Family & Marriage Ministry Resources?

Hi there!

The Lord has been revealing to me over the last year or so that he is calling me into a family & marriage support (maybe counseling?) type of ministry. I feel so very passionately about the fact that a stable home life and marriage is absolutely essential for any Christian, especially those in ministry. I am positive beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I am designed to do...however, I am very much lacking in resources.

I did start a blog to "document" what myself and my family learn as we set out on this journey (Homeward Crowned | One Family's Journey Down the Path Less Traveled), however, we're finding a huge need for more information.

If anyone has any kind of resource at all that might help, I would be very appreciative!

Thank you so much!

I'm not quite sure what you're looking for. I can suggest some great books for marriage and family ministry, if that would be of help. Some I used in seminary, some I found on my own.

First, some Christian books. The Balswicks wrote a great (although long) book called The Family that integrates Systems Theory and a few other ideas as well. It would give a pretty darn good overview of families and their issues. Specifically for marriage, I like Marriage Made in Eden by Mathews & Hubbard and Covenant Marriage by Gary Chapman (who wrote, among other things, the popular book The Five Love Languages, which is pretty decent). The Boundaries series by Cloud & Townsend is excellent. There's a whole bunch: Boundaries, Boundaries in Marriage, Boundaries with Kids, etc.

A lot of others are not written specifically from a Christian perspective, although there's nothing in them that's anti-Christian at all. My favorite marriage counseling books are from John Gottman. They run the gamut from Why Marriages Succeed or Fail (a short, popular press-type of book) to The Marriage Clinic (a long book written for professional counselors).

I know both Gottman and Chapman also have video series available.

This is an area of interest for me as well. So I'm happy to help if you want more suggestions. Or, if I totally misunderstood what you were asking for, please just let me know that too.

Thank you so much! These are exactly the kinds of things I'm looking for, so if you've got more, I'd really appreciate it!

Hey donnamabob, in which case i'd also recommend "Model Marriage". The book indeed serves as a ready resource for both marriage counselors and couples. Stay Blessed.

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