by Amy Ford, Co-Founder and President of Embrace Grace

“Most of my clients would never walk into a church.” 

I’ve heard this phrase at times from staff at pregnancy help organizations (PHOs), and for some of their clients, it's true.

Unfortunately, the church has been a place that many unmarried, pregnant moms want to run away from instead of run towards. Whether it’s because of their own church hurt or because of the reputation of the church at large, they have formulated the opinion that the church isn’t a safe place for someone unexpectedly expecting.

The perspective of many of our moms is that the church is known to be a place focused on behavior modification instead of what many are actually focused on which is heart transformation. 

Yet, if we can find creative ways to help pregnant moms be brave and overcome their fear of walking into the doors of the church, the outcome could have a generational impact, lives changed because of Jesus, and them finding a place of belonging.

When Our Clients Visit Church

It’s amazing to see the heart change regarding their perspective of the church when moms find the courage to actually show up. When they are met with authentic and real church leaders who bravely share their own stories of how God met them where they were and turned their messes into miracles, their walls start coming down and they feel safe sharing their own stories. They realize that the church isn’t a place full of perfect people but a place where imperfect people come together to encourage and support one another while pursuing the heart of God.

I tell so many moms that I invite, “Just try it one time. What do you have to lose? If you don’t like it, there is an open door available to you to leave at any time.” And I love hearing the creative ways in which centers are inspiring new moms to show up to church.

Invitation Ideas to Help Her Feel More Comfortable

I spoke to a PHO director recently who is closely partnered with a large church a few miles from their center. She tried referring their clients to the church for the Embrace Grace group but the moms were not showing up. She looked into it, asking them why they didn’t attend, and many said, “It’s such a big building. I don’t know where to go.” Even though they had signage out with clear directions, the size of the building kept them away. The PHO director came up with the solution to have the first four group sessions at their center. The church leader was still the leader of the group but began their semester at the center, instead of a big, church building. Then, once trust was built, they moved it to the church. During one of their group sessions, they took a field trip together to the church where they could walk in the doors together and show them where the classroom would be; and the moms kept showing up each week and started going to weekend services!

I’ve heard another center director say that she personally invites them to the local Embrace Grace group at their church and tells them she will meet them there. She attends the first 1 or 2 sessions to help the moms feel more brave in coming. Because of the trust that has been built and developed at the center with their clients, they are more comfortable going to Embrace Grace because they love the center worker! 

Some directors even invite the Embrace Grace leaders or pastors to swing by one of their parenting classes to personally invite the moms to their church. Sometimes seeing a face makes a big difference in helping a mom feel more confident in showing up. 

Don’t give up on inviting moms to become a part of a church family! We were never created to live life alone. Getting young moms plugged into spiritual families will help them find new friends and fellowship. We need each other! Get creative in the ask and watch what God does!

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NEW! Join us on June 12th for our first quarterly webinar to hear new ideas and receive ongoing support to partner with the churches in your community! For those just getting started or those looking to bolster their existing groups, this is for you. Join the Embrace Grace and Heartbeat teams, along with experts from the field to be inspired and equipped. Click here to register for FREE.