Consider a Family Life Ministry Consultation
Family life is a pressing issue in many congregations in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and many congregations feel at a loss for how to engage and build up their families to fulfill their God-given vocations. Similarly, many congregations struggle to engage those in their adult education ministries. The lack of both family life ministry and discipleship through adult learning are leaving more and more households without mature faith.
The Nebraska District is focused on building up healthy congregations that are engaged in biblical education for all ages and in family life ministry. With the assistance of Deb Jurchen, who is serving the District as Congregational Consultant for Family Life Ministry, we are offering consultations to help your congregation learn how you can better meet the needs of the families you care for. In these consultations, Deb will work with the congregation’s pastor and leadership to develop simple solutions appropriate for the context of each congregation.
Step 1: Initial Assessment and Recommendations
- Three, one-hour consultations
- $0 – Fully Supported by District Office
Step 2: Plan Implementation
- Three, one-hour consultations
- $300 ($100 hour/session)
Additional Steps: Ongoing support, refinement, and future visioning
- Three, one-hour consultations
- $255 ($85 hour/session)
For questions, contact Deb by email at Deborah.Jurchen@cune.edu or by phone at (515) 401-7275.
Payment is processed through the District office. Make your checks payable to: Nebraska District LCMS, include a note that says “for Family Life Ministry Consultations,” and send to:
Nebraska District LCMS
PO Box 407
Seward, NE 68434
In our first two sessions with Deb, she spent time getting to know our ministry. This has included us talking…while she has carefully listened to the dynamics of ministry at Peace Lutheran in Grand Island. Given that Peace is a large church with an active ministry to children, youth, and families, Deb has encouraged and reiterated that more programs or options are not necessarily the answer. Together, we have discussed the concept of better supporting families. Deb and our team have agreed that there are no quick answers, nor do we need to feel like things are broken. Enhancing ministry is best accomplished over time, rather than searching for quick fixes. Other churches should take time to converse with Deb. She provides a way to zoom out from the daily tasks and take a comprehensive look at how we are walking alongside families and assisting them in the discipleship of their children and their family as a whole. So far we have spent two, one-hour sessions and maybe another one to two hours discussing as a staff, so the time commitment has been minimal, but the awareness, sharing, and refining have been helpful.
—Daniel Meyer, Director of Christian Education, Peace, Grand Island
I am consulting Deb for assistance as I put into practice the family discipleship training that I received through Concordia Center for the Family. The goal is to equip my congregation’s parents to teach the faith to their children in the home and also to encourage a culture among the congregation that values the study of God’s Word and intentionally sharing it with the next generation. Deb has been very encouraging and has helped provide clarity and focus as I decide what steps to take next.
—Rev. Jacob Tuma, St. John’s, Pierce