Can we connect YOUTH MINISTRY to mom and dad?

Youth Pastors are wired to connect with teens. We do this because we want to shape a generation of students who will follow after Jesus Christ with their life. When it comes to being evaluated on how we are doing we immediately examine events, life change in the the lives of teens, small groups, volunteers, and weekly attendance. We get excited when we start planning for those things because they help us engage and shape the lives of teens and there is nothing wrong with that. A question many of us who work with teenagers are starting to ask is how can we best partner with parents of teens as we strive to reach teenagers? I know, immediately many of us process the question and get a little sick. Partnering with parents is not what we signed up for. Many of us excel at running from parents not partnering with them. No matter how you feel about partnering with parents, our team here at Grace Community and Relevant Student Ministry feel like it is a question we should hard wire into our ministry DNA. Can we connect YOUTH MINISTRY to mom and dad? We think the answer is yes. We also feel like this process is going to look very different from church to church.  Here are just a few thoughts about why partnering with parents is so important...

• You have at most 50 hours a year with a teen. A parents has 3,000 unstructured hours with their teen every year. // Parents are a big deal in the lives of teens.
• Parents want to know their teen "likes" going to your environment. // what you do is very important. Keep connecting with teens and reaching them in creative ways. When teens want to go to "church" parents are happy!
• Parents want to connect with their teens...they might not know where to start. // what if your ministry could help that connection.
• Parents can become some of your best volunteers and your best supporters! // when parents spread good news about your ministry, good things happen!
• Youth Ministry will end in the life of a teen...a parents influence lasts their entire life. // how we support parents and guide that influence is a big deal
• The teenage years are hard...Parents and Youth Ministry leaders need each other!

What are some other reasons connecting youth ministry and mom and dad are a big deal?