Blueprint for Family Ministry

BY: BETSY SPENCER, Director of Family Ministries

What a crazy year it has been! In the midst of this global pandemic, ministry is still happening at FUMCA. I had the privilege of joining the staff in July of 2020 as Director of Family Ministries and hit the ground running with the ongoing ministries in place. Since joining the FUMCA family, I have heard several questions about “What exactly is Family Ministry?” and “Is Family Ministry the same as Kids Ministry?” and “What exactly do you do?” All valid questions and things that I have pondered at length in casting a vision for this thing called Family Ministry.

Family ministry refers not only to family-targeted programs, but also to the ways our congregation supports and strengthens families simply by being a supportive community. Intergenerational friendships develop as people worship, share fellowship, serve others, do the business of the congregation, and play together. These friendships can encourage and sustain members of families in the celebrations, challenges, and crises that family living presents.

We were in need of a vision for faith formation for our families based on understanding, clarity about what is essential, and agility to meet the needs of families as they take forming faith in their kids seriously. So what does that look like for FUMCA? In August, you will see our full presentation of our Faith Growth Pathway, or a birth to grave faith formation plan. Until then, here is a bit of what Family Ministry looks like.

From all ages of the church’s membership to all levels of the church’s leadership, everyone needs to be reminded of the importance of engaging with families and their desire to form faith in their kids. We take congregational vows every time someone joins our congregation or is baptized. Those vows state our active participation in their lives. Parents who present their child for baptism are asked, “Will you nurture this child in Christ’s holy church, that by your teaching and example she may be guided to accept God’s grace for herself, to profess her faith openly, and to lead a Christian life?” And the congregation responds to membership, baptism and confirmation by being asked to “commend to your love and care these persons whom we this day receive... do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their home, and perfect them in love” and “With you we renew our vows to uphold it by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service... surrounded by steadfast love, you may be established in the faith and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.” Those are some big promises and commitments that we make to families! So how do we do that? What does that look like?

First we create a space that is ripe for listening, learning, and growing. Together.

It is important for our congregation to come alongside families and provide support and guidance as families learn to grow together in Christ. We must create space for listening, discovering, and sharing of ideas.

Families need encouragement. Parents are eager to participate in the faith formation of their children & youth, and the church has an opportunity to help them imagine what family faith formation looks like. It is our ministry model to show families how to do faith formation at home and not just tell them what to do.

Families need a variety of ways to engage in family faith formation. Every family is different, and when it comes to faith formation, one size does not fit all. While some families enjoy devotions over the dinner table, other families want something more kinesthetic, such as a “faith walk” out in nature. We want to engage in family faith activities that engage mind, body, and soul. We know that parents need tools that are easy to use. Living in a global pandemic is hard, and trying to balance school, work, and family life under the constant anxiety of Covid-19 is exhausting. We are discovering that, as we engage families, simpler is better, and a variety of easy, fun, family faith activities that parents can choose from is received well.

We are working on events that keep families learning, playing, serving, and worshiping together. We strive to partner with families and share with them about grace and God’s love. We will support, love, encourage and provide resources to do the hard job of parenting. Learn together. Be together. We underestimate the value of what we learn from being together.

As a congregation we will celebrate milestones with families. Some of those celebrations include baptisms, getting a 3rd grade Bible, participating in Created by God, Confirmation for our 6th graders, mission trips for our youth, youth leadership opportunities, and graduations. We are striving to give parents the tools, the opportunities, the guidance they need to lead their kids.

Susana Wesley, mother of John Wesley, simply describes how God loves us. She said, “He loves us because he loves us.” Not because God needed to or because we deserved it. That is what our kids & youth and families need to hear over and over again. God loves us because God loves us. As a congregation we will strive to love families well because God loves us. And what fun we will have while doing just that! I am so excited to be a part of the FUMCA family and can’t wait to share more about what Family Ministry is doing and how we are growing. Thank you for the privilege and honor of learning and growing with you.