Family Shepherding Family

Shepherding is the backbone of the church life. In fact, our burden has been to help every family in the church life to take care of another family or more according to their capacity. Though I have been going out a lot for shepherding many families, I hardly bring along my family members to join me. Practically, it is not possible all the time, especially when the meetings at different homes are on a weekly basis. Children have their home works and study assignments daily, and my wife too is busy with the children. But once a while I started bringing my family along.

Two weeks ago I took my whole family to a home meeting at two different homes. The first home is a new family with a much higher standard of living than ours, with their house well maintained, neat and clean. Well, my children love to play. But we taught our children to maintain decorum in other's home. Initially, I was a little recluctant not knowing how the new ones would feel about our children vistiing them. But we took the chance. To my surprise, they were quite comfortable with it and my children too enjoyed visitng new ones' home. Though we could not fully stop them from moving around, still they could behave well. Our meeting too was quite enjoyable. Since the family we visited has two grown-up children, they also had been through with mananging kids before, they had a broad mind and were quite comfortable with the children all around. 

Interestingly, when my son who is seven years old participated in the reading portion of ministry books, the family we visited were very impressed; they could practically see a miniature of a Christian home we are building up and they were very impressed. Their response was very positive and it was a message in itself. Besides, my youngest daughter of four years old prayed after everyone else prayed, and she prayed that the Lord would bring our family to that home again. Then, the whole family responded with resounding amen. They were most touched by my son and daughter's participation in the home meeting. 

Another family we visited was a family in the church life. They have their kids too. So all the children got along very well. They had their own time together, and we grown-up s also enjoyed our meeting too. As much as practicality allows, I look to the Lord for His grace for my whole family to be able to shepherd another family.

By this way of family shepherding families, both families are strengthened. This is a proper pattern we want the church in Gurugram to adopt; family shepherding family. And if all saints' families can shepherd at least another family each, in no time, the whole church will be revived. We don't need special "pastoring" by few selected men, but the Body builds up itself in love by each member functioning. 

May the Lord grace all the saints' families to shepherd another family and gain the building up among all the families.