Families are one of the most significant contexts of Christian discipleship.
For many of us learning to live justly and lovingly with family members is one of the most difficult Christian discipline. Many congregations also find it extremely difficult to reach beyond the bonds of blood and marriage, which our culture defines as family, to live the good news of the gospel. That good news says that when we choose to follow Christ, we will have all the mothers and brothers and sisters we need and, by implication we must be that family for one another. The following needs to be the focus of family ministry for the church. They provide a core of goals for family ministry that is significantly different from and broader than community mental health's mandate to help families be less troubled and more satisfied.