The papers that are published in this book are the fruit of an effort made by Tangaza University college to bring together in a conference scholars and practitioners in the field of pastoral accompaniment of families. The purpose of the conference was to consider what contribution to bring to the Ordinary Synod on the family, October 2015, from the considerable experience as well as joint deliberations of few but highly engaged lecturers, pastors and students, comprising ordained as well as lay ministers of the family from different professional and ministerial perspectives. The papers presented became a springboard for conversations from which a joint product-some proposals for the Synod-was agreed. In this preface we present the gist of the concerns that the conference gave preferential emphasis to. The choice of these issues, in our view, reflects what the conference considered to be key pastoral concerns for the contemporary family in Africa, the concerns that the synod and the Church is her pastoral thrust forward with the family must not ignore.