What is our philosophy of Family Ministry?

There are many different philosophies about what Family Ministry is and how it should be implemented in the local church. It would take a huge book to describe each one here so I'll just give you a highlight of what it means for our church body and how we implement it.

In a nutshell... At OEFC, we believe that the job of discipling children is given directly to parents.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Although the main responsibility lies on the shoulders of dad and mom, other adults play a big role in this area. Both our Junior High and Senior High Youth Groups are led by adults within the church, and many of them are parents of the teens themselves.  We also hold our youth group meetings during the Sunday school hour rather than on a seperate night of the week in order to allow our families to have more time together as a family during the rest of the week.

We plan numerous activities and events throughout the year that give children of all ages opportunities to work, play or serve alongside others of every age group.  We believe that this teaches young people the skills necessary to communicate and learn from other mature godly adults.  You can find some examples of those activities on our Calendar of Events page.

Some would go so far as to never separate different age groups, but at OEFC we feel that by providing age appropriate classes, not only are we able to discuss and teach on a wider variety of topics that may not be appropriate for every age group but we realize that people learn more when the lessons are geared for their own maturity level.  For this reason we have age segregated Sunday school classes, but families are encouraged to sit together during the worship service.

For more information on some of the different models and methods of Family Ministry in the local church, I have listed several books in the Helpful Resources section that you can purchase online or at a local bookstore. I already own a copy of most of them so if you would like to borrow one from me just let me know.

What is your passion?  There are numerous ministry opportunities available at the Orland Evangelical Free Church that need someone to take ahold of.  Besides the opportunities that we know of, there is always room to begin new ones that will reach a new set of people just like yourself.  God gave us gifts and talents, dreams and desires... all to be used for his glory.  What did he give you and how are using it for the kingdom of God? ... For more information of what is available or what you may be able to begin that is new and exciting, see Pastor Dan.