Despite the pessimistic headlines announcing that the family is an endangered species, I refuse to sigh and give up hope. Who says “endangered” means doomed? If we’re ingenious enough to preserve the bison, the whooping crane, and the humpbacked whale, I’m convinced we can preserve the family. The “want to” is certainly there with a lot of us—especially us preachers.

Professor Nick Stinnett launched a fascinating study some years ago. All sorts of questions were asked to families from many backgrounds, cultures, and countries. His research represented a wide swath of the families of humanity. The goal? Very simply, to discover what makes families strong.

Dr. Stinnett writes of his findings:

All together, we studied 3,000 families and collected a lot of information. But when we analyzed it all, we found six main qualities in strong families. Strong families:

• are committed to the family,
• spend time together,
• have good family communication,
• express appreciation to each other,
• share a spiritual commitment,
• are able to solve problems in a crisis.[ref]Nick Stinnett, “Six Qualities that Make Families Strong,” chapter one in Family Building: Six Qualities of a Strong Family, ed. Dr. George Rekers (Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 1985), p 38.[/ref]

Look back over that list. There is enough there to fill out your preaching calendar for the rest of the year! When I first came across this information, I used it not only as the basis for a miniseries of pulpit messages on the family, but I also posted that list in my home. It became the topic of numerous conversations among the Swindoll tribe! I would suggest you try the same experiment with your family.

Then preach it.

—Chuck