LIVING ON MISSION AS A FAMILY

Being a missional family is something that requires intentionality. Your family must be looking for opportunities within the community and around the world to engage in ways to share the love of Jesus.

STEP ONE

Develop a Kingdom Vision

While our families are our priority, we cannot allow what happens within the walls of our home to be our singular focus. Christ calls us to live a life on mission for Him. While for some that may mean moving across the world to become a vocational missionary, for others it may mean meeting the needs in the community right where you are.

Here are a few passages that discuss our calling from Christ:

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Romans 10:13-15 says, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””

Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Scripture calls us to live for more than just having a personal relationship with Christ. It calls us to share that personal relationship with others. So, how can we develop a vision for God’s kingdom? We must be willing to share our faith with others and meet the needs of those around us.

STEP TWO

Find Your Place

As you begin to develop a vision for God’s kingdom, your heart will be stirred to different missional efforts. Here are a few ways you can begin finding your place.

  • Know your neighbors: invite them for meals, plan neighborhood parties, host cookouts and playgroups, help the elderly, new moms, and anyone else who may need to see the light of Christ through you and your family.
  • Involve yourself in the schools your children attend: this goes beyond the obligatory volunteer duties. Know and pray for the teachers and administrators, host playdates for your children, even consider starting a Bible study or community group for kids! This will allow you to know more parents and widen your sphere of influence.
  • Participate in community activities: The more you know the culture of your community, the more you know how to live life with others.
  • Help those in need both physically and spiritually in your city: Jesus calls us to care for the poor. Kids need to see this in action. There are numerous opportunities to do this regularly by supporting food banks, soup kitchens, and other networks that are safe for you to volunteer at with your children.
  • Pray actively for people groups around the world who have not heard the gospel and support missionaries financially. Involve kids in raising money.[1]

If you have children within your family unit, pick opportunities where your entire family can be involved. In the podcast, “Raising Boys and Girls,” Sissy Goff discusses how research proves that one of the best predictors in your child’s confidence will be having a chance to make a difference somewhere. [2] Involving your children in missional efforts will increase their confidence, their gratitude, their Christian worldview, and their faith as they learn to depend on Jesus and see how he is at work within their community.

[1] Missional family, Missional Kids – Kids Ministry – dedicated to helping kids ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples. Lifeway Kids. (2014, October 14). https://kidsministry.lifeway.com/2014/10/14/missional-family-missional-kids/

2 Goff, S., & Thomas, D. (2023, September 8). Episode 88: Combat anxiety and stress in kids by helping them find purpose. Raising Boys & Girls. https://www.raisingboysandgirls.com/podcast/5-16

GOING FURTHER

RESOURCES

Backpack Buddies

CrossPoint Church provides opportunities through Backpack Buddy Ministry to help feed children in the local school system. For more information on how to get involved, contact Jen Burks at [email protected]

Nursing Home Ministry

Families can minister to residents of nursing homes. Call your local nursing home and see how your family can get involved.

Hope Lodge

Families can provide dinner to patients receiving cancer treatments while they are away from home. Visit https://www.cancer.org/involved/volunteer/hope-lodge.html to sign up.

Neighborhood Ministry

There are opportunities to engage in ministry in your neighborhood. Some ideas would be to prayer walk, share the Gospel, invite your neighbors to church, or be the hands and feet of Jesus by meeting a need. Also, inviting people into your home can provide great opportunities to be missional.

Foster and Respite Care

Families can meet large needs by getting plugged into serving children in their own community through foster and respite care. For opportunities on how to get involved, visit https://www.alabamachild.org/nextsteps and https://www.fosteraidministry.org/how-you-can-serve.

Compassion International

Have your family sponsor a child in another country. You can exchange letters with a child and make a difference in their life. For more information, visit compassion.com.