Next to the question, how do we find a great part-time youth minister, the question I receive more than any other as I consult and meet with local church members is this one, “How do we get youth to come to church?”  The motive behind the question is positive.  Our members desperately want to share the Gospel with young people, and that is a wonderful thing.  The problem is that the question presupposes that we need to offer something like what the world offers to lure youth to our church.  Without even knowing it we find ourselves hoping the right games or the right curriculum or the right program will get youth to come, or better yet, to bring friends.

The answer I think we are looking for, however, actually requires us to change the question.  Perhaps we should ask, what do we offer youth, or anyone else for that matter, that is different than what the world offers?  Or better yet, how are we living out following Jesus in a way that is life-altering, radical, or even dangerous as it challenges our current culture?  With hundreds of choices and demands on the time in their life, teenagers today see the church as one choice among many.  If we believe we have something that is worth the commitment and risk, are we living that way?

(Thanks to Marko and Kenda Creasy Dean for the seeds of these thoughts.  Check out Marko’s blog post from today here.)

What if we thought of ministry with parents and families with the Home Depot ad slogan in mind:  “You can do it, we can help.”  While communication with parents seems essential to youth ministry today, equally important is how we are equipping parents.  As we all know, faith practices like prayer and Bible study are becoming harder to find in families, and parents find it difficult to teach or even engage in conversation because they don’t feel equipped to answer the faith questions of their teens. So how do we help?

1.  Reintroduce simple faith practices to families.  Ideas:

* Send a weekly text message to parents AND youth for a car conversation in transit during the week (on the way to sports practice or home from school, etc.).  Include a Scripture reference and a faith question.  (If your parents aren’t texting, you can use the church bulletin on Sunday or send email.)

* Create a family challenge like 30 days of family prayer or the Amazing Bible Race (there are several variations of this take-off from the Amazing Race on TV designed as a competitive challenge to learn the Bible)

2.  Challenge youth to engage their parents.  Ideas:

* As part of Sunday education or a weekly Bible study, invite youth to do “research” where they are given questions to ask their parents and then report back the following week.

* Create opportunities for youth to teach what they are learning and parents to come and learn from their youth as teachers.

3.  Remember and honor that parents don’t feel prepared or may not have any Biblical background.  Ideas:

* Send summaries to parents of what youth are learning or discussing with some basic theological definitions and Bible background.

* Work with your preschool age volunteers to introduce family education and parent-focused initiatives with preschool parents.

* Connect parents to the CPYU website, weekly updates, and resources for engaging youth culture from a Christian perspective.  (Linked with other resources under Parent Connect on this page.)

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Thanks to Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor (SC)  who shared the reference to the Home Depot ad at a recent devotion with Conference Youth Ministry Staff.

Every day I get an email from my son’s kindergarten teacher with 3 questions to ask him about his day at school.  He usually answers  those questions at the dinner table with “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember”, which I’m sure is God’s way of preparing me for his teenage years.  Because of that communication via email, however, I know what is happening at school and I can engage in the learning process at home.  If it is true that parents remain the primary teachers of the faith for our young people, how do we lean in and communicate with them in ways that equip them to teach the faith.

On this blog page are several resources listed under Parent Connect, but let me suggest here 2 simple ideas.

1.  Create a daily or weekly email (or text for those who text) to provide faith moments for the family.  Include a question or a Scripture to encourage conversation.  Keep it simple, and send it to parents and youth.

2.  Provide an update to parents after every youth gathering/education time and every retreat/trip with highlights of what was experienced and/or discussed and questions for follow-up at home.

Our son’s kindergarten teacher probably spends about 5 minutes each day helping us to be better parents and better teachers in our home.  What time are we willing to spend communicating with parents of the youth in our churches to help them?