FROM THE EDITOR
Terry C. Muck
January 1, 1986
Henry Zylstra, in Testament of Vision, wrote a provocative essay, "Eccentric Religion," in which he asked how an observer from Mars might describe the role religion plays in American life: "He could do worse than take a copy of Time magazine, point to its table of contents, and say that what he had seen down here was a lot of people interested in: Art, Books, Business, Cinema, Education, Medicine, Music, People, Personality, Press, Radio, Religion, Sports, Theatre. … "
Zylstra's analysis, I think, can be applied equally well to family ministry. That same Martian could do worse than describe the role family ministry plays in church life by taking the Sunday morning bulletin and saying this church is interested in: Sermons, Music, Youth, Family, Elderly, Singles, Deacons, Books. …
If our visitor were asked if Family, tucked in between Elderly and Youth, was the governing concern in the life of the church, he would have to say no, that Family was a category of ministry operating alongside the other ministries of the church but didn't appear to be any more, or any less, important than the rest of them.
Far from being the sinew and ligament that hold the entire body of Christ together (a role the family once played with great effectiveness), the family has been reduced to the status of an arm or leg, to be set in a splint if broken, to be built up by a well-planned exercise program if healthy, to be admired because of its importance at all times-but after all, it is just one part of the body in this culture.
To be sure, there are benefits to specializing family ministry, indeed to specializing family life itself. It does draw attention to a problem area. The family is threatened in our culture. Busy as we are, we need ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
|
|
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
