see
that it boils down to love but love does not come easy and does not flourish
without work. Like a well-cultivated garden, there is a lot of planning and
labor but the fruits are wonderful.
OTHER
NEWSLETTER ARTICLE: WHAT DO FAMILIES AND COUPLE NEED FROM THE CHURCH
OTHER
NEWSLETTER ARTICLE: THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN FAMILIES AND RELATIONSHIPS
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From
the beginning of time, we see that God’s purpose for creating mankind was to
form a community of love and grace where all can find healing and nurture. His
people are variously referred to as His children (John 1:12), His bride
(Jeremiah 2:2), and His brothers (Hebrews 2:11)—familial terms indicating how
integral these intimate relationships are to the fabric of everyday living.