Church can be "alien" or "daunting" for families who may have little experience of being part of a faith community, according to a new report.

While people are often willing to explore faith and Christianity, they want to do it in other ways than church services.

The report calls for new ways to reach the "missing generation" of those aged 25 to 40.

The Methodist Church did surveys, interviews, consultations and research for the new collaborative study, We are Family, launched at a family ministry conference at Liverpool Hope University. 

Gail Adcock, Methodist families ministries officer, said "Our understanding of family needs to go beyond the concept of the nuclear family to encompass a diversity of relationships. Once we recognise this, we can adopt more inclusive language and respond more effectively to minister and support families in the contexts that they are in.

"If we are to be effective family workers we can't just presume all families are the same. We must treat each family as unique and provide relevant support to them in the circumstances that they are in."

The report reflects a shift in ministry away from focusing solely on separate groups such as youth and young people to seeing how churches can work with families as a whole and explore new models of all-age worship.

It warns that in a bid to appeal to more people, the church family has become segregated, with a lack of meaningful relationships between different groups. "This can make it seem like a dysfunctional family. In some areas there is a sense that the church is the 'last man standing', able to offer support for families with complex or rising levels of need. It may also be able to help families affected by cuts in local authority services and other austerity measures, such as welfare reform."