Session: Family Development

Preparation

• Before the session ask one or two of your participants to be prepared to share a personal experience they have had with families of teenagers in their groups.
  
  
• On the marker board, write the developmental stages in families.

Reflect and Practice

1. Open the session with fellowship and prayer.
   
   
2. Ask the participant(s) you enlisted to share their experience with the group.
   
   
3. Invite others to share their experiences.
   
   
4. Say, "Consider the families of the teenagers in your group. Write names of your teenagers beside the living arrangement that describes their families." Discuss the implications for your ministry.
   
   
5. Do the same for developmental stages in families. Determine a percentage of your teenagers who have families in each stage. Develop a strategy or plan of action to follow in helping your church minister to families.
   
   
6. Ask your participants to find a partner to evaluate their parenting and leadership styles with teenagers.
   
   
7. Close the session with prayer for the parents of the teenagers in your groups. Remind your participants to read the article for the next session.
   
   
8. If this is your last session, spend a few moments reflecting on the experiences participants have had with this study. Ask, "What difference has this experience had on the way you teach and minister? What actions can we take to encourage our church family to be more intentional in ministering to teenagers and their parents?"
   
   
9. Close with a concert of prayer where teachers and leaders verbalize the names of teenagers in their groups at the same time. Open the prayer time for specific requests and concerns about understanding teenagers in your church and community.