It was a couple of minutes before our parent workshop and I began to panic. We had some great speakers to come in to talk about online safety, their presentation was going to be awesome, but I had no idea how many parents would show. We had online RSVP’s, but no one was using them; however, I had plenty of parents tell me on the go that they were planning on going.
I put my hope in their promises and fortunately it paid off. As we opened the doors for the program parents trickled into the room. The night would go on as a success; however, the stress of putting together the event was a lot.
Workshops and trainings are an important tool for equipping parents; however, they can be costly. They can be especially exhausting if you do not have the personnel or resources. If you are a youth worker struggling to connect with parents, here are 3 simple, affordable yet highly effective ways to engage parents:
As a parent, one of the biggest questions wandering through my mind is, “Am I doing a good job?” Another question is, “Is my kid normal?” As a youth minister, I know a lot of parents are asking those questions and one of the ways I can help them out is through simple affirmation.
Parents need encouragement and you can provide them with that. It doesn’t have to be complicated. That can be done in a simple 15-minute phone call. Each week plot out time where you can call one or two parents to say:
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. TEENAGER’S NAME, I’m your child’s youth minister and I wanted to let you know that your teen is awesome. I noticed he/she this week did NAME THAT AMAZING THING! Whatever you are doing keep it up!”
If you get their voice mail then leave a message. If you want to get even more personal write them a little note and send it in the mail. It’s a small gesture that goes a long way. Parents will grow confident in parenting which means they’ll engage more in their teen’s life. They’ll also see you as someone who cares about their parenting instead of feeling judged.
If you want to help parents but are short on time or money look at building them an online library. You might push back and say, “Chris, I don’t know anything about coding! How’s that even possible?” What’s worked for me is:
You can create your own content or share what’s available as long as you aren’t charging for it. Parents will appreciate having a place they can go when they want to grow.
I’m a people person but I know that I cannot be available 24/7. In fact, if all I did was respond to parent emails and phone calls my ministry would struggle. To be accessible and protect your time try setting up a block of time when you will communicate with parents and post it.
Granted a parent can call my office phone at any time but there is no guarantee I’ll be available, so online I’ve set up a link using Acuity Scheduling (Check them out here). Parents click on the link, see when I’m available and schedule a 15-30 minute time slot of when we can speak. They get on my calendar, I’m not compromising other commitments and the conversation is solid.
In the end, it’s also about equipping your leaders and making sure they are a resource to parents. But, even if you have 100’s of volunteers making yourself accessible and connecting with them regularly will only make your ministry’s presence stronger. Families will see that you are doing all that you can to help them grow and they’ll appreciate the effort. A family that knows the church is there for them is one that will engage in it further.
What other affordable and simple tips have worked for you when it comes to setting parents up for success?