What is the Family Ministry Process?

The Family Ministry Process is a 6-month process developed by Focus on the Family intended to assess the needs of families in your church, support pastors and their families, and train Family Champions to come along side pastors and families.  The first step of the Family Ministry Process is the Family Health Assessment, a church survey designed to quickly and easily collect information from the families in your church related to family health, family legacy, and family impact.  Out of these findings, the Church Outreach team at Focus on the Family will come along side you to train Family Champions and help you develop a family ministry strategy that is unique to your congregation and church.

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How was the Family Health Assessment developed?

The survey instrument utilized for the Family Health Assessment was developed by Focus on the Family.  The software platform that powers the Family Health Assessment was developed by Leadership Transformations (creators of the Church Health Assessment Tool).

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How much does the Family Health Assessment cost?

Courtesy of Focus on the Family and the relationship they've developed with Leadership Transformations, the Family Health Assessment is offered at a discounted price of $100 per church (normally $199). If your church is affiliated with Focus on the Family, contact us for your survey discount at 548-4657 or familyministry@family.org.

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Is it the same price for large churches and small ones?

Yes.

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What types of payment do you accept?

VISA and MasterCard.

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How long does it take for the average person to complete the survey?

It takes the average person 15 minutes to participate in the survey.

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Is there a paper version of the survey for those without a computer?

Yes.  Via the Pastor's Console, you can print paper copies of the survey for those who don't have Internet access or are not computer savvy.  Once the completed paper survey has been filled out, it can be manually entered into the system by a church staff member (again, via the Pastor's Console).  Another option is to place a computer with Internet access in a common area of the church for public use while the survey is open for participation.

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What is the best way to communicate the instructions for participation to the church body?

Via the Pastor's Console, you can print bulletin inserts that contain all the information for participation.  These inserts are in MS Word format and can be customized for your church (these areas are marked in red text).  You can customize and print these instructions to be distributed at your worship service.  You can also copy and paste the instructions into an e-blast to your members (if you have this capability, we recommend doing this in addition to handing out the paper instructions).

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What will we receive at the end of the process?

You'll receive a comprehensive report containing four sections: The Model, Demographics, Executive Summary, and Next Steps.  All responses are kept anonymous.  The report is full color and easy to read. 

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Is there a section of the report that displays demographic information?

Yes.  The first piece of the assessment collects the following demographic information: Gender, Marital Status, Age, Years at Our Church, Ethnicity, and Education.  Identities are kept anonymous.

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How long does the whole process take from the time my church signs up until we get our report?

You choose how long you want the survey to be available.  In the process of registering your church (which takes 5 minutes), you'll select the date that your survey opens and the date that it closes.  Then you just need to get the word out to your congregation and encourage as much participation as possible before the survey close date.  On average, most churches will make the survey available for about four weeks so that they have the opportunity to promote it during several services.  When your survey close date comes, you'll automatically receive your report via email.

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How do I sign my church up for the Family Health Assessment?

The sign up process takes only 5 minutes.  First, you'll fill out a quick registration form including some information about your church, contact information, etc.  Second, you'll choose the dates you'd like the survey to be available for participants and customize the greeting that each person will see as they log in to participate in the survey.  Third, you'll choose one password for the pastoral staff and another for the congregation (we're going to track their responses separately for direct comparison in the report).  Finally, you'll use a VISA or MasterCard to pay the $199 fee.  To sign up now, Click Here. If your church is affiliated with Focus on the Family, contact us for your survey discount at 548-4657 or familyministry@family.org.

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What happens after our church receives the Family Health Assessment report?

After you receive your report, you'll enter into the next stage of the Family Ministry Process.

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Have specific questions about how the use of the Family Health Assessment and the Family Ministry Process could benefit your church?

Call (719) 548-4657 or email familyministry@family.org.