Advocate Resources

Advocates are at the heartbeat of this mission! You lead the Foster the City ministry at your church, acting as a bridge between your church and the resources that Foster the City provides. You are responsible for connecting with Foster Families and providing the support and care they need to flourish through a team of Support Friends that you have personally trained and equipped. You also work with your church leaders to share the needs in foster care, inviting your congregation to respond with love and action.

I'm New

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I'm Ready to Vision Cast

Your goal is to share the mission and vision of Foster the City three times a year and provide a clear Next Step of action, which is to attend an Interest Meeting. Vision Casting is how you sow seeds of foster care ministry in the hearts of your congregation, and then you get to see what God grows in your midst!
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Interest Meetings

Every Vision Cast gives a compelling invitation for people to take their next step to attend an Interest Meeting. At the Interest Meeting, people will hear biblical reasons and motivational stories of how they can make a difference in foster care via four different roles: Advocate, Foster Family, Support Friend & Financial Partner. This meeting serves to propel people toward their pathway of engagement in your ministry.
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I'm Ready to Empower Support Friends

When someone at your church indicates they would like to step into the Support Friend role, you have full ownership and responsibility to train them via the Support Friend Orientation and support their onboarding journey within the app.
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Foster Families

When a Foster Family comes forward at your church, you will want to connect with them and begin wrapping them with support!
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I'm Ready to Match

Once a Support Friend has completed the first part of their onboarding process (training articles, videos & SAAT), you will be able to match them to a Foster Family! Once they are matched, Support Friends will then be prompted to complete the remainder of their onboarding process (background check and LiveScan, where applicable).
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Moments and Milestones

Foster the City holds "Honest & Hopeful" as a core value because this ministry walks through both beauty and brokenness. We are honest about the challenges, sorrows, and complexities of the foster care journey, while holding fast to the hope that God is at work—bringing healing, restoration, and redemption in every moment and milestone. This posture allows us to celebrate fully, grieve faithfully, and press on with trust in God's goodness.
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Ministry Resources

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Coaching Calls

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Need Help? Ask a Question

Make it specific. For example:

  • What do I do with the Next Step cards after a Vision Cast?
  • I’m preparing for a Support  Friend Orientation, what should my next 3 actions be?
  • Point me to trauma-informed or prayer resources I can share with my team.
  • Support Friends are not sending requests through the app for our Foster Families

I’M NEW 

I’M READY TO VISION CAST

INTEREST MEETING

I’M READY TO EMPOWER SUPPORT FRIENDS

When someone at your church indicates they would like to step into the Support Friend role, you have full ownership and responsibility to train them via the Support Friend Orientation and support their onboarding journey within the app. Keep the momentum of engagement going by leading with pastoral persistence and regularly offering Support Friend Orientations.

How do I know?
  • You will receive an email introduction to anyone from your church who has made a commitment to become a Support Friend as follow-up from attending an Interest Meeting (this email will come from your Program Director). They will also show up in your AirTable view under “Ready for Support Friend Orientation”. You will need to coordinate a training date to take them through the Support Friend Orientation. 
  • Login to  Airtable here 
  • Using Airtable Tutorial
What do I do?
How Do I Facilitate a Support Friend Orientation
In the Waiting....

FOSTER FAMILY

When a Foster Family comes forward at your church, you will want to connect with them and begin wrapping them with support!

How do I know?
  • You will receive an email introduction to a potential Foster Family from Foster the City (usually from your Program Director). This will likely be a result of the interested family completing a commitment to the Foster Family role after an Interest Meeting. It is also possible that there is already an active Foster Family at your church.
  • Airtable video
What do I do?
  • Connect! Respond to the email from your Program Director or reach out to the family and introduce yourself, emphasizing that you’ll be working on getting them wrapped with support. Ask if they have anyone in mind who might want to be a part of their team (share Inviting Others In).
  • Nudge interested families to attend a Launch Meeting 
  • Once a Foster Family attends a Launch Meeting, encourage them to get into the app. Monitor their onboarding process via Airtable.
  • Communicate with your Pastor and our team (as needed) when you become aware of a Foster Family. If the family is not in your Airtable view, it means FTC does not yet know about them! Please reach out to your Program Director with their name and contact information so the family will be able to log into the app.
  • Whether you have Support Friends ready or not, as soon as a Family is “active” in the app, create their team.  (Tutorial: Create FF Team)
In the Waiting....
  • Pray
  • Rally a Support Friend Team for every family, regardless of placement status!
  • Continue to connect with the Foster Family as they move through their onboarding process and await a placement.

I’M READY TO MATCH 

Once a Support Friend has completed the first part of their onboarding process (training articles, videos & SAAT), you will be able to match them to a Foster Family! Once they are matched, Support Friends will then be prompted to complete the remainder of their onboarding process (background check and LiveScan, where applicable).

How do I know?
  • In the app, you will see people move into the “pending match” stage
What do I do?
In the Waiting....
  • Pray
  • Gather together! Encourage authentic connection both inside & outside of the app. 
  • Continue to connect with the Foster Family as they move through their onboarding process and await a placement.
  • Continue to nudge Support Friends to complete their background check process so they can begin to serve the Foster Family!

MOMENTS AND MILESTONES

Foster the City holds “Honest & Hopeful” as a core value because this ministry walks through both beauty and brokenness. We are honest about the challenges, sorrows, and complexities of the foster care journey, while holding fast to the hope that God is at work—bringing healing, restoration, and redemption in every moment and milestone. This posture allows us to celebrate fully, grieve faithfully, and press on with trust in God’s goodness.

Seasons of Ministry
  • In this ministry, we encounter both moments of celebration—like a Foster Family being fully wrapped, a Vision Cast bearing fruit, or a child being reunified—and moments of transition, such as a Support Friend stepping down or a family retiring from fostering. Maintaining an honest & hopeful posture allows us to acknowledge the joy and the sorrow in each of these milestones. It keeps us grounded in truth, anchored in hope, and able to see God’s faithfulness at work in every part of the journey.
  • Celebrating with Church Community
  • Graduating & Retiring Foster Families
  • Grief & Lament
Important Communication
  • Strong, consistent communication is what keeps your ministry healthy and unified. When pastors, Advocates, Support Friends, and Foster Families stay connected, needs are understood, celebrations are shared, and challenges are met with compassion. Clear communication builds trust, prevents gaps in care, and ensures that no family ever feels alone in their foster journey. To make this easier, we provide practical tools—like the Foster the City app and Airtable—that help everyone stay aligned and supported. Communication is how we walk together in honesty, hope, and unity for the sake of vulnerable children and the families who love them.
  • Have something to celebrate?! Tell us here 🎉
  • Communication Cadence Module (link)
  • Working with Your Pastor Module (Link)

MINISTRY RESOURCES

  • A monthly Advocate Newsletter will be sent to offer you both inspiration and information. You will find training opportunities that are relevant and helpful to the work you are doing, as well as new and updated FTC resources.
  • App Landing Page 
  • Foster the City Library

COACHING CALLS

Monthly Coaching Calls are provided to Foster the City Advocates to equip, encourage and inspire their leadership. Advocates will have an opportunity to deepen their leadership around specific topics related to their ministry each month, as well as build connections with Advocates across the nation.

Topics covered throughout the year include:💒 Inspiring Your Church: Hosting a Vision Cast & Setting Ministry Goals
✍️ Equipping Your Support Friend Teams: Leading a SF Orientation (+ beyond!)
🫶 Caring for Foster Families: Supporting FF Towards Longevity & Sustainability

RSVP for an upcoming Coaching Call here!