Reaching Families through Evangelistic and Ministry Strategies

Share Jesus Without Fear - Paperback

We frequently talk about reaching or ministering to individuals, and so we should. Families sometimes come under the influence of a church’s ministry and into a right relationship with the Lord because one member was reached or ministered to in a time of need. Even so, families today are desperately looking for the peace and stability that only Christ can bring to a family where He is placed at the center of their lives. Here are some ways you can encourage families to look for opportunities to reach and minister to other families.

Identify family units who are prospects. Family unit prospects can be discovered the same way other prospects are discovered. Rather than focus on individuals, look at the family.
Provide training to families on how to reach other families. The purposeful training may deal with Bible study on God’s will for families; on characteristics of strong, spiritually healthy families; on tips for cultivating relationships with others; on creating an accepting, caring environment within the church family; on discovering needs of prospect families; and on ministering to families with special needs.
Include family visitation as a part of the ongoing visitation ministry of the church.
Develop a plan for enlisting church families to host Bible Clubs or other Bible study groups in their homes as a way to discover and cultivate relationships with spiritually lost and unchurched families.
Conduct family-oriented special events. Ask each family to invite another prospect family unit to attend as their guest. Following the event, the host family may want to invite the guest family to their home for refreshments and conversation.
Encourage ministry together. One way families can minister to other families is by encouraging families to participate as a family in giving support to a child or a family through a church or community-sponsored emphasis during the Christmas holidays. That beginning may grow into a year-round practice of ministering together as a family to another family.
Encourage families to work together as a family in a community project such as a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or habitat for humanity to name a few.
Encourage and provide opportunities for family mission trips. This will not only allow your families to create wonderful memories as a family but more importantly, parents will be modeling ministry to their children.