As a pastor of a congregation with young families you may have small groups, a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) ministry, Awana, and more. Your church may also be blessed to have a meals ministry to help individuals and families after a surgery or birth of a child. Your church is probably well equipped with support ministries for families to help disciple their children and to … [Read more...]
Strong and sage: Influencing grandparents toward intentionality
God calls grandparents to nurture the spiritual lives of their children and grandchildren, but it’s not always easy. Here are three common hurdles to faithful grandparenting and ways your church can help grandparents overcome them. The restricted grandparent Many Christian grandparents have absorbed society’s message not to interfere and thus remain on the periphery of … [Read more...]
The tinder box: Warning signs and safeguards in church conflict
In 1982, Ken Sande established Peacemaker Ministries, an organization dedicated to biblical conflict resolution for individuals, families, churches, and institutions. The training it offered in Christian conciliation and articulated in Sande’s book, The Peacemaker, has impacted individuals and institutions worldwide as they have sought to resolve disputes biblically. Thirty … [Read more...]
3 ways to prepare parents for empty nesting
When we think of the empty nest, we picture a variety of colorful visuals. They may be of the optimistic type, where the parents are now free to invest more time and energy into their marriage, pursue long put-off goals and dreams, or simply enjoy the downtime of not being center seat in the parenting role 24/7. Or, on the opposite and often more realistic end of the spectrum, … [Read more...]