How to Help Parents Feel Like They’re Part of Your Ministry

When we talk with ministry leaders about their biggest challenges, a few themes always come up…

• Growth.
• Volunteers.
• Time.

But one topic rises to the top again and again: parents.

• How do I work with them?
• How do I talk with them?
• How do I get them connected to what we’re doing?

Parent engagement is a huge part of what we do when we serve families. Because if parents aren’t engaged, they won’t bring their families. And without families, we don’t have a functional ministry.

So, what do we do about it?

Well, to start, the answer isn’t more emails and information. Yes, communicating with parents about your ministry is essential, but no one has felt connected to a vision or ministry because of an email.

Instead of more stuff filling their inboxes, parents want to know that they actually matter to their ministry leaders. And when they do, they’re more likely to lean in and participate in all the great things your ministry is doing.

And so, let’s talk about a few simple things you can do to help parents feel like they’re part of your ministry.

1. CREATE SIMPLE EVENTS

Parents are a lot more likely to connect with your ministry when we lower the bar to entry. They’re busy people who work, take care of their kids, travel to and from extra-curricular activities, and somehow need to eat, hydrate, and sleep between it all.

So, it’s probably best to create simple, low-pressure events for parents to join up with your ministry.

That’s not to say you can’t have longer, more involved events, but sprinkling your calendar with a few relational events can go a long way.

This might look like…

• An Open House for parents to get familiar with your ministry
• A simple Parent and Small Group Leader Breakfast
• A Parent Workshop with training for parents

Remember, the goal is to create spaces to start building relationships without pressure or a high bar for commitment. You want them to feel welcome and not overwhelmed.

And when you’re talking about these events, be really clear about what’s expected. Parents should be able to show up as they are, participate as they feel comfortable, and leave without signing up to serve in your ministry every week. (Even if you really want them to.)

Whether it’s an event for parents or an event for your kids or youth ministry, people are more likely to show up when expectations are clear.

Plus, when these events go well, something even better happens—parents meet other parents. They start to build their own community within your community, and those relationships will help them feel a sense of belonging, too!

2. GIVE PARENTS PRACTICAL TOOLS

The parents in your ministry need more than events, though. They also need physical tools to help them. These tools help them disciple and lead their kids and students more effectively.

And this goes beyond the things that are related to your teaching like…

• Conversation starters
• Parent devotionals
• Take-home pages

But it also goes beyond “here’s what we’re teaching this week.”

We also need to give parents tools that help them understand the vision and approach to our ministry.

You’ll want to make sure every family in your ministry has a Parent Handbook. Inside this handbook, you’ll get the chance to lay out your detailed vision for why you do what you do. It’s also the space to write down processes like volunteer screening, your meeting times, and things like diaper changes and trips to the bathroom for kids ministry.

Essentially, your handbook gives parents insight into how your ministry functions so they’ll know where to look if they have questions.

Then, you’ll want to make sure to give parents an survey at least once a year. This survey should include contact information but also a few things like…

• How they prefer to hear from you
• How your ministry can help
• Their favorite part of parenting

You can use this information throughout the year to build your parent communication strategy and to help encourage parents.

When we give parents these tools, we’ll help them take another step towards connecting with our ministries.

They’ll move from simply showing up to actually understanding how things work, who’s involved, and where they can take their questions. Plus, they’ll have a better idea of how to support you along the way!

3. START CONVERSATIONS

Like we said earlier, emails are great. They tell parents what they need when they need to hear it. But there’s so much more to communicating with parents than typing out an email every month.

Your parents need ongoing conversations. They need space to talk with other parents about the things they’re experiencing. It’s more than just ministry updates, but creating spaces for parents to connect with each other.

One way to start is with Parent Meetings. These an be for casting vision, navigating a ministry transition, introducing a new family to your ministry, or prepping for and debriefing events.

These in-person meetings give parents the chance to ask questions directly so they can see the “why” behind most of what you’re doing.

For deeper conversations, we recommend Parent Discussion Groups. These are conversations in smaller groups based around shared challenges or experiences. The best part? You get to let parents lead! Your role is to simply facilitate the conversation and let parents learn from each other, share what’s working, and talk honestly about what’s difficult.

Of course, you’ll want to be checking in with parents regularly and chat with them at pick up, drop off, or, really, whenever you get the chance. These small conversations help parents feel heard and seen by you and your ministry.

So, to recap, it’s not about sending more emails, it’s about making space for more conversations.

4. SIMPLIFY TRAINING

Making space for conversation is a huge part of getting parents connected. But you also need to focus on training them, too.

Parents want to lead their kids and students well. Often, they’ll look to you as a sort of specialist. Whenever they have questions about conflict, development, or how to motivate their kids or teenagers, you’ll be the first person they talk to.

That’s why offering ongoing training is so important.

The challenge is that parents are already really busy, and so are you! You don’t need to host a parent training meeting for every single topic (and most don’t need a full meeting anyway.) So, what can you do?

You can simplify the way you train parents. Instead of building a big meeting with an outline, tables, and snacks, try making smaller touch points throughout the year.

Maybe you…

• Draft a whole bunch of Parent Tip Videos to share throughout the year
• Include a simple tip for parents in your monthly emails
• Share training on social media

While there’s a time and place for larger, longer training sessions, this is about giving parents information they can use right away.

When training is simple, practical, and encouraging, parents will feel supported by what you’re doing. Plus, you’ll spend less time picking out the perfect meeting date since parents can watch or read your training on their own time.

By meeting parents where they are as they are, you’re inviting them into the work of your ministry. And that helps move them from being informed to being connected.

5. INVITE PARENTS IN

And finally, the best way to get parents connected to your ministry—invite them to volunteer!

It can feel a little awkward to ask parents to step into your ministry, but without parent volunteers, much of what we do wouldn’t happen.

This doesn’t exactly mean they become key, go-to members of your ministry. Rather, you might ask them to volunteer in small ways first, like…

• Helping with a one-time event
• Organizing your snack closet
• Prepping your weekly craft
• Handling your social media
• Shopping for your camp
• Hosting a small group in their home

These chances to serve make it easy for parents to step in without a big commitment. Plus, they let parents contribute in ways that fit their schedules, skills, and seasons of life.

And, as always, inviting parents to volunteer isn’t about filling a need. It’s about saying, “You’re apart of this, too.”

As volunteers, they’ll see everything you do behind the scenes to create a great ministry and environment for your kids and students. That makes them more likely to tell others and to champion your ministry for years to come.

When it all comes down to it, helping parents feel connected is about investing in relationships.

It’s not more emails, better graphics, or over-the-top events. Parents feel connected when they’re welcomed, equipped, heard, supported, and invited into what you’re doing.

Now, don’t try to do all of these things at once. Start with one. Choose something simple like an event or a training video. Lead with small steps that add up over time.

And if you need a hand, we’re here to help! Grow Curriculum makes tons of family resources to help parents feel connected to your ministry. Whether it’s training videos, event guides, meeting guides, or conversations, we’ve got you covered.

Plus, you can get everything we’ve talked about so far in our Family Bundle. It’s everything you need for an entire year of investing in families! You can find the bundle and more resources for youth and kids ministry on GrowCurriclum.org.