Family Meetings

Use these steps to begin to build your own family meeting plan and agenda, and download our agenda template. The frequency and topics can vary based on your season of life or areas that need more attention. The primary goal is to be consistent to gather together and keep having these intentional conversations.

CREATING YOUR FAMILY MEETING

1. Establish a Regular Schedule

• Choose a convenient time and day that works for everyone.

• Create a recurring schedule to build consistency and make family meetings a habit.

2. Set Basic Communication Guidelines

• Establish ground rules that promote respectful and attentive listening and feedback.

• Have clear expectations on participation so everyone has an equal voice and one person does not dominate the conversation. Consider having designated roles during the meeting to assist with this.

• Designate the meeting as a tech-free time in order to minimize distractions.

3. Format Your Agenda

We encourage building an agenda around items like these below, but feel free to add or reduce

items to best fit your family’s needs and season of life.

• Opening Prayer (5 minutes): Begin the meeting with a moment of reflection and gratitude through prayer together.

• Check-In Time (10 minutes): Each family member takes turns sharing updates on their personal lives, including highlights, challenges, and/or any significant events. Decide on standard questions that will help prompt these check-ins like “Can you share one highlight and one update on______?”

• Review Values, Vision, and Mission: Read your values, vision, and mission aloud. Provide any commentary or reminders on these.

• Review Previous Goals (5 minutes): Discuss goals set during the last family meeting. Evaluate progress, celebrate accomplishments, and address any challenges faced.

• Discussion Time (15 minutes): Go through any meeting topics identified to discuss (review new goals, discuss upcoming actions needed, address any conflict or challenges). Keep it action-oriented.

• Closing (5 minutes): Conclude the meeting with a brief summary of key points discussed and any actions to take. Have one person pray to close the meeting.

By following an agenda, your family meetings can provide a framework for fostering communication, setting goals, and nurturing a supportive family environment. Use the download to begin to fill in your own meeting agenda and use it for your next meeting.