Why Our Church Should Minister to Children of Divorce – Part 4

In this series, we present a hypothetical speech to a pastor or congregation about the need to start a divorce ministry for kids program at your church.  In this church, we are pitching the Divorce Care 4 Kids [DC4K] ministry as it is a ministry whose purpose and values coincide almost precisely with those of Divorce Ministry 4 Kids.  Please enjoy the entire series by checking out all four installments:

  • Part 1 – Some of the shocking statistics about children of divorce and some of the impacts that divorce has on kids.
  • Part 2 – Is there a need for the church to get involved and, more importantly, does the Bible supports getting involved?
  • Part 3 – Localized statistics demonstrating the need for a program in my particular area and what the church can do.
  • Part 4 – What the Church as a whole can do and how members of the congregation can help individually.

Click on the pdf link to the right for a complete pdf copy of the entire speech.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

What is DC4K?

Divorce Care 4 Kids is a 13 week program to help children of divorce from ages 5 through 12 to heal from the pain caused by a separation or divorce. DC4K provides a safe place for children to process what they going through, learn techniques for dealing with the stress and emotions of divorce and learn that “God’s love strengthens them and helps them turn their sadness to hope and their anger to joy.”

Each session is filled with activities and experiences specifically designed for children of divorce. These activities include games, crafts, discussion times, role playing, journaling, music, videos and much more. Ultimately, DC4K focuses on the healing power of a relationship with Christ and includes bible verses and stories individually selected for their impact on children of divorce.

Weekly topics include:

  • What is happening to my family?
  • Facing my anger,
  • I am not alone,
  • Developing new relationships,
  • It’s not my fault,
  • Forgiveness,
  • Growing up and closer to God,
  • And many more.

The focus of DC4K is on building relationships that will help the child of divorce to heal. This includes, first and foremost, the child’s relationship with God, but it also includes the relationship between the leaders and children in the ministry and the relationships between the children themselves.

What Can You Do?

There are four groups of people who can help us as we launch this new DC4K ministry here at our church, and if you are willing to help in any of the following ways, you can let us know about that by [insert means of contact here]:

1. Parents who are divorcing or have divorced: Sign your children up for this program! We know that your schedules are busy, but this program will help both you and your child in the short and long run.

2. Friends, neighbors, co-workers, parents, brothers and sisters of parents who are divorcing or have divorced: Let your friends know about this program for their children. So many times, an adult going through a divorce can get caught up with their own emotional issues and lose sight of what is best for their children. They don’t do this intentionally or maliciously, but a friend or family member who can lovingly point them in the direction of something that can help their kids will be greatly appreciated.

3. Those who have a heart for helping children of divorce and have a gift for working with children: There is a need for volunteers to help in this ministry. If you are inclined to work with children, we have a need for “Safe Keepers” (the name for leaders in the DC4K program). These children are in desperate need of attention, and the more leaders we have, the more attention each child will get, and the more children we can help. We believe it is an honor and a calling to minister to children of divorce which comes with a great degree of responsibility. Accordingly, all potential Safe Keepers are carefully screened. Ideal volunteers may include:

a. Adult children of divorce who are emotionally and spiritually stable.

b. Single parents who have recovered from their own divorce (it is recommended that you be at least two to three years removed from your own divorce before serving in this program).

c. Senior adults who have children experiencing a divorce.

d. Grandparents who want to help other people’s grandchildren find comfort.

e. Schoolteachers and childcare staff.

f. Those gifted by God in teaching and working with children.

g. Married couples who have a heart for children of divorce.

h. Anyone who has a passion for helping children of divorce.

4. Those who have a heart for helping children of divorce and don’t have a gift for working with children: For those of you who recognize that this is a significant issue and want to help but aren’t so sure about working directly with kids, there are also roles for you in DC4K:

a. Ministry Helpers: We have a need for people to prepare snacks, coordinate crafts and create small gifts for the children who will be in the program.

b. Ministry Ambassadors: One of the struggles a ministry such as this frequently encounters is getting the word out about the ministry and making sure that children who need our support are actually served by the program. We have a need for people who will help to spread the word about this ministry in our community.

c. Prayer Warriors: Any success in ministry begins with, and is sustained by, prayer. We are putting together a team of prayer warriors who will commit to consistent prayer for our DC4K ministry generally and the leaders and the children in the ministry specifically. If you are a gifted prayer, we would love you to join our team as a DC4K prayer warrior.

We hope that you will prayerfully consider joining us as we launch this new Divorce Care 4 Kids ministry at our church.

There are thousands and thousands of hurting children in our community and surrounding communities. It is time that we, as the church, step up to help these children. A first step in doing that is creating a Divorce Care 4 Kids ministry at our church to minister to the needs of children of divorce. In doing so, we can point these kids to the healing power of a relationship with Christ and impact not only the rest of their lives, but their eternity. I hope that you will support us as we launch this new ministry.

5 thoughts on “Why Our Church Should Minister to Children of Divorce – Part 4”

  1. Praising God that you have accepted the call to minister to kids of divorce. When I read your articles it’s like I’m reading something I wrote. 🙂 You accept instructions very well and then take them a step higher.

    Glad I could be an influence as you will reach many more people and this broadens the field of people willing to come alongside the child of divorce. Wa-Hoooooooooooo! My shout out to the Lord Almighty for you and your ministry!

  2. Linda,

    Thanks. I am excited about starting the new group. It’s no wonder that some it looks like something you wrote. I tried to paraphrase in the speech, but some of it may have come almost directly from stuff you wrote for DC4K. You are a blessing to me, to Divorce Ministry 4 Kids, and to the community of those of us who have a heart for children of divorce. You have a blazed a trail on behalf of these kids, and I am glad to do whatever God calls me to in order to further that mission and purpose. Thank you for your help and for your friendship.

    Wayne

  3. I am a halfy. My mom is a Thai and my dad is British. My parents went through a divorce when I was 13. What made it difficult and painful for me as a child was I was deprived of the truth. I didn’t understand why my dad had to return to England leaving mom and I in Thailand. My mom said nothing is wrong and we are still family. For several years, I would travel back and forth to Thailand and England to be with them respectively. The cultural differences of my parents were also a problem when it comes to raising me. I am now 26 yrs old and speaking from experience, I believed that intercultural marriages need deeper understanding about cultural differences otherwise it will lead to divorce cases in Thailand.http://www.thailand-family-law-center.com/

Comments are closed.