The start of a new school year usually means the start of new small groups, the start of soccer games, the start of PTA meetings, and the start of a busy season for parents. This is a perfect time to reactivate parents, so kids at every phase will stay connected to them.
Regardless of how much a church learns about life stages, parents know things no one else knows about their own children. That’s why they have an advantage the church will never have related to the future of a child. They have history.
Just remember, no scientist or theorist or expert can really know a child the way their own guardian does.
That being said, churches know something moms and dads don’t know. Churches work with multiple kids in the same phase every week. That means churches can help parents understand general characteristics of a phase so they can readjust their parenting skills.
At some point, every kid will own their own faith, values, decisions, relationships, and future. But if guardians don’t reinvent themselves, they may miss out on having the right kind of long-term relational influence. (Kind of like Kodak did when they ignored the digital phase.)
That’s why we’ve come up with 5 ideas to help reactivate parents. Check them out below!
5 Ways to Reactivate Parents
- Create a content calendar with everything you want parents to know.
- Organize a plan to cue guardians weekly with key information when they need it.
- Establish annual orientations to equip moms & dads for the next phase. (Check out some ideas for planning these events here!)
- Recruit leaders to connect with every parent, especially those who never show up.
- Provide resources to enhance family time in the home. (May we suggest the Don’t Miss It: Parent Every Week Like It Counts?)
Help Parents Stay Connected
The point is . . . kids are changing fast, and it’s more important for parents to stay connected than anyone.
Each phase has an estimated number of weeks left until the average kid leaves home. These weeks are an important reminder that: Moms and dads are not really raising children. They’re raising adults.
It’s important to reactivate them every year so they understand the phase of their child. It may be just a phase, but when you don’t miss it, you do more than just help kids. You make sure parents don’t miss it.
