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June 9, 2006
Using a family perspective in planning, implementing and evaluating policies, programs, ministries, and services means two things:
1. Viewing individuals in the context of their family relationships and their other social relationship.
As a systems orientation, a family perspective is a lens that focuses on the interaction between individuals, their families, and social situations. For example, rather than seeing a frail elderly person as an isolated individual who needs help, a family perspective assesses what kinds of supportive relationships that person has (or lacks) from family, friends, church, and neighborhood institutions.
2. Using family relationships as a criterion to assess the impact of the Church's and society's policies, programs, ministries, and services.
As a criterion to assess ministry, a family perspective provides a means to examine and adjust systematically policies, program design, and service delivery. Its goal is to incorporate a sensitivity to families and to promote the partnership, strengths, and resources of participating families. A family perspective in ministry does not mean establishing another church office or a new level of bureaucracy to carry out such evaluation. However, it does mean calling all ministries to undertake this critical process.
A family perspective is rooted in the challenge of Pope John Paul II as stated in Familiaris Consortio: "No plan for organized pastoral work at any level must ever fail to take into consideration the pastoral area of the family."