Family Ministry by Diana R. Garland;

Author:Diana R. Garland; [Garland, Diana R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press
Published: 2012-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

Implications for Family Ministry

Some families have elaborate rituals and stories that ground family members solidly in their identity, and rituals and stories that also evolve with the needs and purposes of the family over time. Other families have not learned to value rituals and stories and thus may not have developed these resources of family identity as fully as they could. Still other families may be so ritualized that they oppress and stifle needed family change, and their stories limit rather than nourish family adaptation and resilience.

The congregation can be a place where families learn to tell their stories to one another and to draw strength for today’s living from those stories. Families learn the significance of rituals and stories by participating in the congregation’s rituals and stories. For congregations to become communities of faith that encourage families to tell their stories of faith means that family members must be together at least some of the time in the life of the congregation. Splitting in all directions to age-graded programs may provide a place for individuals to tell stories about their families’ lives, but that is very different from providing opportunities for family members to share in talking about their family and their faith to one another and to other families. In addition, family storytelling goes against the grain of how our culture uses stories. In many respects, our culture has professionalized storytelling. We use stories in literature and in the media to educate, to illustrate life principles and, of course, to entertain. Although professionally told stories in books and in media are valuable, we need to reclaim our own family stories as the rich resource for knowing one another and learning the things that matter from one another.

The community of faith, too, has powerful rituals and stories that tell us who we are because of who we have been and who we are becoming. During difficult times, the rituals and stories of our life as a people of faith sustain us, just as they sustain families. Here are some of the ways we can help congregations be communities with rich rituals and stories that undergird meaningful, joyful life together in families:

Recognize and live the importance of rituals in our life together as a congregation, and the importance that subtle changes can have. The order of worship and who leads it, the kind of music, the involvement of all kinds and ages of members, how we greet one another, who sits where—these are all rituals that tell us who we are and how we are related to one another. These can be subtly modified to bring about more meaningful and inclusive participation in congregational life.

Find ways to tell the story of the congregation’s life together on anniversaries or other special days, through the display of pictures and brief accounts of the congregation’s history on walls and in church publications, or in “storytelling” sessions in which church members tell one another of their own history of life in the congregation.

Provide ways families can participate in congregational activities as part of the rituals of their family lives.

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