It Takes a Village

Faith in Family Life

We’ve all heard the African saying, “It takes a village to raise a child. In today's fast-paced

world where do we find such a village? Well, the first place to look is our own family.

There’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. What if we are far from

our families? Then we could turn to our neighbors, schools, and communities. What if they

do not share our same values and thinking that we wish to teach our children? Many people

have turned to their schools with disappointing results. Who then should we turn to? Our church

family!

We likely share many of the same values with our church family. I am so thankful to be a

part of a worldwide church. My husband is a soldier and we often move. I don’t have to find

a new church family whenever we move. 

The Family: A Proclamation to the World  teaches us, “ Successful marriages and families

are established and maintained on principles of faith [and] prayer.” There are numerous

scientific studies citing its importance. 

“In the words of one African American father, “When you believe in God . . . yes, the boat still

gets to rockin’ but [God] says, ‘In me, you can weather the storm’”. Social science evidence

suggests that shared faith appears to be a principle upon which “successful marriages and

families are established and maintained,” even during the storm."

The quoted selection and themes are from my textbook;

Marriages and Families Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives

Edited by Alan J. Hawkins David C. Dollahite Thomas W. Draper