IRVOF – The Winning Combination for Family Ministry

When it comes to family ministry, real success involves more than just hoping for the best. This article is all about being intentional with a family ministry plan. We’ll chat about setting clear goals, designing activities that help families connect, offering a variety of events to suit different needs, and reaching out to the community. By being thoughtful and purposeful in everything we do—from planning events to following up afterward—ministry leaders can create meaningful connections and support families on their spiritual journey.

Let’s dive in!

Intentionality.

“Build it and they will come” …huh? If that were true, then every event, Sunday service, and ministry activity would be packed (wouldn’t that be nice?!). The actual phrase, “if you build it, he will come,” came from the movie Field of Dreams—so, quite literally, this phrase is derived from a dream lived out through a fictitious story.

Anything that’s successful or has a chance of being successful requires a plan. In other words, it requires intentionality. As you approach your family ministry plan, start with your goal. Then, as you add to your ministry calendar, consider how you’re going to design each element/activity to help you reach your goal. For example, if your goal is to help families build relationships and bonds within your church and you’re planning a fun outdoor carnival event—what will you intentionally include to help families do that? Just like “build it and they will come” doesn’t work, in the same way “host a party and people will make friends” doesn’t work. So, have a plan. Be intentional.

Relationships.

Remember: God designed people for relationships. Healthy relationships provide a sense of belonging, emotional support, personal growth, and improved mental health. Meaningful connections can lead to less stress and anxiety, too!

Perhaps you’ve noticed that many kids today struggle with having the social skills that help them build face-to-face relationships. This is partly due to increased screen time at home and at school. Additionally, people of all ages are experiencing more and more stress and anxiety. Solid friendships can help! That’s why it’s critical to help families develop relationships with other families, with each other, and with Jesus. Plus, there’s an intrinsic benefit to your church when you provide opportunities for relationship building! When families have close relationships with people at your church—they start to see your church as home—a place where they belong, find community, and feel Jesus’ love.

Variety.

Because families come in all shapes and sizes, variety gives them more opportunities to engage with your ministry. Some families might be active in a lot of sports activities—with one season being busier than others. Or families affected by divorce have schedules where the kids are with different parents each weekend. To help, design your church’s ministry calendar to include a variety of different family activities in each season throughout the year. For example, offer an outreach event, a family worship service, and a family service project each season. This not only gives families a variety of different dates they can pick from, but it also gives different types of activities for different family “personalities.”

If that feels like it’s too much—consider choosing activities that accommodate families best. Some families may prefer big events with lots of people and activities to enjoy, while some families may feel more comfortable at smaller, more intimate gatherings. To add to the variety, also provide families with resources they can use at home. This shows you care about their family no matter if they come to your church activities or not. Do your best to think about the things families already do together and how they can add faith into the mix. Need help? Check out Team Family™ PowerPaks—a great way for families to integrate faith into their active lives.

Outreach.

In talking to churches about reaching families, many share a desire to reach people who aren’t coming to their church already. But we also hear a lot of frustration. Some churches report getting new families to come to larger outreach events, but then they don’t come back. And some report they can’t get people there at all. So, here are two approaches worth considering—we’ll simply call them “come” and “go.”

Let’s talk about “come” first.

This is what we see most often—churches hosting outreach events at their church buildings and inviting families to come. This is a great way to show hospitality and introduce families to your church! When you host family events at your church, intentionality and relationships are critical. Knowing your goal first and then making sure you incorporate things that help you realize that goal is crucial. Plus, including ways to help families meet other families and start building relationships is a key ingredient if you want families to come back. People feel more connected to a place when they know they’ll find other people they know there.

However, we can’t expect relationships to just happen naturally—sometimes they do, but a lot of times, they don’t. So plan to provide intentional ways to help people get to know each other.

Now, let’s talk about “go.”

Many people in your community may believe in God, but they don’t want to go to a church building. Perhaps they’ve been hurt by the church or had a bad experience at church. Maybe they fear someone will corner them and try to convert them. Whatever it is, no matter how fun and exciting your event is, they aren’t going to come. So, consider hosting your outreach opportunities in other community spaces such as parks, community buildings, and schools. Another way to “go” is to organize family outreach projects for the families in your church to serve your community. This helps your church become known for caring about and supporting your community and showing Jesus’ love to others. This may not result in seeing families flock to your church on Sunday, but it starts to build trust and show your church really cares.

Follow-up.

Remember the part about “build it and they will come?” It applies here, too. Just like you couldn’t just plant a seed and expect it to take root and grow without proper fertilizer, water, and care—you can’t expect fruit from your family efforts without following up. Follow-up is most effective when it’s done immediately and regularly. When you add follow-up into your ministry calendar at the time you create your annual plan, it will help you be ready and be more effective in reaching the goals you have set for your family ministry.

Follow-up can take many forms. You can call or text them, email them, or even drop off a small gift on their doorstep (ex: something that will help their faith grow, like Team Family PowerPaks). While your ultimate goal may be for families to make your church their home, for new families, it’s important to focus on building the relationship first. People desire authenticity, so it’s important to have pure intentions to get to know them because they’ll be able to sense if you’re only interested in getting them to come to church on Sunday.

👀 Look! Here’s something to help you…

Let us introduce you to Team Family™—resources designed to help you create an intentional year-round plan for your family ministry.…

Team Family delivers resources that help you serve families where they’re at. You’ll be pleased to find that Team Family easily plugs in to your ministry plan and naturally fits into families’ daily lives. You’ll be equipped to develop an intentional plan around the four seasons of the year that includes a variety of ideas for family-friendly activities that help build relationships, community outreach ideas, and follow-up ideas.

We invite you to learn more and discover an affordable and practical way to serve families inside and outside your church.

Learn More About Team Family

More helpful articles on family ministry…

Just 3 Things Families Need (and Want) From Your Ministry

5 Family Ministry Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make

A Blueprint for Family Ministry

3 Simple Steps to Enhance Your Church’s Family Ministry