By Jennifer S . Ripley , James N . Sells , & Diane J Chandler
THE INGREDIENTS OF SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE & FAMILY MINISTRIES
By Jennifer S . Ripley , James N . Sells , & Diane J Chandler
Serving felt needs has been a common path to advancing the gospel since Jesus walked among us . The Son of God healed the lame and the blind , cured the sick , and fed the hungry . Today , we might address thirst by digging wells , address hunger by teaching improved agricultural techniques , or advance communities through literacy skills . These methods meet explicit gospel mandates and build trust relationships where curiosity forms .
By any measure , the collapse of healthy relationships and marriage is the felt need of the 21st century . Mother Theresa famously saw this reality . In 2004 , before any awareness of an epidemic of loneliness , the little Albanian religious sister said : “ In the West there is a loneliness , which I call the leprosy of the West . In many ways , it is worse than our poor in Calcutta .” 1
Three Core Ingredients of Marriage and Family Ministries
For any church to impact its surrounding community while transforming its internal relationship health , it must penetrate all facets of ministry and be seen as its primary front porch , leading souls to a real encounter with Jesus Christ . Achieving this requires a cultural shift . We suggest that the components of any cultural shift address vision , skills , and community .
Vision is the first ingredient that overcomes
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