Today's "Average" Family

Today’s families have changed drastically. What that means for First Free is that our strategies and programs need to change to reach them.

Brian Moss, who blogs at Next Level Leadership, gives 10 characteristics of what the ‘average’ unchurched family looks like today. As you read through his list, ask yourself how First Free is doing in reinventing structures, strategies, and programs to reach these families.

1.        They are a blended home. 43% of marriages are remarriages. 65% of those involve children from a prior marriage. Blended families are becoming the norm.

2.       They are spiritually mismatched. Moms generally make the connection to church. Dad is busy ‘enjoying the only day off’ at home.

3.       They are financially strapped. They need to learn to earn, budget, spend, save, and give. Credit is a way of life for them and they cannot absorb even one financial catastrophe.

4.       They are over-calendared. Parents have become the willing slaves of their children’s activities. No time for church.

5.        They are Biblically illiterate. They have no idea what the Bible actually says. To many, the Bible is a book of fables and fairy tales.

6.       They are ethnically diverse. Millennials can’t relate to racial barriers and tensions.

7.        They have a special needs child. 12% of children in kindergarten through 6th grade are identified with a disability. This percentage is rising each year.

8.       One in five have experienced some form of trauma in the home. Abuse, violence, and severe cruelty is common today.

9.       They want to be successful. They want to have a good marriage, good home, be a good parent, and they simply have no idea how to get there.

10.     They are spiritually hungry. They are searching for change. They want truth, meaning, hope, and healing.

As a church, may we be willing to remove every unnecessary encumbrance and unbiblical distraction and be the place of grace that reaches the ones Christ gave his very life for.

Chances are very good that if you invite one of these families to join you for the Christmas Eve service at 2:00, 3:30, or 5:00, they would join you. All of these characteristics scream ‘we need Jesus.’

Blessings,
Mark "The Bru" Brunott

P.S. For many of us Christmas brings about a lot of positive feelings and memories. For others the thought of Christmas brings tension, disappointment, and unnecessary competition. Join us and bring a friend Sunday at 9:15 and 11 am to discover the secret to having a Merry Christmas, no matter what comes your way.