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Ministry Team Summary
Interested in turning the tide on family breakdown? Interested
in transforming the current divorce culture into a marriage culture? Interested
in creating communities where marriages and families thrive? Then the Community-based
Relationship Ministry Team is for you!
Community-based Relationship Ministry (CBRM) emerges when
churches work with others in their local area to provide resources
or services to help individuals, couples, families, parents, and
children flourish in their relationships. CBRM can expand the breadth
and depth of prevention and intervention services churches provide
to people in all stages of the life spectrum of relationships.
Community-based Relationship Ministry is John 17 in action.
The quality of the relationships between the churches determines
how extensive the CBRM can be. There are different levels of CBRM
based on the comfort level, trust, and unity that exists between
the congregations and other community partners.
Level One: Relationship Ministry Champion
Two or more churches promote, co-sponsor, or host a marriage, parenting,
or family enrichment event; or support a relationship ministry emphasis
in their local community.
Level Two: Community Standard-Bearer
Churches form and sign a community agreement committing to a set
of requirements (i.e. pre-marital education before a wedding), and
a set of principles to raise the standard for relationships in the
community. Churches remain independent and autonomous, but agree
to mutual accountability. Over the last decade, thousands of churches
in hundreds of communities have become a community standard-bearer
by signing some sort of agreement.
Level Three: Relationship Ministry Referral
Network
Churches create a directory of existing services and resources for
referral purposes, and to increase community awareness of relationship
ministry programming, events, and activities. The network listing
may be online or in a hard copy format. Dozens of web sites have
been created so people in the community know where to turn to find
classes, seminars, or conferences on marriage, parenting or relationship
issues.
Level Four: Relationship Ministry Partnership
Churches take steps to integrate ministries by creating a common
vision for marriages and families, develop a common mission for
marriages and families, and partner together to provide resources
and services that improve the health of their community’s
marriages, families, and relationships. Rather than duplicating
the basic services that all churches offer (i.e. pre-marital for
first time marriages), the partnership enables churches to be strategic
in creating programs that are lacking in the community. Also, other
churches in the partnership can support and refer their people to
those new ministries.
Level Five: Community Marriage & Family
Initiative
Churches work with other sectors of the community (faith, education,
business, legal, medical, media, social, civic, and others) to develop
a long-term effort where marriages and families are strengthened,
nurtured, and encouraged by a community-wide partnership. The churches
can become a community asset through the initiative by providing
an array of marriage and family ministries, expanding relationship
programs, creating media campaigns, and working with others to meet
the relationship needs of the community.
The relational needs of couples, parents, families, singles, and
youth are great. Greater than any one church or organization can
meet. This is why the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries
is promoting Community-based Relationship Ministry.
If you have questions about CBRM, how you can be a catalyst
for CBRM in your own community, or how your CBRM can move
to the next level, contact one of our CBRM partners.
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