If we're not careful, there are pitfalls to family
ministry that may threaten effective ministry to
children.
Sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away.
On my way to where the air is sweet.
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...
If those couplets strike a chord in your memories of childhood,
you probably watched the American PBS program Sesame Street. Bert
and Ernie, Big Bird and Snuffleupagus, Gordon and Susan, and Mr.
Hooper -- all of them were recurring characters in my day as a
preschooler. But my favorite Muppet was the furry blue monster
known as Grover.
What I remember most clearly about Grover is a skit you may
recall, too. Grover began by running to the camera, pressing his
pink nose toward the lens, and announcing that he was, "Neeeaaarr!"
Then, Grover scurried into the distance and declared that he was
now, "Faaaarrr!" Over and over, Grover rushed from one end of the
set to another, near and then far. The blue Muppet didn't settle
for near, and he didn't stay far. He constantly alternated between
the two.
That's how family ministry ought to work too.
Family ministry isn't just about reaching those who are near, and
it's not all about reaching those who are far. It's about
both.
For some churches, it's tempting to aim their children's and
family ministries only at those who are near -- church families who
seek to develop discipleship practices in their homes. Families in
these churches do tend to develop spiritual habits. Yet such
ministries also tend to be the ones to attract intact families with
faithful parents who have no recent visits from the Department of
Human Services. This sort of family ministry focuses on the
development of discipleship habits in Christian households.
Other ministries center on those who are far, designing programs
to bypass parents and reach children directly. The focus of family
ministry in these churches is the formation of a church family for
children whose family lives are fractured and fragmented. The
problem is, this focus on reaching children directly can become so
thoroughgoing that the church never explicitly expects any parents
-- even Christian ones -- to engage actively in their children's
spiritual development.
So which form of family ministry is more correct?
Neither one.
Alone, neither incarnation of family ministry has it right. One
emphasizes the role of the home at the expense of the church; the
other focuses on the church and underplays the need for faith
influence at home. In both forms, "family ministry" can quickly
become one more program that claws for a spot on the church
calendar and a line in the church budget.
When I use the term "family ministry," I'm not talking about this
sort of program. What I mean is coordinating what you're already
doing so that your ministry (1) prepares parents to function as
primary faith influence in their children's lives and (2) equips
the entire community of faith to care for spiritual orphans. That's
the kind of family ministry that can reach near and far.
FROM THE NEAR TO THE FAR
Of course, this idea of reaching near and far didn't originate
with me, and it certainly didn't start with Grover. This principle
is part of what Peter was proclaiming on Pentecost when he declared
that God's promise is "for you and for your children and for those
who are far off" (Acts 2:39 NIV). It begins with those who are near
("you and...your children") then expands to reach those who "are
far off."
In this, the big fisherman drew from a pattern that's as ancient
as the opening books of the Bible. God chose Abraham to "command
his children and his household after him to keep the way of the
Lord," but God's goal for Abraham reached far beyond Abraham's
clan. Through Abraham, "all nations" would one day gain access to
God's blessing. A half-millennium later, Moses commanded the heirs
of Abraham to embrace God's Word in their own hearts and then to
engrave the same words on their children's hearts.And what would be
the result of this God-ordained training within the family? Active
compassion for those who were far off -- for orphans, widows, and
immigrants in the land.
So how can you develop a ministry to children and families that
reaches near and far? First off, the right biblical and theological
foundations have to be in place. Without these foundations, family
ministries tend to swing back and forth between near and far,
depending on the whims of the particular moment. Here are three
theological foundations that I've found to be particularly
important.
All of us are orphans. From the instant Eve took her first taste
of forbidden fruit, we all became orphans. There are no
natural-born children of God among us; we're all ex-orphans,
brought into God's family through divine adoption. This idea
doesn't end with the children who physically lack a father and
mother, though. It also includes "spiritual orphans"-children who
have one or more parents who aren't yet followers of Jesus. To
bypass the orphan in favor of a sole focus on whole and healthy
families is to neglect a heartbeat that's long marked the rhythms
of God's redemptive plan.
Every child is a potential brother or sister in Jesus. The Bible
calls us to see every person not only as an orphan because of
humanity's fall but also as a potential brother or sister in Jesus.
Seeing every person as a potential brother or sister begins with
those nearest to us, in our own households. For Christian parents,
the nearest are typically their own children. And so, Christian
parents are called to become primary faith influencers first in
their own children's lives -- though this responsibility doesn't
end with the children in believing households.
