Renewal Presbyterian Church

Renewal Family Ministry

1. Vision

To help families mature in their relationship with Christ so that
couples will grow in union and Christlikeness

parents will disciple their children

families will actively participate in the work of the church

Foundation: Help families mature in their relationship with Christ

The purpose of this ministry is to help people mature in their relationship with Christ. We believe that biblical marriages and parenting will be the natural by-product of spiritual vitality. (John 15:5)
Problems that arise in families usually have a deeper, spiritual root. Spiritual/character immaturity problems often manifest themselves in marriage or parenting problems. (Luke 6:43-45)
God has given us marriage more for our spiritual growth than even personal happiness.

Strengthen Marriages

Spiritual Vitality

To nurture shared spiritual disciplines for couples to do together (prayer, QT, sharing and accountability).
To expose and address deeper spiritual problems that often hurt marriages.
To expose members to role models of Christ followers who live out their relationship with Christ in the context of their marriage. (Titus 2:3-8)

Family Life (monthly meeting)
Family Get-Away (July)
Promote through small groups

Biblical Marriages

To show how our marriages are to reflect the Gospel.
To help husbands serve and sanctify their wives.

Continue the husbands’ retreat

To help wives support and encourage the spiritual leadership of their husbands.

Start a wives’ retreat

Family Life (monthly meeting)
Family Get-Away (July)
Launch a Family weekend retreat
Launch a mentorship ministry, finding mentors within and without Renewal

Support and Resources

Create a library of marriage resources

To encourage members to minister to one another. We believe many spiritual and marriage issues can be addressed through the community of God’s people.

Increase the number of small groups
Train small group leaders to promote sharing and accountability

To provide counseling for troubled marriages and to nurture accountability so there can be support/intervention in the early stages of marriage conflicts.

Develop a marriage counseling ministry

To provide stage specific ministries (pre-martial, early marriage, first child).

Launch classes/seminars for such topics
To refer members to other churches, conferences, resources

Train Parents

We believe parents have the primary responsibility and influence in the spiritual development of their children.
We do not believe the role of parents is simply to take their kids to church. Rather, the church’s role is to support and assist the parents in their discipleship ministry of their children.
To teach the Bible and Christian beliefs and to promote Christlike character and values (Deut. 6:7). Helping parents to help their kids

To understand the gospel, scripture memory, catechism, etc.,
To learn patience, kindness; to value the Bible, prayer, missions,
To love God.

Create a library of Christian Education resources
Launch classes/seminars/workshops

To nurture our children’s gifts, talents and interests for ministry service. (Eph 2:10)

To help parents identify gifts & talents
To provide opportunities to develop and use talents in ministry

Launch classes/seminars/workshops

To expose members to (older, non-Renewal) role models of Christ followers who live out their relationship with Christ in the context of their parenting. (Titus 2:3-8)

Launch a mentorship ministry, finding mentors within and without Renewal

To help members learn from one another, share ideas, encourage one another. (Pr 27:17, 1 Cor 12, Eph 4:11-16)

Increase the number of small groups
Train small group leaders to promote sharing and accountability

To provide family-centered activities and events that help parents disciple their children.

We believe that the church should not always be separating families (husbands from wives from children), but should be promoting spiritual activities that families can do together as a family.

Incorporate into Family Life
Plan special events for mothers’ day, fathers’ day, Christmas, Easter

Participate in the work of the church

To help families see that they are not customers of a family-services provider, but are the people of God (individuals and families) serving the purpose of God on earth. They are the church.
Evangelism & discipleship

Promote friendship evangelism with events to invite families/couples to (Family Life, fellowship events). Family ministry could be a significant means to bring people (back) into the church.
Launch a mentorship ministry with other Renewal couples

Serving our community, in word and deed

Launch Family community service activities
Equip families to be a Christian influence in their communities (PTA’s, neighborhoods, little league, etc.)

Spreading the gospel to the nations, in word & deed

Consider family mission trips
Encourage families to do Missions awareness and fundraisers

2. Short-Term Action Items

Renewal Family Ministry is a work in progress, and many action items may be revised or come at a later date. Action items being implemented immediately include:

Start Family Life, our Monthly Family Ministry meetings

Dates: Sept 8, Oct 13, Nov 3, Dec 15, 2007; 2 – 5:30 pm (dinner)

To promote spiritual vitality through times of praise, preaching & prayer
To encourage shared spiritual disciplines (e.g., times for couples to pray together)
To preach the deeper spiritual problems that often surface in marriage & parenting problems (e.g., pride, selfishness, control, anger—character issues)
To help train husbands to be better spiritual leaders in the marriages and families
To help train women to support and encourage their husbands
To help train parents to teach Christian beliefs and values
To share about practical marriage and parenting issues (communication, finances; disciplining, nurturing personalities)
To provide some family-centered activities that the whole family would do together that also provides an opportunity for parents to teach Christian values to their kids.
To promote better fellowship amongst families

Hire a family pastor (part-time/consultant)

Job Description:

Help plan and lead Family Life
Cast a vision for marriage & parenting
Lead seminars & workshops
Visit and build relationships with Family small groups
Get to know a few key, older couples
Be available for marriage counseling

Help launch a mentoring ministry, perhaps with older couples
Provide structure & training for mentoring couples

(Those who want to be mentored agree to be a mentor)

Point to resources (books, CD’s, conferences, classes, etc.)

Help plan husbands retreat, wives retreat, and family weekend retreat
Help Pastor Paul to be a better leader, shepherd of family needs

Launch our Family Resource Library

Janette Kim has agreed to help collect resources, particularly on parenting.
Bonnie Kim has agreed to be the librarian responsible for keeping track of the loans.

The library is open on the first Sunday of each month, 12:00 – 12:45 pm, in P. Paul’s office.

Some recommended resources are available for purchase.

Launch a Family Weekend Retreat, 2008

Various sites and dates and being considered

3. Recommended Ministry Resources

Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (ccef.org)
Family Life Marriage Conference: Weekend To Remember
(www.weekendtoremember.com)

(September 2, 2007)

Family Ministry Handbook (pdf)

(September 2, 2007)