Family Ministry

Most of us have heard how our families should be our first ministry.  You may have a series of emotional responses to this reminder, prompting good and bad memories to bubble to the surface as you read.  Perhaps, you feel as though you have failed miserably at this in past seasons, and it is a dark reminder of a dark time.  Maybe you have been successful in this area, and it prompts the response of gratitude.  Or maybe you have been on the receiving end of either set of feelings.  Regardless of how this reminder hits you, if you have a family, it hits you.

So, here is are a few things to help us in our Family Ministries:

1.     Do not give your family the “leftovers”. 

I remember a time when my wife told me, in a particularly heavy season of ministry, that our church was getting the best of me and my family was getting the rest of me.  This hurt; but it also healed.  It changed my posture towards my family at the beginning and end of my day, as I practiced gratitude with them.

2.     Your family watches you.

People notice what people do, because people notice how we make them feel.  Those feelings create memories and reactions.  If we are short or rude with our family, they notice it.  They may even start to emulate it.  If we are joyful with our family, they will notice that too.  And prayerfully, they will emulate that.  Bottom line – you are being watched, and you are likely to be emulated. 

3.     Families typically spell LOVE as “TIME”. 

Time with people communicates love to people.  No matter your love language, you always feel valued when someone invests time with you.  Time is a precious commodity, and we must remember to use it wisely.  Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that quality time is when you unplug with your family once or twice a year.  Quality time is quantitative time – it’s intentional investments on a regular basis, consistently carved out to communicate love to our families.

4.     Grace is a Godsend.

We typically give the least amount of grace to the places and people from whom we receive the highest amount of grace.  This means we are often a lot less gracious with our families than we are with others.  Remember the “leftovers” line.  Your family is likely gracious with you, so be gracious with them.  Ministry is hard work, and we never experience it to the fullest if our families are full of tension.  Replace tension with grace and experience more joy in your ministry.