Reclaiming the Urban Family
by Willie Richardson
April 1, 2002
The City of Philadelphia called recently and asked for the names of some "good families" they could honor. I knew we could give them hundreds of names from our church. I don't know why we hadn't had a special day to honor these families before.
Every year we recognize men on Men's Day and women on Women's Day. The whole church nominates people who are living a godly life. All those nominated are recognized, but the ones who are at the top we name "Mighty Men of David" and "Women of Great Price." We give our congregation examples to follow. And now we're doing it with whole families. Our church has become known for growing "good families."
In fact, our church has a near-zero divorce rate. Only one couple that's taken our family ministry training course in the past twenty years has divorced.
We're training men to be strong husbands and fathers. Our church membership has been as high as 48 percent male, that is until the single women started hearing about the kinds of men we produce!
The pregnancy rate among our teenagers is much lower than the average, and our children are significantly less involved in drugs and gangs.
These statistics would be outstanding for any church. What makes them more amazing is where they're happening—in urban Philadelphia. As our name suggests, our church has become a stronghold for the African-American family. And we've done it by teaching people the biblical standards for marriage and family life before they get married, by training couples to minister to couples in trouble, and by honoring those who live a godly lifestyle.
Team-teaching a new standard
Family has been an important focus for us for over 35 years, but what we call "family" has changed a lot since I founded the church in 1966. In our society, ...
Please complete one of the following:
If you're a Leadership journal subscriber...
...but have not yet registered for online access to CTLibrary.com, you can receive a full-year's access for just $29.95!
Register Here | | If you're NOT a Leadership journal print subscriber...
You're entitled to a special, introductory offer for new subscribers only! Subscribe now and receive a one-year Leadership journal print subscription and one-year access to all Leadership archives for just $39.95!
Subscribe now!
When you log in as a Leadership Journal subscriber, you'll see additional articles noted as premium content only available to CTLibrary.com members. To access the entire CTLibrary requires a CTLibrary subscription. If you would prefer this option, select the offer below that best fits your needs.
|
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
