Serving in student ministry for 14 plus years has allowed for many different scenarios to play out in people’s lives. One of the keys to a fruitful student ministry is to partner with parents. Students have many different things tugging at them from school, sports, jobs and extracurricular activities. When it comes to church, we must partner with the parents in student ministry, so we do not add more stress or tension to the busy schedules of our students.
I once battled with wondering why the church needs to change or adapt to the parents’ and students’ schedules. For some reason, I saw adjusting schedules and working around student schedules to mean that the church was losing. But, after some research and taking some years to think through the partnership with parents, there are five ways that you as a pastor or a youth worker can partner with parents to help develop a stronger student ministry.
One year tentative schedule
I need to be honest with you. I am OCD about schedules and keeping that up to date with our parents. Having a one-year tentative schedule from every current month allows your parents to know what is planned down the road for the student ministry. Partnering with parents means communicating plans and events coming up in your ministry.
Parents can know when camp, pool parties, retreats and other events are planned so they can schedule their family time and vacations. When we can have a schedule planned out, it allows parents to know that we value their time.
Disclaimer: Because you have a tentative schedule does not mean the dates are all set and that you will be guaranteed to have more students coming. But, you will have parents who know that you value them and their time.
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Source: Church Leaders
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