AKB/More Than Enough Church Assessment

This assessment done in partnership with CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans) will help your church assess how you are doing in 6 foster care ministry categories: recruitment, communication, prayer, relational support, tangible support, and leadership.

Identify And Survey Current Foster And Adoptive Families In Your Church:
You may be surprised to learn who in your church is already engaged in this issue. This survey is a great way to start building your program based on the actual needs of the foster and adoptive parents who are on the front lines in your own church.

Create A Church Asset Inventory List:
Assess the resources your church/church families have to offer and create a list. What physical, personnel, or programmatic resources could be used or repurposed to support this ministry? See our sample template.

Meet With Child Welfare And Learn Their Needs:
The church and child welfare are two different worlds with their own languages, rules, expectations, and procedures. But when the church chooses to humbly serve child welfare, it can be a great partnership. This document will help you learn how to do that.

Why the Retention of Foster Parents is CRUCIAL:
Retention of foster parents is a huge piece to solving the crisis in foster care.  This resource lays out three troubling effects that happen when foster parents aren’t retained.  It reinforces why the church’s role of providing an array of support for existing foster parents is as important as its efforts in recruiting new foster parents.

Made to Belong: Becoming a Trauma-Sensitive & Engaged Faith Leader Training:

Communities of Faith have a great opportunity to provide hope and healing to those impacted by trauma, grief and loss, especially in the areas of foster care and adoption. In this 11 lesson, self-guided training learn what the Bible and science teach about belonging, attachment, trauma and healing. Note, this course is offered for a small fee and includes certificate of completion.

Guide For Creating A “Wrap Around Ministry”:
Fostering and adopting can be messy, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. This resource will help you in creating and running your church’s own Wrap Around ministry.

Guide For Hosting A “Foster Parent’s Night Out”:
Kids and the families that foster them love this ministry. This resource has all that you need to help you start and sustain a successful FPNO.

Presentation – “Trauma Informed Care” (for Ministry Leaders):
Sunday School teachers, children’s pastors, youth ministers, and volunteers, need to become equipped in learning how to recognize and respond to kids who have experienced trauma. This presentation will give ministry leaders the basics and practical examples on how to help.

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Guide For “Belong Sunday” Series:
This resource will guide you to educate, advocate and engage with foster care and adoption with three weeks of Foster Care Moments to share with your congregation. Announcement scripts, video suggestions (below) and bulletin inserts (below) all lead towards a Next Steps event and creating a Wrap Around Ministry.

Belong Series Bulletin Inserts

These bulletin inserts communicate the crisis of foster care nationwide as well as the solution. There is blank space for you to add your own stories, statistics or invitations to Next Steps events or informational meetings.

Guide For Hosting A “Next Steps In Foster Care” Event:
This resource will guide you in providing a hospitable, thoughtful and practical “seminar” to help people take their next best steps in the foster care world.

Foster/Adoption Sermon Resource Guide:
This resource eBook contains all the occurrences in the Bible where orphans, the fatherless, or the concept of adoption is explicitly stated. Also contained are the scriptural examples of people being fostered and adopted, and a large collection of quotes regarding foster care and adoption. We recommend the lead/teaching pastor use it for sermon preparation.

Flyer/Poster Infographic: “The Church’s 3 Key Advantages”:
Why should the church get engaged in foster care and adoption? This infographic shows you why the church is the answer to solving this crisis for kids in foster care.

What Men in the Church Need to Know About Foster Care:
God has hard wired men to be courageous protectors, servant leaders, and daring adventurers. Foster care is an incredible journey that will command all of these things and God will use these attributes in powerful ways. This resource speaks specifically to things men in the church need to hear when it comes to foster care.

Sermon Intro/Prayer for Mother’s Day:
This resource is a simple, sensitive, and beautiful introduction for a Mother’s Day message.

Statistics In Foster Care:
This resource shares statistics regarding societal issues for children and families in foster care.

Accurate Foster Adoption Language:
As a speaker, you know words matter. You can unintentionally offend by using the wrong kinds of terminology. This simple resource will help you know how to say it.

Video: “Worthy of Belonging”:
This video sets up the overall problem and the solution to the foster care crisis in the U.S. We recommend using it in your series of announcements.

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Video: “Say Yes to Wrap Around”:
This video shares how anyone can do something to help support foster families and kids in care. We recommend using it in your series of announcements.

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Video: “Molly’s Story”:
This animated video illustrates the story of how one person can help in various ways until they are ready to foster a child. We recommend using it in your series of announcements.

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Video: “Being the People Kids Can Count On – Fostering FAQ”:
In both the long and short versions of this powerful video, your church will learn more about what it’s like to be a foster family. It also appreciates the role foster families have in God’s restorative justice and grace.

Long Version (13min)

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Short Version (7min)

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