Family is your most important ministry

The Giammona Family

Many folks think the Church wants them to volunteer in as many ministries as possible, spending all their free time up in their parishes, giving generously of themselves in every way.  As a matter of fact, that's the opposite of what we want you to do!  While we want you to be good stewards of your time and talents and give of yourselves to your parish community, we also recognize that your most important ministry is at home -- with your family.

"One of the most important things we will ever do is tend to our family. Our families are far more important than our occupation, service and personal ambition. As a husband, a wife and a parent, God does not want us to be ignorant of His instructions on how to fulfill His will in these important roles as His disciples."
~ Pastor Craig Castor, Founder of Family Discipleship Ministries


If you spend countless hours volunteering or getting programs started at your parish and start to sacrifice quality time spent with your loved ones, you will eventually begin to feel the effects of being away from your family.  Some of your family members might even begin to resent your being away so much and, in turn, start to see the Church negatively instead of appreciating how it is that you try to give all that you have back to the Lord.

So what's the solution?  Find a balance.

Greg Leith, part of a national speaking team for Family Life Ministries, offered the following tips to balance family and ministry in a 2006 article of the journal, "Enrichment."

• Plan time for your family each week in advance, and stick to those plans.
• Learn to say, "no," to some ministry opportunities when needed.  Discern what you believe God is calling you to, not what others are calling you to do for them.
• If your ministry requires constant, excessive hours, consider other ways to accomplish the task.  Ask the Lord to send others to help and then watch Him go to work.  Pray for extraordinary results from the time you put into your ministry, then go home and minister to the other ministry God gave you -- your family.

Read more of Leith's tips here.

If you have suggestions to add to this list, please share them in the comments section below!