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Family Ministry : A Comprehensive Guide

Decent Essays

Introduction
Starting off this class with reading what Family Ministry is defined as opened up my view on how Family Ministry can be diverse in a variety of understanding. Diana Garland stated that “family ministry is any activity that directly or indirectly (1) forms families in the congregation community; (2) increases the Christlikeness of the family relationships of Christians; or (3) equips and supports families for the work to which they are called together.” Earlier in that reading, Family Ministry: A Comprehensive Guide, she stated that “The flurry of programs called family ministry is the fear that Christian families are falling apart and need churches to strengthen and support them.” Diana Garland’s definitions are what I strive for in ministry and luckily many churches see Family Ministry as she does at this present time. Family Ministry Field Guide stated “As many as four distinct meanings for ‘family ministry’ can be found among contemporary churches: (1) In some churches, family ministry implies Family Life Education-a program for counseling troubled families or teaching intact families how to communicate more effectively; (2) some churches set nuclear family at the center and focus all their efforts on developing healthy Christian households; (3) other congregations take family ministry to mean a program for developing family-like relationships in the church; and (4) still other congregations see family ministry as a catchall title to describe the

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