New Pro-Family Organization is Launched in Missouri

Missouri Family Policy Council Associated with Focus on the Family

By Jim Day

A new pro-family organization has been launched in Missouri associated with Focus on the Family. The Missouri Family Policy Council joins similar organizations in 34 other states that promote family-friendly public policy from a Christian point of view.

“Our mission is to advance Christian values in our culture and biblical principles in our government that support and strengthen the traditional family,” says Joe Ortwerth, the Executive Director of the Missouri Family Policy Council. “We will work to do so by promoting Christian citizenship in our churches and communities, and by promoting Christian statesmanship among our elected officials.”

Ortwerth is the former County Executive of St. Charles County, a position he held for twelve years. Prior to that, he served twelve years as a State Representative in the Missouri Legislature. Throughout his years in public service, Ortwerth has been a strong advocate for Christian families and Christian beliefs in the public arena. He has been a leading voice on behalf of the right to life.

Ortwerth says the Missouri Family Policy Council’s educational efforts will concentrate on promoting the benefits of traditional marriage, protecting the sacredness of human life, and preserving the liberties of religious freedom. “Our objective is to share information on issues of public policy concern to Christian families, so that they can be informed citizens in voicing their views and values to their elected officials.”

“We view our work as a ministry,” Ortwerth adds. “We seek to encourage our elected officials to be Godly leaders and Christian statesmen, and to stand firm in support of biblical values in their service to the people of Missouri. We want to build trusting relationships with them, and to provide prayer support and spiritual encouragement to them and their families in the performance of their public duties.”

Ortwerth says the Missouri Family Policy Council will work closely with other pro-life and pro-family leaders around the state. “It is vital that we energize concerned citizens in our state who care about righteousness, biblical truth in our culture, and moral excellence and Christian integrity in our government. By working together, we can mobilize a growing coalition of Christian families from different regions of the state and different religious backgrounds who can have a positive and lasting impact on the decisions made by our elected officials.”

Ortwerth says the Missouri Family Policy Council is seeking relationships with pastors and leaders of local churches to engage their congregations in being aware of emerging issues of moral significance. “The Christian community must realize that we are in a battle for the very soul of our nation, and the very culture that our children and grandchildren will grow up in.

“We are losing the cultural battle right now to those who despise or disregard God’s Word and God’s Way. But the tide can be turned through prayer and persuasion. All it takes is an effective network of prayerful believers who have the courage to act on their convictions and call on our government to be accountable to our values. We cannot afford to remain silent and leave our children to confront a world that has contempt for the things of God and is hostile to everything we believe.”

Like Focus on the Family, the Missouri Family Policy Council will emphasize the virtues and benefits of the traditional family. “There is one thing that has not changed over generations of time. The surest path to a healthy family is one where children are raised with the loving care and guidance of both a mother and father. Children deprived of meaningful mentoring by both male and female parents experience consistently adverse consequences. There is not now nor, will there ever be, a substitute for God’s design of the family,” says Ortwerth.

The Missouri Family Policy Council is chartered as a non-partisan, non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status. While the organization is closely associated with Focus on the Family, it is legally independent of Focus and has a self-governing Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board is Larry Collett, who has been a prominent figure in the St. Louis area in Christian ministry circles.

Ortwerth invites individuals concerned about the future of Missouri and its families to visit the organization’s website at www.missourifamily.org. “Visitors to our website will find links to a number of resources with regard to marriage and family, and cultural concerns. They can sign up to receive future family news alerts on current legislative issues in Jefferson City. By enlisting in the work of our organization, they can help make Missouri a state where our laws and our leaders reflect respect for Biblical principles and Godly values.”

Ortwerth also asks believers to keep the Missouri Family Policy Council in their prayers. “We urge our supporters to pray that our elected leaders will seek first the counsel of God in all that they do. If we hope to have people who truly represent our Christian convictions, we must be willing to make the effort to disciple our leaders in the Way of Truth. By sharing with them the hope of the Gospel and the mercies of God’s Grace, the anointing of God’s presence can fill not only their hearts but the very corridors of the halls of government.”

The address of the Missouri Family Policy Council is 229 Chesterfield Business Parkway, Chesterfield, MO 63005. The office phone number is (636) 536-0014. Donations can be sent to the above address made out to “Missouri Family Policy Council.” All contributions are tax deductible.