The longer I'm involved in junior high ministry, and now that I'm a parent of a junior higher myself, the more I'm convinced of the importance of parents in my ministry. Here are a few bullet point thoughts about parents:
- Parents are your ally not your enemy.
- The key to getting parents on board: Earn their trust!
- If parents are for you, who can be against you?
- Parents have stuff you need!
- Two things you can give to parents that most of them desperately need: Hope and Help.
- You don't have to be a parent to lead parents.
- You probably haven't raised a young teen yourself, and you don't have all the answers.
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2 comments:
?And the top 5 ways to "earn a parent's trust are . . ."?
That's a great question....Here are some super basic ideas:
- Be faithful in little things: getting home from events in time, being somewhat organized etc.
- Provide good, accurate communication:
Newsletters, sign up forms for events, information hotlines, an updated website etc.
- Don't do anything you wouldn't do if a parent was in the room:
jokes, language, games played, etc. should always be stuff you would do in front of parents.
- Have an Open Door policy:
Allow parents to sit in on your programs so they can see first-hand what you are doing.
- Minimize stupid mistakes:
Everybody makes mistakes, but too many big or small ones begin to chip away at parents level of trust.
- Stick around:
The best way to earn trust in parents is to stick around for the long haul. Trust is earned over time.
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