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How to get Parents Involved in Kids Ministry
The best way to partner with parents is to get parents involved with the children’s ministry program.
Let me tell you how I figured this out. I meet with my small group leaders once a month.
Sometimes, I go around the room and ask each leader this question…
What are you getting out of your ministry experience?
The response I hear most frequently is, “This makes me a better parent.”
One day, it dawned on me that I didn’t just start a Small Group ministry for kids. My Small Group ministry is also a parent ministry.
Our parent volunteers gained confidence that they could teach their kids after teaching other people’s kids in our children’s ministry.
I even found that many of our parent volunteers took the Small Group curriculum home and taught their kids.
How do you get parents involved?
First of all, let’s talk about what doesn’t work:
- Bulletin announcements don’t work.
- Pulpit announcements don’t work.
- Begging doesn’t work.
- Guilt trips don’t work.
Three things that work well in getting parents involved.
- Ask parents to get involved.
Most people need to be asked. It’s rare that someone walks up and says, “I want to get involved with the kids.”
I’ve learned I go after the new parents. This is one way that I ask parents to get involved. “I’ve noticed that your kids are good. They are well-behaved and participate in service. I can tell you are the kind of parents I want to teach other people’s kids.”
70% say NO. That may not seem like great odds, but 100% say NO if I don’t ask. - Ask parents to help with special events.
Many parents don’t want to make long-term commitments but may get involved with an event like Easter Sunday, Kids Camp, VBS, or our Halloween Alternative.
This allows parents to experience how fun our children’s ministry is.
During the special event, I connect with the parent volunteers. I ask, “Did you have a good experience today?” If they did, I contacted them the following week to see if they would like to have more good experiences. - Plan a Parent Weekend.
This is an opportunity for children to invite their parents to Kid’s Church and learn about our Kids Ministry.
This is what I do for parent weekends.
I had a “Welcome Parents” Sign-in table where parents signed in and got a name tag. Then, they were directed to a green room set up for them with coffee and donuts. This gave me time to chat with the parents informally.
When service started, I had the parents sit with their children in the front row, and at the beginning of the service, I asked the kids to introduce their parents to everyone.
We honor the parents at this point and make a big deal because they are attending Kids Church.
The Moms and Dads attended Large Group with their child or children. When we dismissed the kids to their Small Groups, I took the parents to a separate area and shared our vision for their kids. At the end of my presentation, I asked for their help. Parents are asked to fill out cards if they are interested in volunteering. About 25% of parents will fill out a card, and half of those will go through the training to become volunteers.
What do you do to get parents involved in the children’s ministry?
(Share your ideas by commenting below.)
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