Editorial

I’m starting to learn some of the beautiful quirks and routines of this particular little unit: their weekly regime of who has the kids on which days, the likes and dislikes of the children when it comes to food, the drama around bath times and the kids’ never-ending love for toy trains. It’s a privilege to be part of it and I’m also getting very good at navigating the obstacle course of trains around the house barefoot.

Whether it’s single-parent families, adopted children, merged families or same-sex couples, families come in all shapes and sizes. And in order to reach them effectively, we need our families’ work to be adaptable and suitable to whatever form they come in, not a onesize- fits-all kind of approach. That’s why we are hugely grateful to Gail Adcock and her team for carrying out a significant piece of research into the modern types of family (see p. 14). Uncovering 12 different ‘types’ of family unit, the research is an important piece for us to mull over, and to guide our thinking about how we do family ministry and outreach in the future. In some respects, every church is like an extended family, each has its own flavour and feel, with different quirks, likes and dislikes, routines and difficulties. In his article ‘Small but mighty’ (p. 18), Dave Csinos explores the benefits of being a small church, one of which is the sense of community and family that comes from knowing other members of the church personally. Maybe part of the secret of cracking family ministry has something to do with being a church family first.

Whatever your family looks like – individually or at church – I hope you find this month’s articles informative and eye-opening, and that you feel better equipped to serve the families in your context.