Developing Leaders & Building a Legacy
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Other Works

Encouraging Parents & Churches

10/19/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Earlier this week one of our children's workers took some time to share about how much he enjoyed our oldest, and what a blessing he was to work around. It was incredibly humbling because sometimes we feel like as parents good things happen by accident. I took some time too to thank him for all his work, and his commitment each week to investing in kids, not just mine, but the entire church's. The way many churches are designed, next generation ministries have separate facilities largely removed from the main traffic flow of the congregation (think "Youth Building" or "Children's Wing"), so the work done in those areas, though eternally important, often goes unseen by the bulk of the body.

The reality is, it's hard to be a parent. It's hard when you're tired, when the demands of the day catch up to you, when it feels like you're playing hot potato with sickness, and when you turn on the evening news. Likewise, it's hard to be a next generation volunteer in a church. You only get a limited amount of time each week, you often wonder if what you're doing is getting through, and you worry about what happens when they go home. I know a lot of children's and youth workers who miss worship services, don't get adequate help, find themselves struggling for resources, and more. Though they're committed to the work and to their ministry, it can weigh down after a while.

This is one of the things I have as a regret from my time as a student pastor, I wasn't as much an encourager for parents as I should have been. I didn't take the time to share as much as I should have. Whatever the reason was, whether I convinced myself they didn't really care, treated it like a glorified babysitting service, or that it didn't matter... I blew it. Saying you're a champion for parents and families is one thing, making the effort to invest is another. 

So here's what I want you to do this week. I want you if you're a parent to take some time and encourage the volunteers, directors, and helpers in your church's next generation ministries. Be sure to thank them for what they're doing. And tell them what your child or student is learning and sharing with you. Ask for ways to help them, to come alongside them, to resource them, and to connect them to others in the church.

And if you're a next generation volunteer, director, or leader, take some time to give a note of encouragement to the parents of the kids and students in your ministry. Give them a glimpse into what's going on, and make a commitment to pray for them. Remember, your job isn't to exclusively focus on the children or students. It's a mistake we can far too easily fall into (trust me, I did it) to assume that parents are disengaged or don't care. There will be those who never read your newsletter, pay attention to your ministry, or make it a priority for their kids & students to come. But for the most part, those parents want to be involved and want to play a role in shaping their kids' faith. They need you to help connect it, and encourage them in it.

Connecting church and home begins with the intersection of parents and volunteers. When they're communicating, when they're working together, and when they're sharing the same convictions, it leads to a multiple generation impact.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Scott M. Douglas

    A blog about leadership and the lasting legacy of family ministry. ​

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All
    Book Review
    Burnout
    Change
    Crisis
    Delegation
    Digital Presence
    Family
    Family Ministry
    Finances
    Goals
    Leadership
    Legacy
    Manhood
    Networking
    Parenting
    Personality
    Planning
    Relationships
    Salary
    Social Media
    Starting Well
    Student Ministry
    Teaching
    Team Leadership
    Team Ministry
    Time Management
    Vision

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Other Works