Family Ministry Blog
Spiritual Formation in Marriage
Traditional wedding vows include a sacred oath. They recognize that every marriage, as designed by the original Matchmaker, is intended to reflect a much bigger reality than joint checking accounts and shared household chores. Consider the following words that have...
Losing Our Kids While Chasing Mythical “Unchurched”
In every generation, the church of Jesus Christ has confronted unique challenges associated with its particular moment in history. The infant church faced relentless persecution. The early church fathers defended the Incarnation against one heresy after another....
“Family Ministry” Has a Branding Problem
Evangelical families are failing to win and keep many of their own children in the Christian faith. How can churches become intentional about spiritual formation at home and how do we move towards integrated...
Spiritual Formation in Parenting
Did you know that traditional wedding vows list parenthood as one of the primary purposes for which matrimony was ordained? To quote: “[I]t was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his...
Four Roots to Lifelong Faith
Spiritual formation at home is the most natural and productive context for faith and character formation because the longer one aligns his or her life with the truth, the more “second nature” it becomes to believe and behave according to God’s design. So what,...
Leadership Starts at Home
Leadership starts at home. The Scriptures certainly describe leadership that way, especially when it comes to determining who is and is not qualified to lead in the context of the local church. From the earliest days of Christianity, leaders have been called upon to...
The Front Line of Spiritual Warfare = The Home
The family is the highest expression of God’s image on earth. Like the Holy Trinity, it is a communion of loving persons. The apostle Paul described the marital union as a mysterious picture of the gospel itself. Satan hates anything that pictures his mortal enemy. If...
Spiritual Formation at Home
What do we mean by the phrase “spiritual formation,” and what does it have to do with home? The Scriptures tell us that men and women were created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). In other words, we were made as icons to reflect our Creator, just like children...
10 Ways Churches Can Be Intentional About Spiritual Formation in the Home
Evangelical families are failing to win and keep many of their own children in the Christian faith. How can churches become intentional about spiritual formation at home and how do we move towards integrated strategies? We asked the StrongFamilies Innovation Alliance...
Talking to Kids About Race
It seems everyone is posting about racial tension and injustice. But are parents talking to their kids? Are church leaders helping them do it well? Several excellent resources can help parents discuss race with their children, emphasizing the inherent worth of every...