Families are Changing...Are You Prepared to Reach Them?

The word "Family" no longer just means a husband, wife and two kids. With the cultural shifts that have transpired over the last two decades, when you say "family," the general public links the word to a variety of meanings.

Single dads. Single moms. Husband and wife. Husband and husband. Wife and wife. Grandparents and grandchildren.

The bottom line is families are much more diverse than they were in previous decades. And families continue to change in different ways across the communities of the USA.

Here are some more things you want to be aware of as you seek to minister effectively to families.

-People are marrying later in life.

-Many adults are forgoing marriage.

-US births outside of marriage has increased.

-More children are living with an unmarried parent.

-There are differences between urban adults and suburban adults. 36% of urban adults ages 25 to 34 are married. In comparison, 44% of those living in suburban areas are married and 46% of those living in rural areas are married.

-Single moms. 35% of births to women age 15 to 50 are to unmarried women.

-In the suburbs, 71% of children live with two married parents. In urban areas, 66% of children live with two married parents. It's important to stay in touch with the demographics of the area where you are ministering. This will help you as you plan your outreach, discipleship, events, classes, etc. A big part of "serving" your community is meeting them where they are. This starts by knowing where you are. What type of community are you in? What are the specific needs your community has? How can you best reach out to the people in your community? When more people from your community do start coming to your church, are you prepared to minister to them effectively? These are questions you should be talking about with your ministry team. Families are changing. And the big question is "Are you willing to change to reach the families in the area where God has called you?