There was a time in rural America that large families were more the rule than the exception. Many Pastors entered into that situation. Infant mortality was a factor as was lack of reliable birth control. The biggest factors were economic. In farm work more children meant more hands to operate the farm and the harvest. Food was close at hand and more water could always be added to the soup. Large families were a cultural norm, often even in the city as well as on the farm. Older children often carried responsibility for younger ones. There was as now, poverty and hardship but also love and companionship. We now live in a country where the average family has less than four people. There are fewer and fewer examples of extended families living together. To some degree we are seeing families with grandparents, children and grandchildren living together in new configurations. It may prompt us to ask again “What is a family?” Maybe there is no longer a typical family and there never was a perfect family. How does our modern experiences of family shape what we mean when we describe the church as the family of God?