Rooted Families gives churches the tools, training, and support needed to care for vulnerable children in their communities. Through Family Advocacy Ministries, churches learn to recruit and sustain foster families, provide respite care, and support families facing crisis. We handle the complexity so churches can focus on what they do best: loving their neighbors well.
You can find a collection of helpful resources for you and your church designed to deepen your understanding of trauma, healing, and the foster care and adoption experience.
A Family Advocacy Ministry is a step-by-step church-based initiative that supports vulnerable children and families in your community. FAMs help:
No. Family Advocacy Ministries work in churches of all sizes across Montana. Whether you have 50 members or 500, if your congregation has a heart for vulnerable children, we can help you build a ministry that fits your church’s capacity and community needs. We’ll work with you to create a sustainable approach that doesn’t overwhelm your volunteers or staff.
Most churches dedicate one volunteer coordinator who commits 5-10 hours per week, along with a team of volunteers who serve as needed. The beauty of a FAM is that it mobilizes your entire congregation—some provide meals, others offer respite care, and some help with practical needs like transportation. We help you build systems that distribute the work so no one person carries the entire load.
The name Rooted Families was inspired because our team believes that the only way to truly end to the child welfare care crisis is … That families need to be Rooted in Jesus, and that is only accomplished when God’s people, the Church, come together to be the hands and feet of Jesus to provide support for these children and their families. As it says in Isaiah 40:11, ‘He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
We provide comprehensive initial training to launch your FAM, plus ongoing coaching, resource updates, and connection to a statewide network of churches doing this work. You’ll have access to proven curricula, volunteer training materials, and a dedicated coach who understands the unique challenges of serving vulnerable children in Montana. We’re with you every step of the way.
While there is no required financial cost to churches to partner, we do invite all churches to consider a financial partnership as a FAM Activity. When churches give financial support to Rooted Families as one of their FAM Activities it helps ensure other churches have the ability to implement FAMs. Expanding the network of church-led FAMs requires significant financial investment, time, resources, and effort to coach and equip church Advocates as they lead their church ministries to transforming the local child welfare landscape. We want to make it financially feasible for all churches to care for vulnerable children, not to create a barrier, and in order for that to be possible we work with each church individually to create a partnership that fits your budget and capacity. Contact us to discuss how your church FAM financial gift can grow the network.
That’s okay—most churches don’t when they start. Part of launching a FAM is raising awareness within your congregation and community about the need for foster families. We’ll equip you to recruit, train, and support new foster families while also showing your church how to care for families already fostering in your area. You don’t need foster families to start; you just need a willing heart.
We make it simple. From training to ongoing coaching, Rooted Families equips Montana churches with everything needed to support foster families and children in crisis. Let’s explore what a Family Advocacy Ministry could look like in your community.
