Parents are the number one faith influencers in a student’s life! They spend an average of 2,500 plus hours with them per year! That’s a lot of hours! When we, as Youth Workers, work in partnership with parents, we can lead students toward Christ, model a godly life, and empower them to walk out their own personal relationship with Jesus.
So, how can we effectively partner with all the parents in our Youth Ministry? We do mean all! Even those parents we don’t see or even know. A parent figure in their life might mean a guardian, a single parent, a grandparent, or even an older sibling. Engage them all. Here are a few ways to cultivate a healthy partnership with parents in our Youth Ministry!
Equip and Resource Your Parents (not only our students).
- Have good communication. Find a rhythm that works best for you to communicate openly with parents. Communication that allows feedback as well as getting insight into what is going on at home so you can best serve your group. A practical way to do this could be by sending a survey out to parents so that they can share their hearts. This shows your openness to them, as well as having a controlled space where they can share opinions.
- Share what’s happening in your ministry. Maybe this is a monthly newsletter or the “start of each series” type of newsletter about what is happening and what is being taught. Include any events, serve nights or days off that you’re having. It might not make it there if you’re trying to relay this information to parents via the student. Instead, directly communicate with parents on this information via email or a texting service.
- Offer them ways to engage in meaningful conversations with their students. A parent discussion sheet could be very helpful to parents to continue those spiritual conversations at home. This is another way for your parents to keep up with what is being taught in groups.
Pray for Your Parents. Spend time praying for each of your student’s parents or guardians. Prayer does equal change.
Invite Parents to Do Ministry with You. Growing up, our Youth Group volunteers were mostly parents of students in our group. That greatly impacted my relationships with my friend’s parents and created more space for deeper conversations outside of the group. Not every parent will be called to lead a small group or volunteer every week. But they may be available to help serve as a driver for events, cook meals, or be available for those odd jobs that you might need help with. Buy-in for parents is just as great as buy-in for a student in your Youth Ministry. When parents are bought in, they are more likely to prioritize Youth Groups for their students and maybe even encourage other parents to attend church.
We are all running towards the same mission to see our students have an active and personal relationship with Jesus. Slowly implement some of these ways to partner with parents in your ministry over the course of the year and see how it can benefit your ministry.
Becca Ebenhoch
Director of Soul Exercises
Photo by LaShawn Dobbs on Unsplash