Collaborate: Family + Church [Paperback]

Michael Chanley (Author), Reggie Joiner (Author), Fred Stoeker (Author), Jim Wideman (Author), Brian Haynes (Author), Carey Nieuwhof (Author), Jim Kast-Keat (Author), Yancy (Author), Gina McClain (Author), Joyce Oglesby (Author), Patricia Verbal (Author), Dick Gruber (Author), Rob Bradbury (Author), Matt Markins (Author), Rob Rienow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2010

An unprecedented collaboration of 35 remarkable ministers, teachers, leaders and thinkers, blending their ideas on how you can connect FAMILY + CHURCH. This all-star team includes: Michael Chanley, Reggie Joiner, Jim Wideman, Brian Haynes, Fred Stoeker, Anna Light, Becky Arthur, Bradford S. Tate, Brian Vander Ark, Dick Gruber, Gina McClain, Jonathan Cliff, Justyn Smith, Kenny Conley, Matt McKee, Michelle Romain, Rob Bradbury, Roger Fields, Ryan Frank, Sam Luce, Steven Dilla, Yancy, Jim Kast-Keat, Patricia Verbal, Carey Nieuwhof, Jeremy Hall, Timothy Smith, Joyce Oglesby, Matt Markins, Rob Rienow, Heather Wimsett, Steve Young, Jason Houser, Nevan Hooker, and Team Kidmo.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the wisdom of Michael Chanley and the Group of 34, you will read from a variety of different vantage points ranging from the gamut of practical programming to connect parents and church to principles surrounding an ethos of parental engagement and empowerment to insights on what it takes to be a leader who can help family and church come together for the sake of passing on lasting life transforming faith to children. This book truly is a collaboration. Each chapter is unique because each author is unique. As with any type of collaboration, you will find yourself agreeing and resonating with some of the authors and scratching your head when reading others. I think that is the beauty of this book. There is no one right way to approach family ministry. We are all located in different cultures and different contexts. Collaborate has tried to gather voices from some of those places and put them into one package. Whether you think you've figure out how to best reach families or you are new to the journey of what it means to truly engage the entire family, you need this book. It needs to be on the shelf of every person who works with children of all ages and their families in church! --Henry Zonio, Redwook Park Church

I cannot tell you one thing that my preacher said growing up, even though I went to church every Sunday. My memory is the family worshipping together. And I think as ministers we need to promote that within the structure of the church. That we don't just compartmentalize and say 'here's our children's ministry,' or 'here's our senior adults ministry,' or 'here's our marriage ministry.' We need to find ways to solidify the family in the church so our children will have memories and roots of the family being together in God's house. --Bob Russell, Former Senior Minister of Southeast Christian Church and Author of When God Builds a Church

Michael Chanley's book brings us all together and gets us working off the same blueprint. Let the collaboration begin! --Fred Stoeker, Author of Every Man's Battle

About the Author

Michael Chanley lives to connect people to Jesus. As the creator of CMConnect.org, an online community for those who serve in children s ministry, he s connect over 6,200 members youth ministers across the nation. Michael also serves Louisville-area families as Southeast Christian Church s Parenting Minister. In the spring of 2010, Michael compiled teachings from 34 authors, ministers, and influential Christian leaders in the groundbreaking book Collaborate: Family + Church. Whether telling stories about being a Marine, a minister, or a father, Michael s passion for connection within the body of Christ through teaching and public speaking continues to drive him to innovate, create, and connect.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Ministers Label Publishing (April 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0692004394
• ISBN-13: 978-0692004395
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Through the Eyes of Love - A Look at Collaborate, April 11, 2010

By 

Donald Douglas "Savedsister7" (Seymour, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Collaborate: Family + Church (Paperback)

When reading a book I am not only looking through the eyes of someone who is passionate about children's ministry, but also as a mom of three boys. You see I am not only looking to apply new and innovative ideas at our church, but I also want to bring them into our home. That is the beauty of Collaborate - it is all about connecting the family and church.

There were two chapters that impacted me on both levels so greatly that I am still thinking, praying, and talking about them and more importantly making changes because of them.

The first chapter was written by Carey Nieuwhof as a senior Pastor's view on family ministry. He wrote about how most parents have lost sleep wondering if their children would be alright. Most parents are searching for partners from the time they find out they are pregnant. These two questions he asked are disturbing me still.

- What would it take for the average unchurched family in your community to
look to you as a potential partner?

- What if you leveraged all that God has given you and embraced family ministry
to the point where those families no longer have to wonder?


The second chapter was written by Jim Wideman on developing a biblical worldview in your children. He wrote on how important it is for both the family and the church to foster a love for the Lord and His Word. How both working together can help our children grow up to become doers of the Word. He stated that children can't live what they can't remember, and they can't remember what they don't understand. That makes our tasks as parents and teachers even more important. His "Top Ten List" is invaluable to all and I have printed a copy to hang as a reminder to me.

It all goes back to these verses for me which resonate through the chapters in this book.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7

I highly recommend Collaborate to...well basically EVERYONE! Parents, teachers, pastors, worship leaders, volunteers, etc. can all learn so much from the wealth of information contained in this wonderful book that was written and now read through the eyes of love.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 35 Flavors, April 14, 2010

By 

K. Schreiber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Collaborate: Family + Church (Paperback)

Thirty five different authors giving a glimpse of their thought or experience is a bit like going to Baskin Robbins for ice cream and having an incredible tasting session with those little pink spoons. Each one gives you an instant feeling or "mmm, I want more", "not bad" or "ooo, don't need any more of that". WIth 35 different views (tastes) I was able to find a few of each.

Each time I read a book, I can always find a few take aways. Here are mine:

The church can help the family by just giving them an opportunity to be together with no hidden agenda. With family members torn in different directions with busy schedules they need a reason to just "be" together in a shared experience. Nothing wrong with a good ole' game night just for fun!

The church would do well to take every opportunity to equip parents to be involved in milestone events (like baptism) rather than pull their children away into the hands of the "professionals". Provide parents the tools, resources, training and encouragement they need, not do it for them.

Parents of teens need all the encouragement they can get. Don't beat them up with guilt, judgment or comparison. The church would do better to build a culture of compassion, compatriots and mentors for both the teen and the parent.

Provide a shared experience for the entire family for the family to rally around. A weekend service where everyone is hearing the same topic/story/scripture is one Big Idea. Perhaps a shared experience around a service project or event that provides both the family and church to encourage one another.

Collaborate is a good book to get an introduction to the many varied ideas that are being used around the world to bring the family and church together.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, June 24, 2010

By 

Jonathan J. Foster (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Collaborate: Family + Church (Paperback)

Collaborate: Family + Church is a 188-page collection of ideas on family ministry by 35 contributing authors. Each chapter is about 6 pages long and highlights either the author's particular passion for family ministry, their personal experience with family ministry, or the conference that they are trying to sell. Few of the chapters are "deep," but there are smatterings of ideas, websites, and other resources that can be used for pastors trying to integrate family life with spiritual formation. As such, it lives up to its descriptions of providing "ideas on how you can connect family + church," but the content depth falls short of the depth one might expect from names like Chanley, Joiner, and Wideman.

In fairness, the purpose of this book is quite different than something like Think Orange. It is not building a philosophy of ministry; it assumes that in the reader. Rather, it is an attempt to generate ideas by gathering Christian leaders who share similar (but not the same) passions. Some of the chapters are not valuable at all; I wonder how some authors made the cut. (Just as the best scholars aren't always the best teachers, the most effective ministry leaders may not always be the best writers!) Others, like Rienow's Biblical theology of God's purpose for the family, are worth the price of the book. (Although you can get much of the same information from [...].) But this illustrates the value of this book. It exposes the reader to new websites, new authors, new ministries, and helps generates connections. To that extent, it does help the reader "collaborate" with others.

To summarize each of the author's contribution, I will reduce each author's content to one sentence or phrase. Consider this a Tweet for each chapter. Keep in mind, some chapters have very little "how to" due to space limitations. This just gets the ball rolling. My top 3 are indicated by an asterisk (*).

1. A Rising Tide - by Michael Chanley - "Developing small groups that help parents be parents." (9)
2. Parent Liasons - by Anna Light - Have parent liaisons to interact with the parents of your youth ministry.
3. Family Connect - by Becky Arthur - How to partner with parents
4. Big Idea - by Brad Tate - Coordinate "one unifying `Big Idea' each week" for all of your church's ministries so everyone (kids/teens/adults) is learning the same content at the same time. (20)
5. Make a Shift - Brian Haynes - Designate and celebrate spiritual milestones.
6. Putting the Pieces Together - by Brian Vander Ark - Be strategic and plan your goals for content, curriculum, parent resources by age group.
7. *Change You Need to Embrace - by Carey Nieuwhof - Senior pastors need to get on board with family ministry. Here's why.
8. Families Serving Together - by Dick Gruber - Children and teens should volunteer with their parents.
9. Doing Book - by Fred Stoeker - Creating a space to talk with your kids at home
10. I Hate Homework - Gina McClain - Parenting is important.
11. Proverbs 16 - Heather Wimsett - Shema is important.
12. *Our Journey - Jason Houser - How to do family worship at church and home
13. Connecting Youth Ministry with Families - Jeremy Hall - Setting and articulating the goals for breakthroughs we want teens to experience
14. First Voice, Second Voice - Jim Kast-Keat - Partner with the parents of your preteens.
15. The Missing Piece - Developing a Biblical Worldview in Your Children - by Jim Wideman - How to live out a Biblical worldview so your kids "catch" it
16. How to Offer a Truly Family-Friendly Event - Jeremy Cliff - Offer affordable, fun experiences for families to enjoy together.
17. Family Nourishment - Joyce Oglesby - Host people over for dinner in your home.
18. PJ's All Starts Leadership Program - Justyn Smith - Offer a ranking system to promote children's leadership designed around your goals and values.
19. Reinventing Baptism - Kenny Conley - Use baptism as an opportunity to involve parents in children's spiritual development - through the education process, the act of baptism, and follow-up conversations.
20. Church DNA - Team Kidmo - Find a part of the church vision/goal that you can support through family ministry.
21. Paramount Parenting - Matt Markins - Shema is important.
22. Environment Changes that Need Changing - Matt McKee - Pay a lot of money to change the visual environment of your ministry.
23. Family Fitness - Michelle Romain - Live out healthy lifestyles as a spiritual value for your family.
24. Double It - Nevan Hooker - Set a Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goal and start going for it!
25. God's Heart for Families Affected by Special Needs - Pat Verbal - Reach out to families with children with special needs.
26. *Where Do You Start? - Reggie Joiner - "Churches that build effective family ministries will strive to integrate their strategy, refine their message, reactivate the family, elevate community, and leverage their influence." (138)
27. Selling Out - Sold Out - Rob Bradbury - How his church became discontent with where they were and launched a Friday night family event.
28. *Building a Theology of Family Ministry - Dr. Rob Rienow - A Biblical basis for family ministry based on God's purposes for the family in redemptive history.
29. Engaging Families Through Involvement - Roger Fields - How Kidz Blitz curriculum works
30. Fighting Staff Infections - Ryan Frank - Improve your relationship with your senior pastor.
31. Building Ministry - Sam Luce - Create a generational pipeline to ensure that age-segregated ministries are connected to each other.
32. The Small Conquering the Big - Steven Dilla - "The small things done consistently over long periods of time make big differences." (176)
33. Young at Heart - Steve Young - Shema is important.
34. Living the Shema as a Dad - Timothy Smith - Shema is important for dads.
35. Music: The Language Everyone Speaks - Yancy - Model and teach worship to your kids.

-Jonathan Foster