Family ministry is the church’s commitment to walk alongside families of all shapes and sizes, offering care, connection, and community. It’s not a program—it’s a posture. As the shape of family life continues to evolve, churches that invest in family ministry help ensure that every home is seen, supported, and strengthened in the life of the church.
To truly support families, we must also support the kids who bring them through our doors. Many children today carry invisible burdens—trauma, loss, instability—and if the church isn’t ready for that, family ministry falls short.
When our ministry leaders and volunteers know how to respond with grace and skill, they create a ministry environment where every child can belong, and every family feels seen.
When children carry trauma, loss, or emotional pain, it impacts how they behave—and how they experience church. If your volunteers aren’t equipped to understand what’s underneath the surface, it can lead to frustration, disconnection, and missed opportunities for ministry.
The Reach Hurting Kids Workshop is a self-guided training curriculum that helps ministry leaders equip their teams to respond with grace, insight, and practical tools. Through four engaging modules, volunteers learn how to create emotionally safe spaces where kids from hard places feel seen, valued, and included.
Because when kids feel safe, families feel welcome.
Send me information about the Reach Hurting Kids Workshop and other trauma-informed ministry resources for today’s families.
Reach Hurting Kids Institute represents a collective effort by Christian researchers, pastors, mental health practitioners, professors, authors, conference speakers, professional networks, and parachurch organizations to reach the hurting kids in our congregations and communities.