Creating A Healthy Family Dynamic In The Parish

I love seeing young families at Mass. I’m not sure if that’s a sign of getting older, but watching little kids crawl all over the pews, make their random sounds, and get joyful over everything makes my worship experience richer. I don’t even mind the yelling or screaming child because, as a father, I’ve been there, and it just means the parish is alive.

I know there is a lot of conversation around making Mass more family-friendly; however, the efforts have to go beyond the liturgy and into the rest of parish life. Creating a family dynamic in your church means looking at how they worship, grow, and serve. While it’s crucial to provide proper resources, the parish needs to take the lead and:

CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS CAN GROW TOGETHER

Family events are good, but not everyone thrives in a family environment or has a healthy family dynamic. I know that as a teen, if I did not have youth ministry to disconnect from home, then I would have only grown tired of what the Church was trying to do.

I believe there is a place for children’s ministry and youth ministry, in addition to family ministry. I think that those areas will only get stronger if you also provide adult formation for parents, couples, or simply adults. There will be times when people want to grow with their families and other times want to expand on their own.

SPEND TIME IN THE MISSION FIELD WITH FAMILIES

A lot of family catechesis either occurs at the parish or in the home. I think it’s great to invite families onto the campus, but with all the activities going on, they won’t give you a chance if parents do not see the value. Ministry leaders need to get more comfortable going out to schools and sporting events to connect with families.

If you want to do a parish event, consider holding it at a local park or public forum. Not only will your event take away the intimidation of walking into a church building, it’ll evangelize those who might be walking by. If you are present in the lives of families and show that the Church is willing to go out to them, they will make a more significant effort to invest in their faith.

MAKE THEIR KIDS A PRIORITY

Both children and youth ministry are challenging to grow and lead. Finding enough leaders, space and the right content takes up a lot of time. However, parishes need to take a hard look at their finances and staff and answer the question, “Do we care about our young people?”

Different organizations do well with attracting young people and their families because they put their money where their mouth is. Ask any parent, and they’ll tell you that raising kids is not cheap, but the investment is worth it. If a parish is going to adopt a family dynamic, it is critical to invest time and resources into nurturing the future of the Church.

How is your parish/church investing in a healthy family dynamic?