The Centrality of the Home, by Voddie Baucham, What is a Family Integrated Church (FIC)?

Dr. Voddie Baucham is someone Jeoff & I have come to admire, and Jeoff heard him speak at a men's conference a few weeks ago.

Among a few subjects that I admire is the concept of the family integrated church, homeschooling, and the parents' role in the home.

Here's a quote from the FIC and below a few links to other information.

What is a Family Integrated Church?
Distinctives of a Family Integrated Church (FIC)
By Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr.

Family Integrated Churches come in all shapes, sizes and varieties. There are FICs in virtually every denominational and theological tradition, and in most sections of the country. While no two FICs are exactly alike, they do have certain distinctives in common

Families Worship Together
If you’ve ever walked into a FIC during a worship service, perhaps the first thing that struck you was the fact that there were so many babies and small children in the service. We have grown accustomed to the presence of children in the service, and the children grow accustomed to being a part of the worship experience. No one will stop you at the door if you try to enter our service with your toddler.
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No Systematic Age Segregation
One of the biggest distinctions of a FIC is the absence of age-graded ministries. We do not have segregated youth ministry, or children’s ministry. First, these ministries are not part of the biblical church model. The Bible is clear on whose job it is to disciple children... parents. Second, these ministries can work against the biblical mode. Parents who are relieved of their discipleship duties tend to become dependent on those who have taken over the job. Finally, these ministries have failed. We are losing 75-88% of Evangelical teens by the end of their freshman year in college. And as Dr. Alvin Reid has noticed, “The largest rise of youth professionals in history has been accompanied by a decline in youth evangelism effectiveness.”
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Evangelism/Discipleship Through Homes
We teach parents to evangelize and disciple their children and their neighbors. We emphasize the ministry of hospitality, family worship, catechism, and family discipleship. Thus, instead of placing the burden on paid professionals to “do the work of the ministry,” we equip the saints to do it.
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Education as a Key Component of Discipleship
Jesus said, “A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). Whoever educates a child is discipling that child. We work hard to help parents see the importance of Christian education, and to help them make biblical choices as it relates to this part of their children’s discipleship.

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The Family Integrated Model
By Dr. Voddie Baucham, Jr.

Ministry to Families (D.E.F.E.N.D.)
Families are falling apart all around us. The divorce rate is at an all time high; The birth rate has plummeted to an all time low. Children lack discipline and self control, and are falling away from the faith at rates of up to 88 percent (2002 SBC Council on the Family)! At Grace Family Baptist Church, we believe the answer is simple. We must DEFEND the family.

Disciple
The current state of the family has left most people with poor models, or no models at all when it comes to biblical family. Consequently, many people simply don’t know what biblical family looks like. We are committed to the discipleship of individuals and families with a view toward establishing sound biblical principles upon which the home is built (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 2:6).

Equip
We are committed to equipping and expecting men to step into their God-given role as priest, prophet and provider in the home, and in turn, to lead their wives and teach their children in the ways of righteousness (Titus 2)

Facilitate
Family takes time. Therefore, at Grace Family Baptist Church, we are committed to “creating space” for families to spend time together (Ephesians 5:16). We do not offer a host of programs that run families ragged. We would much rather encourage you to spend more time around your family table enjoying one another’s company, or engaging in Christian hospitality toward your neighbors.

Encourage
We believe the church is a “family of families.” Our desire is to encourage families to be all God wants them to be, since the strength of the church is dependent upon the strength of individual families (Deuteronomy 6:7; Ephesians 6:1-4).

Nurture
Family life is filled with both mountaintops and valleys. We are committed to rejoicing with families when they experience the highs, and nurturing them during the lows (Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:26; Hebrews 13:3).

Duplicate
Grace Family Baptist Church has been blessed with many families that exemplify the best the biblical model has to offer. These families aren’t perfect, but they are far enough down the road to help others just starting out (Titus 2).
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Ministry to single parents (R.E.D.E.E.M.)
Reconcile
Our primary goal with any broken marriage is to reconcile it if possible. Thus, the first question we ask in the case of single parents is, “Can we help restore this person’s marriage?” If we can, we are obligated to do so. If we cannot (i.e., in the case of the death or remarriage of a spouse), we pick up the pieces and move on (Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:11).

Embrace
While we believe the ideal family involves two loving, godly parents, we do not consider single-parent families inferior to traditional, nuclear families. We understand that many people find themselves raising children without the help of a spouse for a variety of reasons beyond their control, and we embrace these families (Deuteronomy 10:18; 16:14; 24:19-21).

Disciple
As with all families, we are committed to discipling single parents, and equipping them to disciple the children with which they have been entrusted (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 2:6).

Encourage
We are committed to providing encouragement to single parents. We recognize the added burdens involved in raising children alone, and believe God has called us to come alongside single parents in an effort to lighten their load wherever possible.

Envelop
Grace Family Baptist Church is a covenantal body of believers. We share life together. We are committed to enveloping our members in a blanket of genuine fellowship, especially those with the added burden of single parenthood.

Minister
Grace Family Baptist Church is committed to minister to single parents and their children. When needs arise, we see ourselves as extended family.

More articles by or related to Voddie Baucham

The Centrality of the Home (Listen to the MP3)

Family Integrated Church Conference

More on the Family Integrated Church

The Grace Family Institute

Homeschool Support Group

2007 Family Conference

On The Decision to Have More Children or Not