Family integrated church
In
A spectrum of such churches exists, where some eliminate all age-segregation and others allow for some in certain contexts. Although segregation may take place during weekday events, family-integrated churches are generally united in having children in the main worship service on the Lord's Day.[2] Timothy Paul Jones notes that in the family-integrated ministry model, "all age-graded classes and events are eliminated."[3] Family integrated churches emphasise inter-generational ministry and the "parents' responsibility to evangelize and disciple their own children."[1] Some advocates base this on the idea that families are the "God-ordained building blocks of the church."[4]
Adherents
Family-integrated churches can be found within many
NCFIC is a parachurch organization, founded with the mission of promoting the sufficiency of scripture for church and family life and restoring family-integrated worship.[10] The center works toward this goal by hosting conferences and connecting family-integrated churches around the world with their church directory which lists around 800 affiliated churches.[11] Although they have a confession of faith that listed churches are required to agree with, affiliation with the NCFIC does not necessitate full agreement with the organization, only "substantial agreement."[12] Furthermore, aside from their unity on family-integration, churches may vary widely in beliefs and adherents may vary greatly on issues regarding the practice of their faith.
Positions for and against family integration
In 2009,
John B. Carpenter, noted eight objections to the FICM: (1)The sufficiency of scripture: that scripture doesn't explicitly teach it; (2) Divisiveness: noted by Mathis above; (3) Contradicts Scripture: that Titus 2 recommends just the sorts of age segregation the FIC condemns; (4) Undermines the Authority of the Offices in the church: that pastors are called to teach in churches, not fathers; (5) The FIC Misreads Church History: that there have been age-segregated movements from the early days of church history; (6) The FIC is a Cure for a Disease that's Not Prevalent: that what it objects to isn't a widespread problem; (7) Misdefinition of the Church: that the church consists of individual believers, not family units; (8) Familism: that it appears to make the family the ultimate loyalty.[23]
References
- ^ a b Jones, Perspectives on Family Ministry, 52.
- ISBN 978-0982056745.
- ISBN 978-0-8054-4845-0.
- ^ "A Biblical Confession for Uniting Church and Family". Vision Forum. Archived from the original on 5 November 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ Bradley, Jr, Lasserre. "What Do Primitive Baptists Believe?". March to Zion. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ^ "Distinctives". Covenant Presbyterian Church Denominational Website. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ^ Phillips, Doug. "Church Leaders Discuss Family-Integrated Churches". Vision Forum Ministries. Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-87049-811-4.
- ^ Gerberding, George Henry (1902). The Lutheran Pastor. Lutheran publication society. p. 343.
- ^ "The Mission Of The National Center For Family Integrated Churches". The National Center for Family Integrated Churches. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
- ^ "Church network". National Center for Family-Integrated Churches. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ "Church listing sign up". National Center for Family-Integrated Churches. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- B&H Academic. pp. 68–69.
- ^ Brown, Scott. "About". Scott Brown Online.
- ^ Barrick, Audrey (9 February 2011). "Recovering the Sufficiency of Scripture in the Family, Church". The Christian Post. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
- ^ Brown, Scott T. "My Top Four Favorite Family-Integrated Church Pastors". Vision Forum. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ Winslett, Ben. "Family Integrated Worship - God Ordained and Safe". March to Zion. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ^ Köstenberger, Andreas J. God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation (Crossway Books, 2004), p. 259.
- ^ Kostenberger, God, Marriage, and Family, p. 258.
- R. C. Sproul, Jr., Ask RC: We can’t find a family integrated church, what should we do?, 22 July 2011.
- ^ Mathis, Shawn C. "What Is a Family Integrated Church?: Rejecting activities which separate children from parents". The Aquila Report. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
- ISBN 1462773362)
- ^ John B. Carpenter, "If the Family Is Central, Christ Isn't", The Christian Post, March 26, 2013.