our philosophy of family ministry

Our beliefs about family life come from the Bible. We believe following God’s ways as

described in Scripture offers the best path to blessing our families and raising faith-shaped

children in nurturing households.

In sharing these beliefs, our goal is not to judge others but to thoughtfully contribute

principles from the Bible for building healthy families. We understand that in our fallen world,

no one perfectly lives out these ideals. All human beings struggle and need grace. But we have

hope because of Christ’s redeeming love.

We realize not everyone shares these convictions, and some may feel hurt when beliefs

counter to theirs are taught. We therefore share these beliefs gently, in advance, and invite

open dialogue. Scriptural references set out below are listed as examples and are not the only

Scriptural citations that may apply.

Our Philosophy of Family Ministry

  • #1

    God is the creator of the family, and his ways as revealed in the Bible offer the best hope for human flourishing.

  • #2

    We are all broken creatures and we do not always live up to God’s ways. We need mercy. We can be forgiven because of Jesus’ sacrificial love on the cross.

    (Romans 3:23-24)

  • #3

    Marriage and parenting require humility and a willingness to admit our mistakes.

    (1 John 1:1:8)

  • #4

    God created humans male and female. Masculinity and femininity are beautiful gifts to humankind.

    (Genesis 1:27)

  • #5

    Sexual intercourse is reserved for marriage. Marriage is a life-long covenant between one man and one woman.

    (Exodus 22:16-17, Deuteronomy 22:13-21, Mark 7:21, Acts 15:29)

    (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 5:31-32, Romans 1:26-27)

  • #6

    Marriage requires the grace of mutual submission between husband and wife. Husbands should sacrifice for their wives and wives should respect their husbands.

    (Ephesians 5:21 – 33)

  • #7

    Children should obey their parents; parents should use their God-given authority to shape their children’s obedience.

    The parent’s authority is given for the purpose of training and nurturing the child. The parent must strive to deserve this authority and to grow in wisdom and skill.

    (Ephesians 6:1, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4)

  • #8

    Teenagers require increasing autonomy from their parents as they transfer their primary obedience from their parents to God.

    (Luke 2:51)

  • #9

    The New Testament allows divorce for marital unfaithfulness and considers the possibility of divorce by an unbelieving spouse. (Matthew 5:32; 1 Corinthians 7:12-15)

    We recognize that there may be situations where separation is appropriate. Remarriage after divorce can be permissible but requires healing and ownership of one’s mistakes in the prior marriage.