Next Wednesday, January 16, 2013, The Institute for American Values will release a new report titled, “Does the Shape of Families Shape Faith? Challenging the Churches to Confront the Impact of Family Change.” This report was authored by Elizabeth Marquardt, Amy Ziettlow and Charles E. Stokes. Marquardt is the author of “Between Two Worlds,” one of the premier works on the impact of divorce on children.
At Divorce Ministry 4 Kids, we are looking forward to the release of this report, and our very own Linda Ranson Jacobs has been asked to participate in a symposium related to the report. Ironically, we had previously scheduled an article to release on the same date which I believe will compliment the report, so make sure that you watch for that. We will have more about this report here on DivorceMinistry4Kids.com after it is officially released. Our sincere hope is that this report, from a well known organization, will influence churches and congregations to wake up to the issue of the spiritual impacts that divorce has on children.
If you are in the Chicago area, there is a live event planned for next week from 10:00 – 11:30 AM at the Grantz Center at Fourth Presbyterian Church. Marquardt and Ziettlow will be joined by Mary Ellen Konieczny to discuss how today’s family structures impact a child’s faith. They will discuss:
- The New Science on How the Decline of Marriage Impacts Faith Expression
- The Depths of Divorce in the Inner Lives of Young People
- Is Divorce Nobody’s Business? Why Do Churches Hesitate to Talk about Divorce?
- Why Teaching Congregants How to Have a Good Divorce Will Not Solve the Problem
- Who are the Children of Divorce in Your Congregations? Are Worship, Education Events, Youth and Fellowship Events, even Stewardship Practices Sensitive to the Children of Divorce in your Midst?
You can find out more about that event here.