THE WHOLE FAMILY SUPPORT MODEL
“Come with your family. We’re here for all of you.”
The Shift
The Options
The Good News
Whatever form your ministry to the families (and even the larger communities) of incarcerated men and women takes, your congregation can be a shame- and stigma-busting place of acceptance.
Thankfully, several turnkey programs
What if your frame of reference wasn’t just the individual person returning from incarceration, but that person’s family? What would it look like to shift your focus to their struggles and needs and to build relationships with them—both before and after their loved one returns from prison?
have been developed to help congregations begin to understand the needs of the families of the incarcerated and respond to them in both small, practical ways and in larger- scale congregational transformation.
This model shifts the frame of reference for reentry ministry. Instead of the focus being solely on the individual being released from incarceration, this approach widens the lens to focus on that person’s family as well. This has ripple effects for the kinds of questions you’ll want to be asking. For example, it’s not just about the returning citizen’s needs and desires but also about the family members who have been affected in their own ways—families often struggling emotionally, financially, relationally, and spiritually. This isn’t to suggest that the ordinary congregation is equipped to solve all the problems and heal all the wounds that have opened up for families of the incarcerated. But it does highlight the importance of being sensitive and compassionate and paying attention to the whole family. In many, if not most, situations, the whole family suffers from shame. And that means a hallmark of the Whole Family Support Model is the consistently intentional and public proclamation in word and deed of their acceptance into full participation in the community. Family members aren’t “parents who failed” or “kids who have a parent to hide.” This shame-busting message of
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