Equipping Parents – the timing factor
26 Feb
Equipping parents for spiritual conversations with their kids is one of the most important things we can do in kids ministry. Easter weekend is particularly a great time for this.
In the kidmin world, Easter weekend prep starts in February. We spend a great deal of time and energy making sure we have the volunteer schedule stocked, curriculum is ready to go, materials are purchased and environments are pristine in preparation for the mass of kids and families. It’s a weekend where we take more care than normal to ensure the message taught is that much more compelling.
Knowing it’s a key opportunity to capture families that have never been to our church (or retain the ones that haven’t returned since Christmas!) the need to make sure every detail is in place is critical. But one item I’ve missed in the past is equipping parents for the aftermath conversations.
Don’t get me wrong. We’ve always had something to put in the child’s hand to serve as a conversation starter. Something that prompts them to talk to mom or dad about what they learned.
But what have I put in the parents hands to help them?
On Easter weekend (just as every other weekend), kids are going to hear the Truth… digest the Truth… and hopefully respond to the Truth. If the message accomplishes what I pray it does, then kids will be processing long after they leave the church.
So, who’s most likely to be the one helping them process? Parents
And if mom or dad is the one most likely to respond to the questions kids have about the gospel then what easy to use resource can I give them to help?
When I consider the parent that has just responded to the gospel message themselves, I cannot assume they are prepared to walk their child through this decision. They barely grasp it themselves. So, what tool can I put in their hands to lead them as they lead their child?
February is coming to a close.
Easter weekend will be here soon.
This is the question I’m asking.
Thoughts?
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Ooooo… Good thoughts Gina! You’re so wise. Wheels are turning!
That is a great question, and I hope you get tons of suggestions and ideas, because I can’t wait to see them. The first thing that came to mind for me when I started think about this question was, what do parents already do with their kids that can be redeemed once they accept Christ.
I think many parents read to their kids. Why not offer them something they can read to their kids that the kids will like and the parents can learn from. I think the Jesus Storybook Bible would be great for this. I wrote about it in my list of top ten books for Christian kids:
http://waynestocks.com/2009/10/22/2-the-jesus-storybook-bible-top-ten-christian-books-for-kids/
With a tool like that, parents can lead their kids spiritually and pick of the meta-narrative of the Bible at the same time. I also think it overcomes some of the fear that new Christians might have along the lines of “How can I teach my kids about Christ when I know so little myself?”
Secondly, by accepting Christ, parents are already in a position to share the most important thing about Christ with their kids – the gospel message. I think we can help in that by giving them kid friendly words and ways to share that message. Gina, I think the link you shared several months ago from lifechurch of the little video that clearly presented the gospel in a kid friendly way would be a great resource. I keep trying to find it on youtube or somewhere else that I can embed it into a blog post to share with other people.
Finally, I think just letting parents know that we are there to support them and help them will be a comfort to them. We need to find ways to answer any questions they might have show them that teaching their kids about Christ isn’t just one more thing to add to the list of things they HAVE TO DO to be good parents. Raising kids to know Christ actually provides structure and guidance to parenting whereas raising kids apart from Christ is more of a crap shoot based on ever-changing culture norms and repeating failed patterns from prior generations.