Alan Hirsch has written a few books:

Forgotten Ways, The: Reactivating the Missional Church

Rejesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church

The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church

However the book I will focus on is:  ReJesus.

The Hirsch’s argued two things in ReJesus. First, the church needs to Re-focus on the family.  The real focus on the family has missed it’s target.  What focus on the family has elevated the stereotypical Christian family, which really doesn’t exist anymore.  Church families are expected to be a family that really doesn’t exist.  What!?  Family ministries across the nation have a false perception of what a “good-perfect church family” looks like and for some people the nuclear family is not an option.

The nuclear family is an idol in the American church.  We cannot get back to the nuclear family.  The nuclear family doesn’t exist anymore.

Second, the Bible has a broader view of how it sees family.  Family ministries need to expand their understanding of the family and the family of God.  The church needs to see itself as a family of families.  The goal is not to be like the perfect-nuclear-Christian family, rather it is to be the family of God with a Kingdom trajectory.  1 Corinthians 9.5 alludes to how the disciples brought their families along when they orchestrated ministry.  The church is the instrument to facilitate communal relationships to continue the themes of being the Kingdom to others.  Charles Cell indicates that family life is really important and we need to take themes from the family and practice them in our church life.

Therefore, the church becomes a family of families who are achieving the same Christ mission.  Bottom line our churches need to be a permeable living and breathing organic family of families unit with Kingdom trajectory intentions.  Notice this broader view of the church family sees all families as one and does not favor the families that appear really “Christian”.

These two thoughts have two implications.

First,

It is my belief that churches have an amazing opportunity to really implement this Kingdom of God family vision very effectively.  Churches are already tighter families so therefore it is more practical to see the church as a family of families being the Kingdom to other families and to their town.

Second, youth ministries need to stop having their special youth ministry Sunday morning services on Sunday.  Regardless of how big your church is and if your families like it or not, youth pastors and youth ministries need to stop having their main youth ministry events on Sunday morning.  Families need to worship together on Sunday.  Yes I know parents want a break on Sunday mornings but being a parent is a 24/7 job.  Parents cannot take days off, especially on Sundays.

Reggie Joiner over at reThink Group understands the reality of how children ministry, youth ministry, and family ministry all need to be interacting and relying on one another.

Keep valuing family at your church.  How each ministry does ministry should heavy consider the family system, regardless how broken and fragmented the families are at your church.

© 2009, Jeremy Zach. All rights reserved.