April 23, 2001
Chafin Lecture focuses on family secrets
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___WACO--Most people's stories are rooted in their families, but oftentimes those life-giving roots are not fully visible, according to sociologist Robert Wuthnow.
___The professor from Princeton University made the observation during the inaugural Barbara Chafin Endowed Lectureship in Family Ministries at Baylor University April 10.Wuthnow's topic was "The Hidden Side of Spirituality and Ministry."
ROBERT WUTHROW
___Housed in Baylor's School of Social Work, the lectureship was established by former Texas pastor Ken Chafin before his death to honor his wife, Barbara.
___In attempting to do family ministry, churches must learn to look beyond the surface needs that are easily visible, Wuthnow said, drawing on years of personal research. What lies beneath, and what has shaped the needs of the person and the family, may be unknown even to the person the church attempts to minister to, he explained.
___Family secrets are not the rarity many believe, the researcher said, citing physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, estranged children, bankruptcy, depression and extra-marital affairs as other examples of family secrets.
___Among his research subjects, whom he described as "ordinary people," Wuthnow found 81 percent had experienced some family history in these areas.
___"Most people have troubles," he surmised. "Not everything goes swimmingly for them all the time."
___Yet at church, people operate under the impression that "these things happen to other people," he added.
___"It's acceptable to give and receive help if one is stricken with breast cancer or suffers a heart attack," Wuthnow said. But it's far more difficult to know how to respond to many other problems.
___Despite the difficulty the church has demonstrated in addressing such problems, people continue to look to the church for help, Wuthnow explained. The reason is that unsettling life experiences often cause people to become spiritual seekers, he added.
___Yet the solution is not preaching on "five easy steps to a happy marriage," Wuthnow said.
___Instead, churches that own up to these real-life challenges will find family ministry to be "messy and unpredictable," he suggested. "It will be less like a place people come and more like a referral service."
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!
