One of the hard parts about partnering with parents in student ministry is that so many of the parents we serve do not attend our church. Sometimes we lock in our parent strategy on parents that are church members because they are the ones who most often provide feedback. The squeaky wheel always gets the most attention. Instead of having tunnel vision when it comes to partnering with parents what if you changed your mindset and tried thinking about working to partner with parents in your community and not just in your church. What if…
- What if we treated all parents as valued partners regardless where they attend church or if they follow Jesus?
- What if we worked to respond to parents outside our church with the same passion as we give attention to those that attend our church?
- What if we worked hard to connect our small group leaders with every parent and not only church parents?
- What if we embraced the truth that every parent wants the best for their teen not just followers of Jesus?
- What if we started trying to answer questions that every parent was asking?
- What if we worked to help every parent have significant conversations with their teen?
- What if we asked for feedback about our ministry to teens from every parent and not just church parents?
Some of my most rewarding parent partnerships I have are with families that attend other churches in our community and with parents who do not follow Jesus yet. I have had to open my mind to the fact that I am here to serve parents and not just parents who attend my church. One resource that is out there that can help every parent is a new website called Parentzilla! This site formats truth found in Scripture and provides it for parents regardless of their faith. The concept is simple, truth is truth. The goal is to help the next generation by helping parents be better at being mom and dad. Check out this site and let me know how you think you might be able to use this tool to all parents in your community.
