"Alternative Family Models" and the Church

When I was a youth pastor I spent a lot of my time seeking to love and shepherd students who were growing up in broken families, ie., divorced homes. For the last 40+ years divorce has been a significant reality in our American culture, one that the church is called to address.It's been increasingly on my heart that in the coming years the church is going to be called to love and minister to a new and different kind of "broken family," or, as it's more commonly put, "alternative family models." For several years now children have been growing in families that are composed of two moms, or two dads, or a dad/mom and a series of same sex partners. Very little writing, reporting, or research has been done on how painful this kind of a "family" has been for the children. I suspect that in the coming years we will see many books, reports, and talk show discussions on the detrimental impact these kinds of families have had on children.This last week I was pleased to read a great article on this subject in World Magazine:Experimental Kids: It's a brave new world of alternative family models, but some "lopsided" children are beginning to speak out about what they missed growing up.I encourage you to read and think through this article. I also encourage you to begin thinking about how you and your church can best love, care for,  and speak the truth to those in your community (the children especially) who are living in these kind of "alternative family models."