African American Family Life Bibliography
Resolution 57, found in The Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church 2004, charges the General Board of Discipleship with providing a listing of resources and programs developed to strengthen African American family life.

Family Ministries and Marriage Ministries Bibliography

At Home with God: Family Devotions for the School Year
By Anne Broyles, Marilyn Brown Oden, Elizabeth Lynd Escamilla, Paul Lynd Escamilla
Many of today's families struggle in nurturing their children in the Christian faith beyond attending church services. Finding time at home to talk together about faith can be challenging when so much else demands attention. At Home with God gives families with school-age children (ages 6 to 11) solid spiritual help.

Breaking & Mending: Divorce and God's Grace
by Mary Lou Redding. Upper Room Books.
In struggling to make sense of her own painful divorce, Redding looked to the Bible where she found guidance and hope.

Bringing God Home: Family Devotions for the Christian Year
by James L. Evans ( (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc., 1995)
This resource follows the Christian year with suggested devotions for Monday through Thursday of each week. It includes activities, Scripture, jorunaling, and ideas for service. It is designed for use in the home, but it also works in other settings.

Children and Prayer: A Shared Pilgrimage
by Betty Shannon Cloyd. (The Upper Room, 1997.)
This resource helps parents enrich their children's prayer lives.

Children Worship!
by MaryJane Pierce Norton (Discipleship Resources)
A 13-session resource to help children learn how to participate more fully in worship.

Church and Family Together: A Congregational Manual for Black Family Ministry
Karen Jones Bernstine, editor. (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1996)
This is a practical guide to establishing family ministry in the black congregation. Included are forms, surveys, and sheets that can be reproduced.

FaithHome Family Guide
A nine-week church-sponsored program in which families learn how to talk to God, and how to talk to one another about God and faith by actually practicing it together.

FaithHome for Parents
(Nashville: Abingdon, 1999; Available from Cokesbury, 1-800-672-1789). Leaflets designed for parents, addressing a variety of issues including communicating with children and teens, dealing with death, violence, anger, and other topics.

FaithHome Leader's Guide
This Leader's Guide includes background information on the weekly theme, activities, reproducible handouts, and discussion questions.

FaithHome Pastor's Guide
The Pastor's Guide includes ideas for encouraging FaithHome participation, suggestions on how to lead the congregation in its support of the participants, and a congregational covenant service.

Family: Finding Who we Are and How We Belong (20/30 Bible Study for Young Adults)
by James F. Hawkins. Nashville: Abingdon, 2004
Family: Finding Who we Are and How We Belong is a small-group study written particularly for young adults. This seven-session study explores characteristics of healthy families, what it means to be in God's family, brokenness in the family, and more.

Family: The Forming Center, Revised Edition
by Marjorie Thompson (The Upper Room, 1997).
Thompson's book is one of the best books for stating the case for family as a center of faith.

Forgiving Your Family: A Journey to Healing
By Kathleen Fischer (Upper Room Books).
Why is it that the closest people to us often cause the deepest, most wrenching pain? Family can either provide restful refuge or prompt you to find it elsewhere. A quick channel-surf through daytime television illustrates that! From the petty irritation to the grievous wrong, forgiving is one of the hardest tasks families face.

Growing Compassionate Kids: Helping Kids See Beyond Their Backyard
by Jan Johnson (The Upper Room). The author offers practical everyday ways for parents to help their children care about people in need.

Growing Love in Christian Marriage: Pastor's Manual
by Jane & Cliff Ives . Nashville: Abingdon, 2001.
Growing Love in Christian Marriage: Pastor's Manual is written for clergy to use during pre-wedding counseling sessions. The Couples Manual is written by Joan & Richard Hunt. Two copies are packaged together.

Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation: 2005-2008–Guiding Family Ministries
by MaryJane Pierce Norton. Nashville: Abingdon, 2004.
The Guidelines provide the basic information needed for coordinators of family ministries or others holding leadership responsibilities for families in congregations.

Handbook of Family Religious Education
Blake J. Neff and Donald Ratcliff, editors. (Birmingham, AL: Religious Education Press, 1995).
This book of articles addresses the status of the family and the effectiveness of religious education. It is a good resource for professional educators and clergy.

Love Never Ends: Growing Together in Marriage and Faith
by Robert H. Lauer and Jeanette C. Lauer. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2002.
Love Never Ends provides a guide for couples to think about and discuss issues, along with praying together and building communication.

Making God Real for a New Generation: Ministry with Millennials Born from 1982 to 1999
By Craig Kennet Miller, MaryJane Pierce Norton
By 2006 we saw a youth boom larger than any of the booms of the past. Fueled by the largest generation the world has ever seen, this youth boom will shape the values and trends for the next 20 years.

Making Love Last a Lifetime: Biblical Perspectives on Love, Marriage, and Sex
by Adam Hamilton. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2004
This video-based study, combined with a sermon series, helps small groups explore ways to have a healthy, vibrant marriage.

A New Day for Family Ministry
Richard P. Olson and Joe H. Leonard, Jr. (New York: The Alban Institute, 1996).
This book succinctly reviews the ways families once were and the ways families are today. It addresses how a congregation can support today's families most effectively.

Parenting on Point: Leading Your Family Along God's Path
by James C. Williams. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002.
Parenting on Point walks parents through the important aspects of a parenting plan, with practical tips and an accompanying CD. A free discussion guide is available at www.cokesbury.com/teachablebooks.

Parents and Grandparents as Spiritual Guides: Nurturing Children of the Promise
by Betty Shannon Cloyd (The Upper Room).
The author explores the simple ways parents and grandparents can introduce children to the presence of God and nurture them spiritually.

Pockets
A devotional magazine for elementary-age children, is published by The Upper Room. To subscribe, call 1-800-925-6847.

ProActive Parenting
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2004.
ProActive Parenting is a six-course DVD series. Courses include Parenting 101, Your Family and Money, Communication with Your Child or Teen, Handling Anger, Single Parenting, Discipline with Children and Teens. Student books are purchased separately.

Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church
by Joy Thornburg Melton
Tragically, churches have not always been safe places for children. With this in mind, Joy Thornburg Melton outlines a process for developing policies and procedures to recongnize and reduce the risk of child abuse in the church. Safe Sanctuaries contains suggestions, sample forms, and more to help your congregation develop and implement a substantive plan of child abuse prevention. (Discipleship Resources, 1998)

Safe Sanctuaries for Youth: Reducing the Risk of Abuse in Youth Ministries
By Joy Thornburg Melton (Discipleship Resources, 2003).
Attorney Joy T. Melton, author of the bestseller, Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church (Discipleship Resources, 1998), brings us another excellent guide for reducing abuse in the church. The daily news illustrates the high potential for occurrences of abuse or allegations of abuse in youth ministry. With that in mind, Melton has taken the initiative to develop a resource designed to help churches assess risk and implement processes to help congregations take steps to reduce the likelihood of abuse in their congregational settings.

Safe Sanctuaries for Children and Youth DVD

Safe Sanctuaries for Children and Youth Video

Spanish Language Resources

Stewardship Nuggets for Families & Children
Brief articles designed to teach children issues of stewardship.

Your Baby Is for Loving
by MaryJane Pierce Norton (Abingdon Press, 2005)
The birth of a baby brings about marvelous experiences and relationships. But it is an adjustment for mothers, for fathers, for brothers and sisters; and being born is a tremendous shock to the baby. Your Baby Is for Loving will help all family members prepare for the new arrival.