Family friendly church
What are your top tips for family friendly church?
Keep response activities free and not prescriptive. Allow adults and children to respond in the way God leads.
Non-church children really respond to creative prayer time.
Teenagers helping to run children’s club.
Look at the encouraging faces when you are at the front of church.
Family service followed by ‘pot luck’ lunch and family games time.
Have a children’s advocate – someone who is assigned to get alongside children and listen to them to find out what they want are passionate for who can address the church leadership.
All are responsible for spiritual development and discipleship of children, eg Pastor, Sunday school teacher, Elder, parents, grandparents, siblings etc.
Leaflet local schools, clubs etc in regards to our Holiday Clubs and film nights to further reach the community.
Messy Church at 4pm on a Sunday, monthly. This seems to be the best time when families may come to church from the local community. Occasional parties at this time have been successful in the past.
Maximise yearly occasions such as Mother’s Day etc (small church, hence pressures of small team).
Teach children to worship and invite the ‘older’ age group people to come to their service and experience what God is doing.
Good communication: I did regular ‘updates / information’ sheets for the mum and toddler group and after school club and this went down very well.
We have family nights where we have a film and meal provided by church and games and fun; usually a message within the film. A time when un-church people come and ask about what we do on Sundays.
Joining with another church to put on a holiday club (especially a fellowship with no building) – split the work and split the cost enabling it to happen!
Hot Cross Bun Service on Good Friday – reclaiming Hot Cross Buns for Easter. Works through whole of the Easter story and makes it relevant to people. Followed by a light, nibble type lunch.
We are trying to get to know parents (from toddler group) by putting on adult evening events of First Aid for kids, nutrition for kids – as we need to develop bridges between toddler group and family church.
Recognition that Sunday services may not be the answer for all un-churched. Some un-churched may only ever be able to be integrated into mid-week services.
Celebration Sunday for all ages.
Family dinners.
Family friendly café church.
After school clubs to link into church.
Have the children involved in the family friendly service by involving them in the sermon, having packs for them geared towards the sermon to keep them engaged.
Course on bringing up Godly children as a pre-requisite for parents who bring their children forward for Dedication (or infant baptism).
Not ‘all age’ ‘family service’ but Intergenerational Congregations.
Get older members of church to share their experiences with others.
Celebration event – one off – get families involved – try giving people jobs.
Puppet ministry training for all ages together.
Bring others to the CM Conference who are not necessarily linked with kids – I am a musician, now inspired in so many different ways – when you get home kids ministry is more sustainable through people considering what they’ve heard.
In once-a-month All Age Family Services children and adults take part so everyone is included – quite a change from traditional ‘one person’ ministry. We’re also creating alternative opportunities for worship mid-week.
Visit an elderly person in the church with the junior club. See the stuff in their home – or invite them to tell a spiritual story or two from their life and show a special thing that means something.
Family service run by a different person each time – they organise it and get others involved. All ages join in with this offering music, reading and speaking talents.
Saturday morning cinema for kids and parents with some Bible themes.
Sandwiches and fellowship after church – gets the church family spending more time together – children and adults.
Cancel Family Service once a month and replace it with Messy Church 4pm Sunday – family time in place of family service.
Inter-church cell groups for 15-25s.
Kidz Klub in a bag.
Children interview older church members in kids club.
‘Who let the dads out?’ Saturday morning. Saturday family worship.
Help the whole church to see families are their responsibility (don’t quite know how).
Pot luck food – brought in to lessen team involvement so everyone can then take part.
Families round table sharing a meal with lots of ‘God talk’ going on between ages – develops relationships / community / kingdom family.
Care Group that children can come to in the morning.
Church lunches once a month for everyone to bring their families and friends to.
Do as you can, not as you can’t. if you are in a small church or rural area put on 4 or 5 events a year and each time tell everyone about the next one.
The children from our mid week group made bookmarks with their name on and then gave them to people in the church to pray for them.
Father’s Day family friendly service followed by a BBQ.
A ‘Last Night of the Proms Concert’ – engaged with families in the community and one lady came to the Sunday morning service!
Want to try Messy Church at 4pm Sunday.
Team up with a local school. Work with them on their development plan to help them with needs rather than ‘do’ church to them.
Sunday afternoon 4pm family celebration – Messy Church seems to work really well.
Family night with puppets, jazz & food.
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