Article by: Sarah Koontz
Is your family busy doing life together but not really connecting?
Have the values, expectations, and beliefs you had about a thriving family culture gotten lost in the shuffle of modern-day life?
If your family is ready to bridge the gap between the life you are living and the life you long for, keep reading!
This article will help you gain fresh insight on how to live out your family values, create a purposeful family culture, and lead your family with confidence.
It is our opinion that family life should be enjoyable and purpose-driven.
For my family, that means saying no more often than we say yes, slowing down when we are tempted to speed up, and prioritizing relationships over responsibilities.
Establishing a positive family culture is not easy, but it is possible.With determination, prayer, and faithful action, you too can create a vibrant, thriving family culture.
Cultivating a Christ-Centered Family Culture in Your Home
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20
If we ever want to fulfill the great commission, we need to start in our own homes.
Sadly, the closer you get to home, the less intriguing evangelism seems.
The mundane.
The unglorified.
The everyday.
But what if we could transform our family culture into the springboard upon which the gospel message is catapulted into the world?
What if we could successfully….
Make disciples of our children.
Teach them to obey God’s Word.
Show them the value of service.
The first step of establishing a gospel-oriented family culture is adopting a mission statement for your family.
Ours is pretty simple, “Love God. Serve Others.”
It almost sounds too simple, doesn’t it? But it works for us!
When my kids are fighting with one another, I simply ask if they are, “Loving God and serving one another?”
Of course, they aren’t and they know it!
This reminder doesn’t solve all our problems, but it does help us move our family in a positive direction whenever problems arise.
What if we could transform our family culture into the springboard upon which the gospel message is catapulted into the world?
This simple family mission statement also helps us make decisions.
Will this decision further our mission to be a gospel-oriented family or inhibit it?
Will it improve the quality of our family-culture or detract from it?
The Impact of A Family Mission Statement
My friend, Kimberly Amici, founder of The Family Culture Podcast, says, “The very same principles that cause businesses to thrive can also impact our families. Just like a business, ministry, or organization, we believe our family mission statement, when adhered to, will produce the culture we desire.”
When you take a look at the world of business, you will see the overwhelming importance of a written mission statement:
Facebook exists to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
Amazon aspires to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.
Sony desires to be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.
These simple statements direct every decision the company makes from the top down.
Mission statements infuse the company culture with passion and order.
Kimberly and her husband Carl started The Family Culture Podcast because they don’t want parents to feel hopeless looking at the path your family is on.
Their desire is to share stories and resources to help you create a positive family culture within your own home.
And it all starts with writing a family mission statement. Read their story below to about how it impacted their family culture in a profound way.
How to Establish A Thriving Family Culture
with Kimberly and Carl Amici
A family culture is the norms, values, beliefs, and customs a family lives with.When we got married, we talked about many wonderful ideas for our family. We wanted a welcoming home with an open-door policy, a family that loves and serves God together, a simple life that prioritizes relationships.
Years later we discovered that the values, beliefs, and expectations we had for our family were getting lost in the shuffle of our modern-day life. We found ourselves in the rut of just surviving, barely getting through the week. Our schedule was jammed with school activities, sports, church, and volunteer commitments.
These were all good things. However, we felt like we didn’t have control over the direction our family was going in.
In an effort to bridge the gap between the life we were living and the life we’d hoped for, my husband and I set out to create a mission statement. It was harder than we imagined. While I found lots of information about why it was important, I couldn’t find much on how to do it. Eventually, I created a step by step process that my husband I followed. (I’ve created a simple printable to guide you through this process.)
A family culture is the norms, values, beliefs, and customs a family lives with. Just as in business, family culture refers to how a family relates to one another, works together, and achieves goals. Family culture is the DNA of a family. It’s the what of, “That’s just the way we do things.”
Just like a fingerprint, it’s what makes your family unique. –Kimberly Amici, founder, The Family Culture Project
You can create a positive family culture in your own home! Sign up today to receive a free printable Family Culture Discussion Sheet to help get you started. Also, you will receive weekly emails from Kimberly Amici, founder of The Family Culture Project, to encourage you along the way.
How Family Culture Helps You Through Life’s Changes
If you are ready to be more proactive in creating a positive family culture, I encourage you to listen to my recent podcast interview with Kimberly Amici.
Making big changes can be scary, especially when those changes affect not only you but the ones you love.
In this episode, you’ll learn the benefit of new rhythms and routines, why you shouldn’t compare your family to others, and some simple steps you can take when moving your family in a new direction.
We know you are busy, so we’ve shared some important time-stamps below so you can jump to the portion of the interview that interests you most:
5:17 | The Health Crisis that Changed our Family Culture
8:14 | A Shift of Focus Back onto Small and Significant
10:20 | The Benefits of Being Present with My Family
12:53 | How Homeschooling Impacts our Family Culture
16:04 | A Gentle Warning Against Comparison
17:22 | Encouragement for Families to Embrace Small Change
19:37 | How Sabbath Rest Impacts our Family Culture
Some practical take-aways from this conversation are:
- God knows what’s in store for your family and He has strategically positioned you.
- Embracing small and significant living can have a big eternal impact.
- The motivation of our heart is the most important thing to God.
- Our Heavenly Father has a plan for us that is incredibly detailed and unique to us.
- We all have our own faith journey and our own family journey.
- Small changes you make in your family culture today will impact your future.
- Enjoy the journey and recognize the great purpose and value of investing in your family.
Closing Thoughts on Family Culture
Putting our family first has required us to bring in our own personal boundary fences. It has forced us to sacrifice the good so we have room for the best.
It has been well worth the effort!
I’ve noticed a change in my own heart and that change is reflected in the hearts of my children and my spouse.
Putting our family first has required us to bring in our own personal boundary fences. It has forced us to sacrifice the good so we have room for the best.As my husband and I learn how to live out the gospel in our own home, we are modeling a Christ-centered lifestyle for our children.
Nothing is more important than that.
“Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
