The Essential Guide to Family Ministry

Family ministry is a term used by Christian denominations. It means any work that is with families or their members within the context of their worshipping group. We will be translating Gail Adcock's book "The Essential Guide to Family Ministry" into a specifically Quaker context together as we read two chapters between each live session.

In the live sessions we will reflect on the questions provided at the end of each chapter and apply what we have read to Quaker community and our work with children, young people and families. The book is written from a broader Christian context, Gail Adcock is currently the Family and Intergenerational Development Officer for the Methodist Church, we will find our own Quaker versions of what is said where it feels necessary.

Through our Quaker understanding of Family Ministry, we will give ourselves the tools to reinvigorate our meetings where the ministry of all ages can thrive.

This course could be of huge benefit to the Children and Young People's Advocate of your area meeting or those involved in running local children's meetings. It will also be hugely relevant to the Friend in local meeting who routinely remembers to check in on a family who hasn't been to meeting for worship for a while and recognises the loss in their absence – and those responsible for the spiritual nurture and pastoral care of the meeting more generally.

"The Essential Guide to Family Ministry is not just a book for those who work with young families. It will also be of value to clergy and PCC members at the outset of any review of their church's ministry in relation to the pluriform reality of contemporary family life." - Revd Philip Welsh writing in the Church Times

The date period given for the course is when you are expected to interact with the online material and discussion forum. You can work on this at any time to suit you. The live Zoom sessions are every Wednesday during this period. The first session will be at at 19:30-21:00 (UK time). The start time of the other sessions will be agreed according to the participants' preferences.