Movement of Healthy Churches: Sign 8 – Missional Families

Families as missional and living it out in our churches is another angle to look at the scope of missions in a church. Ps Jason Ting challenges us to look at families as missional in new lens.

Common Definition of Missions in Church

When we think about missions in church, we have to first acknowledge the broadness of its scope. And this is brought out most clearly by missiologist David Bosch where,

“Mission is the total task which God has set the Church for the salvation of the world.”

Many other Christian thinkers have explored this area and brought us back to our God who is on mission. That “He alone initiates, empowers, directs, and blesses all true mission.”

In recent times social action and justice has been included too when thinking about missions which can be seen in the community services started by our Singapore churches.

But one thing is for sure, any mission endeavors and effort ultimately seeks to see individuals hearing the good news and putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And this dimension of mission can be seen most clearly as evangelism.

The Lausanne Movement sees “Evangelism as the proclamation of the historical, Biblical Christ as Savior and Lord with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and be reconciled to God. The results of evangelism include obedience to Christ, incorporation into his church and responsible service in the world.”

Currently though, when we think about missions in our churches, it usually revolves around either empowering the individual to be on mission or mobilizing the church as a body to be on mission.

But one thing is for sure, any mission endeavors and effort ultimately seeks to see individuals hearing the good news and putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Rethinking Families as Missional in the Scriptures

But what if we were to think of the church as being made out of families? What if we were to think of how we can equip and strengthen our families to be on mission? So rather than only equipping individuals and the church at large, what would missional families look like?

A biblical reference we have is Abraham in Genesis 12 who heard His Heavenly Father’s voice to leave his country, kindred and father’s house to go a new land. Why? So that he would be a blessing to others. In other words, to live on mission for God.

God didn’t just choose one man, Abraham. He chose Abraham and his family (Sarah, Hagar, Keturah, Issac, Ishmael, Simran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shush). And it was his entire family, in all its brokenness that God used to be His missionaries on earth.

It was through this one family that the nation of Israel came forth (Exodus) that led to the church being born (Acts).

In other words, to live on mission for God.

The Need to Rethink the Church’s Position of Marriage and Families

In the recent State of the Family organized by Focus on the family, pastors, educators, businessmen all sensed the erosion today’s marriages to individual happiness and fulfillment. Where marriages and families exist for individual happiness and fulfillment. Where marriages are becoming more about personal convenience and preferences. Where each member becomes more self-centered and self-absorbed.

And the sad reality is that when there is no more happiness or when it is no longer convenient for two people to be married, couples turn to divorce. They seek divorce because their spouse no longer fulfills their needs, and they are no longer happy.

Just as we need to turn back to God and start with Him when we think about missions, we too should turn back to Him when we think about marriage and family. By re-thinking our definition of a healthy marriage and family.

Marriages and Families as Missional (For other marriages and families)

Rather than only stand for marriage as being of one man and woman, we as the church can advocate also for marriages and families to be living on mission (for our Heavenly Father).

To be fruitful and multiply is the invitation that God gave to the first couple Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28). And this invitation can also be seen as a definition of what mission looks like in marriage.

We usually think of fruitfulness and multiplication as having our own children. But what if we were to extend our idea of fruitfulness beyond having one’s own children but also to children of other families?

In other words, a family living on mission for the Father is seeking to bear fruit and be a blessing to other children and other families. Especially children who are in broken families and need basic care of food, shelter and education.

A family living on mission is thinking about how to love other children and other families in their schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

A family living on mission is thinking about how to love other children and other families in their schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

A Missional Family that Fosters

My wife, son and I recently became a foster family in 2024. And in July 2024 we welcomed our foster son.

There were many factors and stories that led us to this. But one discovery for us is how we’ve been mobilized to be a family on mission for our Heavenly Father. And the interesting discovery is how other families in our church have also been mobilized with us.

Every day we are stretched to love our foster son as our own. In our care, our attention and time, each of us, even my natural son has to lay down his own selfish desires to embrace and play with him.

And every Sunday when our foster son comes to worship service, our church community is also stretched to embrace, hug and play with him as much as they do with our natural son.

Through this one commitment, my families and some families in our church are being challenged to live on mission for our Father.

But one discovery for us is how we’ve been mobilized to be a family on mission for our Heavenly Father.

Churches Filled with Families Living on Mission

Not all families are called or have the capacity to foster other children. But I believe that all families and marriages are meant to live on mission for our Father. That’s His design and desire.

And what that looks like is becoming a family who is able to be a blessing to other children and families in any context. Growing in their capacity to love whichever neighbor our Father places us next to.

So instead of having only a metric of individual believers, number of salvations and baptisms or a missions program that mobilizes the church, how about considering how many families in your church is living on mission for the Father? How many families in your church can be a blessing to another child and family?

One sign of a healthy church would be that it is filled with families who are living every day on mission for their Heavenly Father. Being a blessing to other children, other families, whether they are in the same school, same neighborhood or same workplace.

One sign of a healthy church would be that it is filled with families who are living every day on mission for their Heavenly Father.