The church itself became an alternative family structure that didn’t fit societal norms, by embracing the minorities the ancient world looked down on, including slaves, women, and sexual minorities like the eunuch from Ethiopia. For its entire history, the church has always created and fostered diverse community structures, whether monasteries, missional communities, or small cells of believers like the Celtic priories. They are an essential of church community, not just add-ons to “family” churches.
