How To Get Parents To Invest In Your Ministry

Every Christmas I would receive a box filled with little sausages, cheese, crackers, and mustard. The card read, “Chris, thanks for all you do for our kids, enjoy the meat!” A small gesture, but man did I love receiving that gift.

Parents want to invest in you. As DRE’s and youth ministers that can be hard to believe when they:

• Chew you out over a miscommunication
• Get frustrated when you make any little changes to the program
• Don’t show as much support in your ministry as they do in sports, school, etc.

The reality is that they do want you to succeed because they want their teens to succeed. The reason you might not feel the their support is because:

1. They don’t see the value in your ministry
2. They don’t know how to invest in you

If you want to change it then you are going to have to take these two actions:

ACTION 1: Learn more about them as an individuals

We often know parents only as parents and not as individuals. We call them Mr. or Mrs. So and So or we refer to them as Insert Name Parents, and while that can be appropriate it creates a limited relationship.

Get to know the parents by inviting them out for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee. Ask them:

• What was it like when you were a teenager?
• What do you do with your full time?
• How do you balance work, family and, faith?
• What’s the single biggest struggle you are facing when it comes to growing in your faith?

Share with them a little bit about yourself, your family and what got you into ministry. Discover their interests and what they enjoy the most. As you grow more comfortable getting to know them you’ll be more inclined to:

• Ask them to serve in your ministry
• Speak on your behalf to other parents
• Give you wisdom and insight on how to grow your ministry

If you are thinking, “Chris, this sounds pretty informal…is it worth my time?” The answer is YES! Even if you cannot do this for every parent, start with a few. You’ll build a reputation as someone who is accessible and caring. Parents, like anyone, will invest their time, talents and treasures in anyone who invests in them.

ACTION 2: Get them more involved in the decision making

There are the parents who will want to share their opinion and then there are the parents whose opinions you want. If you have parents in your ministry that share their opinions freely, do not feel obligated to get them more invested.

But, you and I know that there are parents that could really impact the ministry with their ideas and thoughts. If you do a good job of getting to know parents then it’ll be simple to build this group. If you don’t have that luxury here are three tips that have worked for me:

Send them a DIVE DEEPER Questionnaire. Ryan Levesque, the author of The Ask Method, developed a questionnaire that helps you get to know your customers better.

Bring them in for a SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Invite parents in for a dinner or lunch where you can have a conversation over what’s working and what isn’t.

If they feel like they are a part of the process they’ll feel like you are listening. Not only will they support what you are doing but give you valuable insight that is easy to miss when you are stuck in the day to day. Broaden your intel by getting parents on board.

Get parents on board by inviting them into the relationship. Do not wait for them to approach you, instead go after their thoughts and opinions. A parent that feels like you want them around is going to help you stick around and succeed.

How are you investing in parents and how has a parent invested in you?

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