Family Ministry Toolbox

Family ministry has become a bit of a “buzzword” over the past few months, particularly during the COVID pandemic. Churches have been looking for creative ways to resource families for discipleship, and keep them connected when distance prevents regular meetings.
Here at Equip Family, we are passionate about seeing families equipped for lifelong faith – and giving YOU, family ministry leaders the tools to do it! That’s why we’ve put together this “Family Ministry Toolbox” – chocked full of all sorts of resources you’ll need to serve families to the best of your abilities!

What’s Inside?

A better question might be “What’s not inside!?” but let’s walk you quickly through what’s in this toolbox.

1. FAMILY SURVEY:
One of the best ways to grow a flourishing family ministry is to connect with families in your church – to understand their needs and get to know them. Inside this toolbox we’ve included a PDF of a Family Survey, a Google Forms template you can use, and an After the Survey list of ideas for you to compile the information!

2. FAMILY FACT SHEETS:
Having a Family Fact Sheet on file for each family in your church is a surefire way to get to know them! Having easy access to families’ important information (like birthdays, favourite foods & contact info!) helps you seem like a superhero as you get to know families. Inside, we’ve included a PDF copy of our Family File Sheet, an All About You sheet that kids can fill out themselves, and a Canva Template for you to edit/create your own!

3. ADOPT A FAMILY INITIATIVE:
The past year of navigating a pandemic has brought to light that so many families are struggling with loneliness and isolation. One of the most powerful things YOU can do as a church is to create an Adopt a Family Initiative. This initiative pairs families with older couples, singles or families in the church to create a prayer partnership & support system. Included in this file you will find:

• An Adopt a Family Initiative Guide for Leaders
• Adopted Family Profile Sheet (and Canva link to edit!)
• Bonus Ideas to share with Families
• Sample E-mails & Bulletin Insert
• Social Media Image to share about the Campaign

4.BONUS FAMILY WORSHIP IDEAS
Beyond the administrative stuff, we wanted to include some tangible ways you can include families in worship! We have put together a file of some great resources to help you think creatively about Family Worship. You will find:

• A sample Family Worship Experience you can use in your church
• A Guide to Church Online for families (PDF & PNG format)
• A Parents’ Guide to Kidmin Online (PDF & Canva Template)
• A Guide to Drive-In Church (PDF & PNG format)

5. FAMILY FUN IDEAS

We know that summer (and especially summer in a worldwide pandemic!) can be a tough time to try to connect with families, so this folder includes eight simple and fun ideas you can post to your church’s social media page to get connected to families. Each of these challenges is included as a square and story style image, and is simple enough to be completed by anyone, anywhere at anytime! You can use any of these eight simple challenges to connect with families over the summer months!