Defining Family Ministry
Family-affirming Reflective Questions
With the firm belief that effective ministry
with families involves building a partnership between congregation and home, I
offer the following questions to help congregations become more family-friendly
and to help families at home nurture their Unitarian Universalist faith. May
they stimulate your own creativity in family programming.
—Pat Hoertdoerfer
- Does the program account for different family forms represented by families in your congregation?
- Does the program account for the variety of ethnic groups in the congregation and their particular needs?
- Does the scheduling of the program reflect the busy and, often, complex calendar of families?
- Does the program address the individuals in relation to their families or the overall needs of the entire family?
- Does the program improve the capacity for families to understand and address the family developmental issues appropriate to their family life cycle stage?
- Does the program have a process that helps the participating individuals and their families deal with the change and growth the program encourages?
- Are parents involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating the program?
- Does the program improve the relationship between the congregation and the family?
- Does the program empower families to share and live their Unitarian Universalist faith at home, and help them grow together as family?
- Does the program provide families with resources and activities for home use?
- Does the program help families connect with other families in family groupings or intergenerational groupings to share and celebrate their Unitarian Universalist faith?
- Does the program help families connect with other families in family groupings or intergenerational groupings to serve others in the congregation or community?
Last updated on Friday, March 2, 2007.
