Category Archives: Parents and Congregation

Frustrations In Children’s Ministry: Well Meaning Parishioners

Posted on April 5, 2010 | 1 Comment

There are many frustrations in children’s ministry. Most don’t have to do with children, but with the perceptions adults have that put roadblocks in the way of the hard working children’s pastors. This week I’m doing a series on some of these frustrations. Today is well meaning parishioners.

A well meaning parishioner comes downstairs and says, “You missed a great service. It’s a shame you had to be downstairs with the children.” A great way to counteract this is to tell the parishioner what a great service he missed and talk for fifteen minutes about the triumphs and successes you’ve had recently in children’s church. It may not help the parishioner “get it”. He may walk away with a confused look on his face. But he probably won’t say that to you again.

A well meaning parishioner comes to you to thank you for babysitting the children so the adults can enjoy service. This may be the right time to explain in a polite way that you’re not a babysitter. These children are developing relationships with God at an early age, and you’re blessed to be a part of what God is doing in their lives. Invite the parishioner to come see what happens every week in children’s ministry. It might open his eyes.

A well meaning parishioner says he doesn’t understand why the church wastes time with children’s church now days. In his day, children sat with their parents, and they knew they better behave. You may not be able to reason with this parishioner. But you can reassure him that you are not watering down the gospel in children’s church. You are doing your best to minister to these children in a way that draws them into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

Why go to all the trouble to educate these well meaning parishioners? Most of them won’t get it when you’re done. Some of you might wonder if it’s not better to ignore these people. I don’t believe it is. As a children’s pastor, one of your jobs is to be an advocate for children’s ministry and to educate the congregation as to what happens in children’s ministry and why it’s an important ministry for people to invest time and money into.

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Posted in Encouragement For Children's Ministers, Frustrations In Children's Ministry Series, Leadership, Parents and Congregation

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Communicating With Parents

Posted on February 26, 2010 | 1 Comment

Communicating with parents in children’s ministry is always a challenge, but it is important. Here’s a few ideas to make communicating with parents easier.

Weekly Pages: Send home a weekly page or notice letting parents know what you’re teaching their children. Some parents will throw it away which is discouraging, but for parents who want to do devotions with their children, it will help them get on the same page with what their children are learning in church.

Monthly Newsletter: Send home a monthly newsletter to the parents letting them know about upcoming events in children’s ministry. In the newsletter, you can also include birthdays, bios of your children’s ministry teams, and memory verses for the coming month.

Visit Homes: Visitation is a great way to get to know parents and students. Why not set up a schedule of visitations so that you’ve visited every student’s home at least once a year? If you have a large children’s ministry, you can share the responsibility of visiting with your team.

Phone Calls: Phone calls are not as good as visitations but are still a great way to get to know parents. Make a list of what you’d like to discuss during the calls, and ask parents if they have any questions or concerns.

Open House: Send invitations out to parents inviting them to visit children’s church for an open house. This way they can see a little more of what your doing with their children.

Parent Meetings: It’s good to have parent meetings about once a quarter so you can share with them what’s coming up. It’s also a good time to get their ideas and feedback.

Parent Handbook: Make up a handbook to give to new parents to inform them a little more about the children’s ministry. In the handbook, you can include policies, your qualifications, vision, and your goals for the spiritual developement of their children.

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Posted in Leadership, Parents and Congregation

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Orange Week – Partnering With Parents

Posted on January 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

One of the keys in being an Orange children’s ministry is partnering with parents to minister to thier children. Here’s some ideas on ways to do that.

Communication: Communication is one of the key factors in partnering with parents. Most children’s ministries only communicate with the parents of their students to let them know about an upcoming event or program. This is not enough. If you truly want to communicate with parents, you need to let them know what’s going on in children’s ministry, what your goals and core values are, where you’re headed, and what you’re teaching. Newsletters, fliers, and bulletins are one way to do this, but they can’t be the only way. Communication, to be effective, needs the personal touch. Call the parents of your students or visit them. When you do talk to them, don’t only talk. Ask them what they would like to see as spiritual growth in their children. Communication is a two way street.

Use Parents On Your Leadership Team: One way to make sure parents are involved in children’s ministry is to have parents on your children’s ministry planning team. Sometimes they won’t be able to particiapate every week as workers, but by having parents on your planning team, you give them a voice.

Minister to Families: Sometimes we get so focused on children, we forget about families. Make focused efforts to include the entire family in some programs. You could have a parent/child banquet or include entire families in baby dedication. When a child is baptized or becomes a member of the church, find a way to include the family in the celebration.

Include Children In Services: It is great to have children’s services where children can learn and worship on their own level. But if they’re never allowed in the sanctuary, never allowed to be a part of the congregation as a whole, they miss out on being mentored by their parents and elders in a worship setting. Find a way to include children in services sometimes. And when you do include them, give them opportunities to participate.

Give Parents and Children Opportunities to Minister: Does you church do fundraisers for missions, feed the hungry, or give out free school supplies. These are great opportunities for parents and children to minister along side each other.

Give Parents Resources: You told the parents what you’re teaching their children. Also give them resources to share with their children at home. Devotional books like One Year Devo For Girls and One Year Devotions For Boys, PrayKids Magazine, and a list scriptures and prayers that relate to the lessons are a great resource tool for parents.

Pray: Don’t just pray for the children in your children’s ministry. Pray for their families.

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Orange Week – Orange Essentials

Posted on January 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

There are five Orange Essentials. I got them from this link. You can read more about them there. 

Integrate Strategy:

Two combined influences create synergy. Align leaders and parents to lead with the same end in mind.

Refine The Message:

Two combined influences amplify what’s important. Craft core truths into engaging, relevant, and memorable experiences.

Reativate The Family:

Two combined influences build an everyday faith. Enlist parents to act as partners in the spiritual formation of their own children.

Elevate Community:

Two combined influences increase the odds. Connect everyone to a caring leader and a consistent group of peers.

Leverage Influence:

Two combined influences mobilize generations. Create consistent opportunities for students to experience personal ministry.

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Orange Week – What Is Orange?

Posted on January 18, 2010 | 5 Comments

This week is Orange Week. For those of you who don’t know what that mean, Orange is more than a fruit of a color. Orange, developed by Reggie Joiner, is a perspective that has been lost in children’s ministry.

Orange is a secondary color made when merging red and yellow. In this case, red stands for parent’s ministry to their children. Yellow stands for church ministry. When the church makes an effort to integrate ministry with what parent’s can do, that makes Orange.

In Scripture, the first responsibility for the spiritual education of children goes to parents. But in our society, it relegated only to the church. Society mores of making all areas of a child’s education, schooling, values, sex education, to others instead of parents only exasperates the problem.

Orange Ministry looks for ways to help the church rethink it’s ministry to children to integrate it with parents. This link is to the Orange leadership blog that will give you some practical ways to do that. There’s also an Orange Conference every year that has some great speakers.

Here’s some blogs that are participating in Orange Week that also might give you some good tips and maybe even some free resources.

Children’s Ministry Online

Sam Luce

Gina McClain

Jonathan Cliff

Dan Scott

So what are you doing to make your children’s ministry Orange?

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