“Preacher, she is leaving me, can you come over?” They were in Bible Studies (you know the one that goes line by line and is really spiritual?), active in Sunday School, they were faithful to each other, not using pornography, or drugs.  And I spent all that Christmas Eve trying to convince her not to leave him.  She stayed for a year.

Sometimes godly parents raise ungodly children.   Sometimes husbands molest children or have affairs.  Sometimes husbands and wives hit each other.  Mothers can be more concerned with cosmetic surgery than with the souls of their children.  “Sacrifice” is the new profanity.  And on the outside they all look good.

What are you doing to help the families in your church?

Start by making sure your own marriage is sound.  Bible believing folks divorce too, despite the BFM.  A sound marriage is a result of how you behave, not what you know.  The Galatians 6:6 Conferences, provided each year at no charge to all church staff in AR are good places to start strengthening your marriage.  The focus of these conferences is relationships, not knowledge.

Deal with practical issues in your preaching. Practical issues are those like money, lust, patience with others, kindness, and godly parenting.  Biblical teaching on these subjects will equip church members to be better people.  Better people stay married longer and guide children well.

Remind church members that to hit one another, curse one another, and humiliate one another grieves the Father who loves all His children. Loving the Father means loving those He has given you.

Plan and promote special events for families. Family revivals or mission trips are possibilities, along with Marriage Conferences and Parenting Conferences for your church.  A weekend conference or a three day revival will not solve all family problems, but it can sensitize church members to needs and areas for improvement.

Be sure your youth minister teaches youth to respect and obey their parents. In recent years, as it has become “spiritual” to criticize church, shallow ministers criticize parents in order to convince youth that these ministers are friends of the youth and understand their problems.  Godly youth obey parents and see their authority as God’s leadership on earth.

A word about balance: The church should be careful to protect the weak, whether the unborn, children, wives, or husbands who are deluded by Satan.  Biblical submission does not hurt those who submit, but strengthens them.  Be clear that both physical and verbal abuse is sin against God and against families.

Ben Phillips ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) leads the Family Ministry Team of the ABSC.  He can help the families in your church.

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