Children, Youth, Family (CYF) Committee Family Interviews Summary

Staffing changes and a need to understand how to best plan programming and staffing for family needs prompted the CYF committee to plan and execute family surveys. The survey was written in July 2023 and included 11 open-ended questions. The survey was reviewed, edited and approved by CYF committee.

Participants were recruited in a variety of ways, included directed emails from staff, general solicitation to CYF programming attendees and a general call to all GSLC members. Included families were selected based on a variety of different family structures, makeup and engagement with CYF programming. Surveys were continued until thematic saturation was achieved.

Nine families were interviewed from August to November, 2023. We have intentionally anonymized the respondents, but our response included families with married parents, divorced parents, remarried parents, as well as including some families with LGBTQ parents. Range of children ages at the time of interview from newborn/expecting to college aged/grown. The average length of interview was 20 min.

For entry point into CYF programming, the most common routes were Little Blessings preschool, baptism, Pine Lake camp, the 0-3 years play group and the high school youth group. Families continued engagement most commonly with church school, AMPED, youth group and Family Friday Dinners. Some families mentioned a lack of engagement due to an LGBTQ child or person with mental illness not feeling welcomed.

The type of programming families prioritize for involvement over other opportunities was AMPED/Confirmation by a wide margin. Other higher priority activities were Little Blessings, youth trips, church school, youth trips. Less prioritized programming was Christmas/Easter youth programming or activities where the child pushed back or didn’t want to attend. Some felt alternate ways of attending would be welcomed.

For programming families wished GSLC had, all ages programming and family dinners or soup/salad before worship were the most mentioned. For ways GSLC can best support their child, families most commented on continuing to invite even if the child is not very engaged or able to attend. There is also an opportunity here to expand prayer partners and adult-youth pairings. Families felt that training for youth as well as the congregation at large for how to be more welcoming and supportive could be helpful.

When asked who in GSLC a family would turn to in a time of crisis (see Figure), the answers were nearly evenly distributed across pastors and staff, with a reasonably sized minority also stating other church members.

In conclusion, the CYF committee held family interviews to understand how families interact with GSLC programming to aid planning for staffing and future programs. Little Blessings and baptism are key entry points, while AMPED and high school ministry are key engagement points. The relational work by CYF staff is highly valued. Opportunities exist to be more welcoming and inclusive to kids that disengage, LGBTQ kids and those with mental illness. There is also a desire to improve the child-adult relationships across the congregation. There are opportunities for other ministry areas to help with this work, including Outreach, Education, Hospitality and In-reach.