Integrating Christian Parenting Resources into Our Congregation

By Lindsey Ruhland, Director of Children's Ministry at St. Stephen Lutheran Church

Weaving the Resources into our Congregation

When I first heard about the Christian Parenting Project I was eager to get involved.  The goals of the project lined up with the shift in our congregation toward more family centered programming.  As I learned more about the resources, ideas started forming of all the ways we could weave them into what we are already doing at St. Stephen.

A Vibrant Community in Bloomington, Minnesota

A bit about our congregation.  St. Stephen Lutheran (ELCA) is a large congregation located in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is an inner ring suburb of Minneapolis that has a unique “hometown” feeling.  We are fortunate to be growing during a time when many local churches are struggling.  We have a vibrant children and youth ministry, along with many adult programs.

Adapting Resources for Our Congregation

When the resources became available, rather than only offering them to families to do on their own, we started weaving them into some of our programs.  Before the program year started (ours runs Sept-May), we looked at the themes of the resources and decided to use them in a different order than they were released.  We chose themes that fit in with what was happening in the congregation.  For example, when programs started for the school year, we chose “Community” to be our theme for September and we chose “Fun” for January because it can be a long cold and dark month in Minnesota.

Building Community through Worship

On Wednesday evenings we have a short, all ages worship service in addition to our programs.  There are lots of kids, teens, and parents who attend this service.  We incorporate our monthly theme (from the resources) into our messages for this service and we also use some of the prayers from the resources in this worship both in prayer form and as responsive liturgy.  

A Space for Families to Grow Together

On Wednesdays, we also have Family Ministry.  Family Ministry is a short, 30 minute session where families with kids birth-5th grade can come together for a lesson or activity.  We use the theme for the month to guide this program as well. We do service projects, play games, have lessons, and more.  The resources from the Christian Parenting Project also work great in this program.  In September, when our theme was Community, we did the Week 1 “Map your community” activity.  Each family made their own map and then shared who is in their community.  Not only does Family Ministry provide families a place and space to try out the resources, it also models how they can be done if they want to try any at home as well.

As the project continues to grow, we look forward to continuing to see how we can weave the resources into what our congregation is already doing and also encourage families to try them out on their own as well.