Partnering With Parents

Partnering with Parents in your youth ministry is essential and huge! 

Walking beside them in their child’s life takes finding ways to encourage, engage, equip, and empower them. Often this takes on us being creative and going beyond what might be the normal scope of our ministry job description.  This is especially true in our changing world and the dynamics of the families we may be ministering to.

Here are just ten ideas to help you, Partner with Parents: 

• Be or Find Someone to be a “Big Brother” or “Big Sister” for Children of Single Parents. 
• Be a Job Reference for Parents Seeking a Job or Needing Other Kinds of Professional References. 
• Join A Local School PTA and Get Involved Volunteering in PTA-Sponsored School Events, even if you Don’t Have Children of Your Own. 
• Open Your Office Once a Week After-School for an Hour or Two for a Fun Hangout Time for Students of Your Ministry, so Parents Have an Hour to Run Errands. 
• Create a Blog or Site to Have a Free Online Library of Resources, Articles, and Links. 
•  Research and Regularly Update a One Sheet List of Fun, Free, Family Friendly Seasonal Area Activities to Provide for Families. 
•  Have a List of Available Local Free Summer Child/Family Lunch and Dinner Locations in Your Area for Parents in Need. 
•  Plan One Night a Month to be a “Hospitality Night” in Your Home; invite A Family or a Couple of Families From Your Ministry Over for “Dessert.” Make it a Time Just to Talk and Connect Outside of Formal Ministry Settings in the Church Building. 
• Once a Week, Call/Email/or Handwrite a Note to One Parent in Your Ministry and Tell Them Something Positive About Their Child/Children. Parents Often Only Hear From Us, When Something Negative is Going On. 
• Create Events Regularly for Parents and their Children to do Something Together That Offers Opportunities for Them to Stop and Talk Just With Each Other. 
  
  Families are Busy Together, But Rarely are they Given Opportunities to Have “Planned Time to Stop and Talk.” The Greatest Partnership Opportunity Can Be Not Another Resource, Program, or Event to Do Be Active Doing Something But Offering Parents Planned “Be Still” Moments with Their Children/Family.

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**CHECK OUT OUR GROWING FAMILY MINISTRY RESOURCES, INCLUDING OUR MONTHLY FREE DOWNLOADABLE “PARENT PAGE” RESOURCES.