It is apparent from a cursory glance at American society today, that there are many new ways of living. Compared to the stable family structure of 3-4 generations ago, the life styles in "our town" today are extremely varied. "Has family disintegrated?" is a question for the Church of the nineties, as "Is God dead?" was a question for the Church of the sixties.
It appears that the family has been re-defined in our age. It is no longer possible to return to what it was in the last century. We propose to look long and hard at family structures of the past and present, distilling the essence of family, then moving toward a three-dimensional understanding of the tern -- a net big enough to catch the complexities of today and allow us to struggle with them.
How will the Church of the 21st century be able to function as a redemptive society within society? Hopefully this conference will better equip us to grapple with that question and live into its answers.