Do Parents Know Your Team?

The email caught me by surprise. It wasn’t one I was used to reading, and it was from a parent thanking me for her daughter’s small group leader. The daughter was struggling at school, and the parent called the small group leader for insight and wisdom. The parent went on to explain how the small group leader made herself available and walked with them through the situation. While there is so much to pull from the story, the thing that grabbed my attention was that the parent knew to call her daughter’s leader.

If a family in your parish is struggling, do they have people they can call? Some of them probably call you or the pastor but do they know that they can call your team? Can they call your team?

If we want to support families, we need to make sure we are resourcing them adequately. That means going beyond books, podcasts, and websites. To partner with parents, we need people who love younger generations and Jesus. Those people not only expand your capacity to do more they also bring the gifts of solidarity, accountability, and accompaniment to parents. When building your team of volunteers, not only do you want to train them to focus on the teens, you want them focused on reaching parents by:

Giving Them A Clear Sense Of The Relationship

Most of your leaders won’t reach out to parents if they don’t know how to break the ice. Paint a picture of what it looks like when they connect with parents and why it’s an integral part of their ministry. Explain to them that the more they get to know parents, the more they can get to know the teens they serve.

Give them clear logistical instructions like how to communicate and connect. Let your team know if they should email, text, or call. Give them a script, so they know how to break the ice. Give them an idea that it’s okay to meet a parent for coffee, to ask them about their kids and build that connection.

Ensuring They Have The Resources To Get The Job Done

Set your leaders up for success by making sure they have the right info to reach out to parents. If possible, find out a parent’s preference. Do parents like email, texting, phone call, or social media? Ask your team to gather it but help them organize it too.

Give them the language to engage parents, especially if they are not one themselves. Let them know what to say if they have a teen in their ministry who is struggling. Give them a template on how to introduce themselves. The more you equip them, the more confident they will be to reach out to parents.

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Set Up Opportunities For A Meet And Greet

Parents want to get to know your team, but introducing themselves can be a little intimidating. In addition to having leaders reach out, invite parents to join you at a program. During your large group program have parents meet with the leaders. Create questions where they can get to know one another and exchange contact information.

You could also place your small group leaders at the door with name tags, greeting parents as they drop off their kids. Make your leaders visible so that they are approachable and accessible. The more opportunities you provide, the more likely parents will connect with leaders.

If you want parents to have, a better understanding of your ministry, connect them with the men and women who are vital to its growth. Communication will strengthen because you’ll have more outlets to provide information. Collaboration around the formation of your teens will enhance because parents will see your leaders as an additional resource. Parents will grow more confident because they’ll know they have someone who is walking with them as they raise their child.

What are different ways you’ve connected parents with leaders?

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