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The Family-Friendly Church
Terrific book!
174 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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August 9, 2011This is an amazing book. The insights and direction are right on and so biblically corrent. But that also means, that it is very counter cultural! The modern church has so overshadowed parent's roles albeit out of good intentions and apparent need. This book shows a church how to grow families in their faith- allowing their homes to become becons of light in the world!
My reservations are that I became so frustrated. I was so inspired and was given the tools for change through the book but left feeling that it was a battle I could not engage in alone as a lay person. It would make an excellent group study as you find you will need the support of others and to bounce ideas of off each other. Overwhelming read for an individual with passion and desire :-)
My reservations are that I became so frustrated. I was so inspired and was given the tools for change through the book but left feeling that it was a battle I could not engage in alone as a lay person. It would make an excellent group study as you find you will need the support of others and to bounce ideas of off each other. Overwhelming read for an individual with passion and desire :-)
November 1, 2013
I'm a volunteer youth leader at our mid-size church in a big city in Canada, and I've been thinking a lot lately about work/life balance and how the church doesn't seem to be very good at encouraging that in its staff, and in a conversation about that issue, someone recommended this book.
There's a LOT of truth in here, and good observations about the toxicity of overwork among church workers. The author writes "So many of us have interpreted 'lay down your life' as 'obliterate your boundaries'", which of course leads to burnout, as it did for the author. He describes the church as a mistress that came between him and his family.
My main reservation about the book is that there's not much gospel in it. As it's something of a self-help book for the church, it's pretty law-heavy. It's full of helpful suggestions about ways to make your church more family friendly, but puts on added pressure to perform by not assuring the reader of God's love and grace in our failures.
The book is a bit dated in that it assumes that parents put church over sports or other extracurricular activities (which they don't, in my experience in our city), it assumes that parents want to be involved in youth ministry with their own kids (some do; most don't), and it completely overlooks the value of youth groups fostering strong Christian friendships between teenagers.
The author looks to replace a stand-alone youth ministry with one that's 100% family run. I do think parents should have an important role in youth ministry, but peer relationships are important too. And by assuming that parents are ready and willing to be totally involved in youth ministry, the book doesn't offer any suggestions of ways to motivate parent involvement, or ways to teach the importance of church over sports.
My quibbles are fairly minor overall - if read analytically with your specific church situation in mind, and with the knowledge of God's forgiveness when you fail, this book should be useful for every church worker, every church board member, and any church member who's looking for ways to support their church worker.
There's a LOT of truth in here, and good observations about the toxicity of overwork among church workers. The author writes "So many of us have interpreted 'lay down your life' as 'obliterate your boundaries'", which of course leads to burnout, as it did for the author. He describes the church as a mistress that came between him and his family.
My main reservation about the book is that there's not much gospel in it. As it's something of a self-help book for the church, it's pretty law-heavy. It's full of helpful suggestions about ways to make your church more family friendly, but puts on added pressure to perform by not assuring the reader of God's love and grace in our failures.
The book is a bit dated in that it assumes that parents put church over sports or other extracurricular activities (which they don't, in my experience in our city), it assumes that parents want to be involved in youth ministry with their own kids (some do; most don't), and it completely overlooks the value of youth groups fostering strong Christian friendships between teenagers.
The author looks to replace a stand-alone youth ministry with one that's 100% family run. I do think parents should have an important role in youth ministry, but peer relationships are important too. And by assuming that parents are ready and willing to be totally involved in youth ministry, the book doesn't offer any suggestions of ways to motivate parent involvement, or ways to teach the importance of church over sports.
My quibbles are fairly minor overall - if read analytically with your specific church situation in mind, and with the knowledge of God's forgiveness when you fail, this book should be useful for every church worker, every church board member, and any church member who's looking for ways to support their church worker.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews