Welcome to ReFocus, a ministry for transition.
Our hope is that you find the resources, encouragement, and support you and your church needs as you transition into intergenerational and family-focused ministries
Latest Blog posts: NextGen and Discipleship: Whose Job Is it? and Discipleship in the Home: Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary and You Can’t Just Put Kids In Church!
Series on Social Media, Technology and Discipleship. 
#2 – The Question of Relevance, Discipleship and Kids
#3 – Devices Are Not The Enemy
Most Visited Links
- 2017 – Top Five Posts: Year in Review
- Transitional Ministry
- Resources for Ministers
- Resources for Parents
D6 Conference 2017 Blogs
D6 2017: Recap and Resources (Main Session, Breakouts, Connect Group)
An Army of Grandparents Unleashed (Main Session with Dr. Vern Bengtson and Breakout #5 with Matthew Deprez)
Those Who Stay: Three Reasons to NOT Leave the Church (Reflections from Mainstage session 2 and my lunch with Dr. Richard Ross and the idea of Ministry in Thirds)
Many churches are excited about the prospect of family ministry however many do not know where or how to begin. That’s where ReFocus comes in!
- What is family ministry?
- What kind of family ministry is right for you?
- How do you go from traditional children’s/youth ministry to family ministry?
- What does family ministry look like at home?
If you’ve ever asked these questions, we hope to help you find the answers. Our desire is to encourage you, support you, resource you, and equip you as you walk the path of transition
We also invite you to Join the Conversation on Facebook in our group ReFocus Family and Intergen Ministry – This group is open to all parents and ministers interested in having an ongoing conversation about the church and home working together in reaching the youngest generation.
We are always working to give you more avenues to explore, so check back frequently for updates and information.
Great stuff! Looking to see if there is an article called “How do you go from traditional children’s/youth ministry to family ministry?” I could not get it when I clicked on that title.
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Thanks! I fixed the link and I will say, that page is a work in progress. I think there are many keys to making that transition, but it starts with knowing where you are and where you want to go! The model I show on the link now is what I have used as I’ve transitioned with the ministries I’ve worked with – building on what we already have and moving towards where we want to be. Please feel free to email me at christina.m.embree@gmail.com – I’d love to begin and continue a conversation with you! Blessings!
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While the “It is not okay” post is noble, it overlooks one glaring fact.
Today’s youth know about such spiteful vitriolic behavior wayyyyy before they witness presidential candidates practicing it, and from adults as well.
Reality TV everywhere exalting both at every turn, rampant vids posted on cellphones of fights at school, nasty behavior off school grounds, and main stream media and infotainment news broadcasting the latest viral vid of misbehaving celebrities or whomever in Twitter fights, etc., for attentions sake.
And while one may bar their child from owning cellphone til as late as they can, or putting restrictions on the one they own…
their classmates, Sunday school mates, any peers, will not have the same filters on their devices and will share every sordid detail they can access with those not allowed.
There is no other more potent or devastating drug on this planet affecting our youth than peer pressure. And no coddling or confinement will change that.
Just sharing. 🙂
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While I appreciate your feedback, I do wonder if you misunderstood the point of the article. Not once did I condone coddling or confinement. In fact, I said that my kids read my blog before I posted it. We’ve watched the video together. We’ve talked about the behaviors exampled in this presidential campaign just as we talk about them when they show up in television, at their school, in various forms of social media. As a whole, I usually hear these bullying and insulting behaviors condemned by the vast majority of adults who see them but for some reason, in connection to politics, they seem to get overlooked. I wasn’t saying that we can protect and shield our kids from everything; I was saying we must stand up for what is right and tell them in no uncertain terms that these things are not okay. It’s not okay in reality TV, it’s not okay on or off school grounds, it’s not okay for celebrities, it’s not okay for peers and it is certainly not okay for those who are claiming to be the ones qualified to lead the United States of America or their supporters who mimic and support their behavior. Any way you spin it, the behaviors I’ve cited in the blog are not okay. No coddling or confinement changes that. The message is the same. It is not okay.
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