Frequently Asked Questions
What is CFM? What makes CFM different from other small faith communities or study groups?
Peer Ministry for Families - CFM is a peer ministry that includes the whole family. Children are witnesses to multiple families trying to live their faith. CFM members share life, faith and best practices. They build friendships that are welcoming and that inspire an active faith. CFM creates a family of families within parishes and communities.
Methodology - CFM groups are not only discussion groups. They are action groups. CFM uses the Social Inquiry Method of Observe, Judge, Act (OJA) as the framework for discussion. The OJA Methodology guides members to a way of life that is intentional and proactive, effecting growth and change. The actions change the families who participate as well as bring Christ into the environments of which they are a part. The result is the training/formation of the members in prudence or making wise decisions.
Experience - For over 70 years, CFM has been strengthening and forming families of disciples. With an international affiliation, CFM helps families to see beyond their own life situations.
Content – Meetings are written from the lived experience of CFM members and are approved by CFM's national chaplain. CFM follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. CFM not only brings people together to discuss topics that affect the family, but also provides an opportunity and platform to discuss from a faith-based perspective what is happening in the world today.
Is CFM just for Catholics?
CFM is for Catholics, but not only Catholics. The Christian Family Movement strives to create a welcoming environment for all members to explore and deepen their faith and invite others to do the same. The U.S. Catholic Bishops recommend CFM in their documents, Follow the Way of Love and Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium, as well as in their planning materials for the National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage. CFM program materials are Catholic and inclusive of interchurch families as well as the unchurched. Each member is encouraged to deepen his or her relationship with God. Since meetings are held in the home environment, CFM is a comfortable setting for mixed faith couples to discover ways to express and act on the values they have in common. Children witness a unity of purpose in their parents.
Is everyone welcome to join?
Yes! Whoever you are, you have a family. CFM recognizes there are many people who would enjoy and benefit from a discussion of current topics through the lens of the family. CFM welcomes the participation of people of all family types (dual parents, single parents, widowed, engaged and married couples), as well as all cultures and races. In CFM, you belong to a family of families!
What happens at a CFM meeting and how often do you meet?
Members gather in each other’s homes (preferred) or in a parish setting for a social inquiry (questions on a topic affecting families in society) and use the Jocist Method (observe, judge, act). Meetings are about 1.5-2 hours, including prayer, reflection on the Scriptures and social time. Groups are encouraged to gather twice monthly, once as adults for the meeting and the second time as families for a social, spiritual or service activity. These gatherings might be formally scheduled or more spontaneous.
What is the Observe, Judge, Act Method of missionary discipleship? 
CFM members learn and practice the Observe, Judge, Act (OJA) Method of missionary discipleship, the "Jocist Method,” pioneered by Servant of God, Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Worker Movement in Belgium. In his encyclical, Mater et Magistra, Pope John XXIII affirms the process of observe (see), judge, act as a way of reading and responding to the signs of the times: "There are three stages which should normally be followed in the reduction of social principles into practice. First, one reviews the concrete situation; secondly, one forms a judgement on it in the light of these same principles; thirdly, one decides what in the circumstances can and should be done to implement these principles. These are the three stages that are usually expressed in the three terms: observe, judge, act."
How does CFM include children?
Whether to have children present at the CFM action group meetings is a decision made by each CFM group. Most groups meet for the social inquiry only as adults, and during the meeting the members plan social activities and service projects that include the whole family. The adults take what they discussed in their meeting home to their family for further discussion. Some groups have a babysitter present at their meetings to oversee children as they play nearby. Others plan activities for children during their meeting that relate to the adult discussion topic. It is appropriate to include children in the opening and closing prayer as well as the social time of the meeting. CFM has a minimal number of program books which incorporate children into the meeting.
What is a movement?
Movements in the Catholic Church are made up of members following a specific way of Christian life. For the CFM member, this entails living the observe, judge, act way of life. CFM is an officially recognized movement in the Catholic Church and is in harmony with the teachings of the Magisterium.
It feels intimidating to “join” a movement. Can I just buy the materials and participate for a limited amount of time?
CFM program materials are not for sale and are free to members. Money received is a person’s investment in exploring or affirming the Observe, Judge, Act Method/way of life. CFM does not require a long-term commitment, though many people have chosen that and develop life-long friendships and learn a powerful way of life. CFM asks people to renew their membership every year to support and expand the mission of the movement. Joining CFM can be seasonal or a time-limited experience. The introductory book is an 8-meeting social inquiry program.
How widespread is CFM?
When families join the Christian Family Movement (CFM), they become part of the lay movement that is CFM-USA, a national network of small groups of Catholics/Christians and their families. CFM-USA is part of an even broader international movement, the International Confederation of Christian Family Movements (ICCFM), which was established in 1966. ICCFM has a membership of over 98,000 families and is present in 37 countries.
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