Tag Archives: Family Ministry

Joe Butler…Connecting with families in your community

It’s not about starting a “special needs ministry,” as much as it’s about changing your philosophy of ministry to include families affected by special needs into the life of your church. Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Families, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

To love adoptive and foster families, (5) be willing to listen and learn.

Listen to the challenges we encounter as adoptive and foster families, such as being conspicuous in public due to adopting or fostering a child of a different race, considering dissolution or disruption of a child’s placement within our family in favor of another family who might be better equipped to meet the child’s needs, losing friends or family who don’t agree with our choice to adopt or foster, and struggling with the special needs of our child, whether known before placement or presenting as a surprise post-placement. Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Controversies, Families, Foster Care, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

To love adoptive and foster families, (4) let our kids be kids…

But they are kids, first and foremost. Welcome them as you would any other child. Work with their parents or guardians to figure out how to include them well.
Continue reading

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To love adoptive and foster families, (3) partner with us…

So it makes sense that one way to love the adoptive and foster families in your church is to partner with us. In many ways, this looks just like family ministry does for everyone else. Continue reading

Posted in Adoption, Advocacy, Families, Resources, Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Are parents of kids with ADHD stigmatized at church?

Would it make more sense to err on the side of grace in how we view families of kids with ADHD, at least until we know them well enough to feel we could walk in their shoes? Continue reading

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What keeps kids with ADHD out of church?

“People in the church believe they can tell when a disability ends and bad parenting begins.” Continue reading

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Back to school…Libby Peterson

Some of the best preparation we can give our kids for the new school year might be…not new clothes, but a renewed sense of self as we remind them that they are chosen by the God of the Universe to belong to HIM, clothed in righteousness, and that God loves them no matter what! Continue reading

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Past experiences of church have left many families hurting and broken…

We hardly ever go to church any more. I write this with tears in my eyes because I want to find a church where my kids and I are accepted, and yes, even given “special” treatment from time to time…I am so close to just giving up on church. Continue reading

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Families impacted by mental illness crave support from their church…

The study points out a crying need on the part of families impacted by mental illness for help and support through their local church to facilitate inclusion and spiritual growth. Continue reading

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Thinking differently about kids and mental illness…

One of the challenges in understanding the epidemic of mental illness in kids is that conditions such as anxiety disorders and ADHD may be disabling in some environments, but not others. Continue reading

Posted in ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Autism, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment