AMFM Conference-Workshops Day 1
After the first general session, we could choose from many different workshops. We were able to attend 3 workshops on Tuesday. I attended the following workshops: Marriage Mentoring: 12 Conversations for Building Strong Marriages, Reconciling Troubled Marriages-Even with an Unwilling Spouse!, & Cultivating Sexually Healthy Families: Skills for 21st Century Parents. See highlights from each below.
Marriage Mentoring-My first workshop was led by Ed & Rhonda Gray. They shared about a resource they have developed called 12 Conversations. They shared from their experiences in working with couples. Their belief is "it is wise to focus on nurturing strong marriages rather than waiting to repair damaged marriages." They also shared that there is power in stories and that mentor couples are more powerful than just sharing a book that might help a couple. They shared about how marriage mentoring comes from a good marriage not a perfect marriage. They also stressed the importance of the wisdom in the pews and not needing to be pastor driven. Mentoring is really being a living example of 1 Corinthians 13. Another image they shared were about the different types of marriage helpers. They see mentoring as similar to vitamins. This allows us to stay healthy. Counselors are also important and can be seen as penicillin. This tends to be a little more in depth. Attorneys can also become involved but their role tends to be more painful and invasive and are seen as surgery. They shared about a 5 stage plan for implementing a marriage mentoring program in your church.
Reconciling Troubled Marriages-Joe and Michelle Williams were the presenters and they shared about a first response ministry for couples in crisis. They shared from their own experiences as a couple in crisis and what God did to restore their marriage. They shared 4 ways to provide help when the "marriage 911" call comes. First, a church needs to have a first response team. Second, the church needs to have resources that work individually rather than as a couple. Their experience was that they were never on the same page at the same time regarding what needed to happen in their marriage during crisis. Third, a church needs to respond within 24 hours. Fourth, provide reconciliation tools. These reconciliation tools will: change person's focus, change person's heart, & provide hope regardless of marriage outcome. They have created reconciliation tools that protect pastors from burnout, protect leaders from emotional ties with the opposite gender, help the abandoned spouse, and provide an option for separated people trying to save their marriage alone. Weeks 1-4 are on focus, Weeks 5-8 are on the heart, & Weeks 9-12 are on hope.
Cultivating Sexually Healthy Families-The last workshop of the day was presented by Debby Wade & Doug Rosenau. The three purposes for the workshop were to: create comfortable sexual dialogue for effective education, knowing and teaching key sexual facts and values, and setting protective boundaries around sexuality and technology. Several key things to keep in mind related to education were to start young. They also shared the importance of keeping the topic on the table and not expecting to "have the sex talk" once and it be enough. Another important point they shared was understanding and valuing God's purpose for sexuality. It was very important to avoid shame in these conversations. In the area of facts and values, it is important to lay a biblical foundation. Wade shared some comfortable dialogue and what age it can be done. They also shared the importance of values not just being externally imposed. In closing they shared about protective boundaries. They shared several slides of texting lingo. They also explained about the importance of implementing technology boundaries at younger ages. Rosenau talked about how the church has typically focused on behaviors which they hoped would change attitudes and heart, and would point to God. However, he challenged us to think about teaching sexuality from God's perspective first and moving out to attitudes and heart which will lead to godly behaviors in the area of sexuality. They ended the time with questions and sharing some helpful resources.
Marriage Mentoring-My first workshop was led by Ed & Rhonda Gray. They shared about a resource they have developed called 12 Conversations. They shared from their experiences in working with couples. Their belief is "it is wise to focus on nurturing strong marriages rather than waiting to repair damaged marriages." They also shared that there is power in stories and that mentor couples are more powerful than just sharing a book that might help a couple. They shared about how marriage mentoring comes from a good marriage not a perfect marriage. They also stressed the importance of the wisdom in the pews and not needing to be pastor driven. Mentoring is really being a living example of 1 Corinthians 13. Another image they shared were about the different types of marriage helpers. They see mentoring as similar to vitamins. This allows us to stay healthy. Counselors are also important and can be seen as penicillin. This tends to be a little more in depth. Attorneys can also become involved but their role tends to be more painful and invasive and are seen as surgery. They shared about a 5 stage plan for implementing a marriage mentoring program in your church.
Reconciling Troubled Marriages-Joe and Michelle Williams were the presenters and they shared about a first response ministry for couples in crisis. They shared from their own experiences as a couple in crisis and what God did to restore their marriage. They shared 4 ways to provide help when the "marriage 911" call comes. First, a church needs to have a first response team. Second, the church needs to have resources that work individually rather than as a couple. Their experience was that they were never on the same page at the same time regarding what needed to happen in their marriage during crisis. Third, a church needs to respond within 24 hours. Fourth, provide reconciliation tools. These reconciliation tools will: change person's focus, change person's heart, & provide hope regardless of marriage outcome. They have created reconciliation tools that protect pastors from burnout, protect leaders from emotional ties with the opposite gender, help the abandoned spouse, and provide an option for separated people trying to save their marriage alone. Weeks 1-4 are on focus, Weeks 5-8 are on the heart, & Weeks 9-12 are on hope.
Cultivating Sexually Healthy Families-The last workshop of the day was presented by Debby Wade & Doug Rosenau. The three purposes for the workshop were to: create comfortable sexual dialogue for effective education, knowing and teaching key sexual facts and values, and setting protective boundaries around sexuality and technology. Several key things to keep in mind related to education were to start young. They also shared the importance of keeping the topic on the table and not expecting to "have the sex talk" once and it be enough. Another important point they shared was understanding and valuing God's purpose for sexuality. It was very important to avoid shame in these conversations. In the area of facts and values, it is important to lay a biblical foundation. Wade shared some comfortable dialogue and what age it can be done. They also shared the importance of values not just being externally imposed. In closing they shared about protective boundaries. They shared several slides of texting lingo. They also explained about the importance of implementing technology boundaries at younger ages. Rosenau talked about how the church has typically focused on behaviors which they hoped would change attitudes and heart, and would point to God. However, he challenged us to think about teaching sexuality from God's perspective first and moving out to attitudes and heart which will lead to godly behaviors in the area of sexuality. They ended the time with questions and sharing some helpful resources.
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