Ministry Idea: Family Book Club

Imagine three generations sitting together at church discussing whether Edmund deserves to be forgiven or ever trusted again. Crayons lie on the floor next to a picture of a lion, and the White Witch’s castle is being built with blocks, while Edmund’s fate is debated and Aslan’s sacrifice is both mourned and celebrated. True stories are shared of similar experiences of betrayal and mended relationships due to the work of Jesus. Some tales may be of siblings breaking a favorite toy, and others may be of co-workers stealing credit for ideas on a project. This isn’t some fictional ministry idea; this is a family book club.

Why a Family Book Club?

Family Book Clubs are one of my favorite things to offer to church families. And, I use the term families very loosely: traditional families with elementary-ages, singles, retired couples, young adults, or any other shape family is welcome. You can follow this or adjust to meet the needs of your church. Perhaps you are looking for a way to gather preschool families during the school day, but do not want the traditional mom’s group. A family book club might meet your needs for that as well.

I love these book clubs because this event is flexible, simple to put together, and draws on a common love of story. Family book clubs are also easy to adjust to themes of the church calendar, sermon series, or holidays.

Three Approaches to Family Book Clubs

Depending on the season and schedules of your church families, there are two different approaches you can take to family book clubs: stand-alone sessions, multiple sessions for one book, or a series of books. Below, I will describe each approach and some of its benefits. You may use one of these or come up with your own.

Stand-Alone Sessions

Stand-alone sessions would be a one-off meeting based on one picture book or theme. If you take the theme approach, you could possibly read one to three short books as time allows.

This approach is great for busy schedules as it requires no homework or preparation and has a low time commitment. The stand-alone sessions can also be a way to test out the participation and interest in continuing the family book club.  Benefits include:

• Accessibility – removes barriers to participation
• Sustainability – schedule it when convenient for the church’s and families’ calendars
• Inclusivity – welcomes families in all seasons of life
• Immediate satisfaction – every meeting feels complete.

Multiple Sessions with One Book

This approach is more like the classic church book study, where you break a longer book down into chapters. Multiple sessions would work well if you had a large group of older children, as it is easier for them to listen to longer books, particularly with no pictures. This could also work well if you already have a group consistently meeting and want to mix up their curriculum.

Depending on the length of the chapters, you could offer to read it aloud or ask families to read it on their own before the meeting. The benefits of this are:

• Story depth – time to really explore themes and characters
• Relationship building – same families connecting repeatedly
• Anticipation factor – builds excitement between meetings
• Manageable commitment – not overwhelming, but more than one-and-done.

A Series of Books

For really committed groups, a series could be so fun and meaningful. One of my favorite intergenerational ministry memories is of going through the Narnia series with my church. Each month, we met about one of the books and grew together as we explored the various themes and characters of Lewis.

This approach can feel like a challenge when including toddlers, but it is not impossible with the right books and planning. The benefits are:

• Community formation – creates the strongest family bonds
• Spiritual formation – themes can build progressively
• Leadership pipeline – develops families who can lead future groups
• Multiplication – experienced families become equipped to start new groups.

Creating a Format for Your Families

When hosting a family book club, I recommend a simple, flexible structure. Families will want to know what to expect, but you never know when a question or activity will strike a chord and take longer than planned. I recommend 60-90 minutes for a family book club meeting.

Selecting Books for Your Family Book Club

What makes a great book choice for an intergenerational book club? Part of this will depend on your particular church, but here are a few basic principles and questions to think about as you prayerfully decide.

Age Accessible Questions:

• Can a 4-year-old follow the basic storyline and engage with it?
• Will a 14-year-old find the themes, characters, or plot interesting?
• Do adults discover symbolism, life lessons, or conversation potential?

Conversation-Friendly Qualities:

• Are there clear themes related to faith and the Bible?
• Are the characters and their choices discussion-worthy?
• Are there any natural conversation starters, like what would you do or when have you felt…?
• Does the story work on multiple levels, both literally and symbolically?

Length and Format:

• Picture books of 10-30 pages work well for stand-alone sessions. These should have a strong and satisfying ending. You can also use short chapter books that families can read in under an hour.
• Books that can be finished in 3-5 sessions work best for a multi-session approach. This allows for cliff-hangers and progressive character development while maintaining momentum.
• When looking for a series, you want books that are self-contained but connected. Overlapping characters are also helpful to keep families engaged. Can you find themes that are consistent and build within the series?

Practices to consider:

• Consider seasonal connections– Whether fall, winter, spring, summer, or even the Church year seasons, these books can help create connections to natural rhythms.
• Have a backup option or two– If you are using a picture book, keep a few extra books with similar themes ready, just in case. You never know when a book won’t work with your group for one reason or another. They can also be helpful to point families to if they want to keep the conversation going at home.
• Read the book with your family first– I have to admit I have read a book based on someone else’s book recommendation to a group of kids without previewing it. While it isn’t always a flop, I have had a surprise that I wasn’t prepared for. Always read the book first, even if you have read it in the past.
• Ask a teacher or librarian for suggestions– Teachers and librarians work with lots of different books and are a great resource for finding books to meet your needs.
• Host a book potluck– Invite your families to each bring a book and a question. This is a great way to nurture leaders and learn about the families in your group.

Questions and Conversations for Every Member of the Family

When planning the questions and conversations for a family book club, not every question needs to be for everyone, but everyone should have questions for them. Whether you start with a universal question like “What was your favorite part and why?” or you start with simple plot questions that even your littlest talker can answer, be sure to invite the littlest ones into the conversation right away. This serves as an invitation to participate and a way of showing them their voice matters.

Once they feel welcome, invite others in with questions that dig a little deeper for the older participants. It is helpful to be intentional in varying the depth of the questions so that children always feel a part of the conversation. While adult book clubs may start with more surface-type questions and continuously dig deeper, when you have all generations together, you will want to keep circling back to questions that are developmentally appropriate for the little ones. This doesn’t mean that children can not understand or participate in deeper conversations, simply that we want to remain aware that they are experiencing a welcoming environment.

It can also be important to build in time for others to bring and present their questions, including the children.

Engaging Hands and Bodies

During the conversation is also a great time for activities. You do not have to separate questions and activities; in fact, doing them together may be helpful for the children.

Provide paper, crayons, markers, blocks, or Play-Doh. Families can work together on a project, or individuals can work alone. You can offer direction or invite creative reflection. There is no one right way to do it.

A favorite activity of mine was creating a huge map of Narnia that my whole group worked on over the course of reading the Narnia series. Month after month, I rolled out the paper with art supplies, and we added the parts that were relevant to the book of the month.

You can also do activities before and after the conversation and see where the discussion goes on its own. Maybe you decorate cookies, create a scrapbook for a character, or play a game. Lean into the preferences of the group and the themes of the book.

Starting Small

I hope you will try this ministry idea out. The fall is a great time to grab a picture book about gratitude and invite families for an evening of thankfulness at church. This low-budget, low-prep event can have a big impact on the relationships and faith formation of the families of your church. Start small. Pick one picture book, one evening, and invite some families to join you. With so many amazing books out there, the possibilities are endless!