Relationship Ministries

Our Mission

To LEARN MORE about relationships, both with God and with each other

To LIVE MORE, through enriched relationships, knowing how to journey positively and confidently through losses, transitions and conflict, growing in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

To LOVE MORE, creating positive nurturing families and safe, supportive faith communities.

Simply stated, we are all “hard-wired to connect”¹ in relationships, whether with other humans – or even more importantly with God.

Because we were created for community, it is natural to identify many arenas of human relationship. Relationship Ministries collaborates with other ministries to strengthen and nurture people in the organic Body of Christ, the Church. These other ministry initiatives include Children’s, Youth, Chaplaincy/Pastoral Care, Education, Aged Care, ATSIM and Women’s Ministries – all working to strengthen and nurture our human relationships.

In South Queensland, Relationship Ministries respond to the following specific focus areas:

Family Focused Ministry
- Supporting couples on the road to marriage through pre-marriage mentoring.
- Mentoring married couples and families in the process of understanding and enriching their relationships, intimacy and self-care through sermons, workshops and referral to appropriate resources and support.
- Collaborating with other departments to support and mentor parents – and others providing parenting such as grandparents and guardians – in the challenging and rewarding adventure of parenting their children from conception to individuation and beyond.
Ministry to Single Adults
- Q’SAM – Queensland Single Adventist Ministries
  
  conduct events to facilitate networking and community among Adults who find themselves single as a result of bereavement, relationship breakdown, isolation or who have never been in a long-term relationship such as marriage
  
  seek to mentor and resource local Churches in the engagement and nurture of adult singles in their local Church community
Men’s Ministry
- JUST MEN seeks to network, inspire and resource leaders among men in the Churches, empowering local ministry for men to meet the growing need for
  
  Spiritual, sexual and relational purity and integrity in men
  
  Courageous and committed friends, husbands, parents and leaders
  
  Compassionate, servant-leaders among men
Counsellors and Other Relationship Therapists & Professionals
Through the Association of Adventist Counsellors & Allied Professionals (AAC), networking and support is offered by
- facilitating relevant professional development workshops
- sharing resources by way of the AAC website – https://adventistcounsellors.adventist.place
Ministry to Specific Marginalised People Groups
As well as those already identified above, Relationship Ministries collaborates with other departments and ministry teams to provide ministry to marginalised people groups including (but not limited to)
- People experiencing Disability
- People identifying as LGBTIQ+ and their families & allies
- People of marginalised ethnicity such as ATSI or refugees
- Single parents
- People who have experienced abuse or family violence

These are often complex areas of ministry, since we were initially created as complex and perfect human beings in the image of God but have changed as a result of the original fall in the Garden of Eden and the ongoing effects through thousands of years of human history. There are few simple solutions to complex challenges, and Relationship Ministry often involves a process of education towards a broader and more-informed approach to problems and challenges.

Chaplaincy & Pastoral Care

Pastor Stephen Bews, Director of Adventist Relationship Ministries also serves as Coordinator of the Hospitals and Aged Care Chaplaincy team. This team, made up of trained volunteers and pastors, provides specialised Pastoral Care to people facing health-related crises or transitions. The recipients of this care include patients, residents and staff in Adventist Aged Care facilities and in many of the public and private hospitals throughout the South Queensland Conference.