If you’ve got a heart for family ministry but struggle with how to get your preteens’ parents engaged with what you’re doing, you’re not alone! Countless KidMin leaders have tried to get parents on board with supporting their kids’ spiritual growth. And during the tenuous preteen years, it’s more important than ever that your kids are getting a unified message from you and parents. So, how do you engage parents with what you’re doing with BE BOLD? Try these five ideas.
1) Make a copy of the parent letter.
We’ve provided a parent letter that helps your parents understand the purpose of BE BOLD. Plus, it includes the scope and sequence for each quarter, so parents know exactly what you’ll be covering. Download yours in the Digital Download Center and print it or email it for your parents.
2) Create a social media page for reports on Mystery Missions.
If you’re anything like us, you want to know how kids are doing with their Mystery Missions! Let parents know to watch for changes in their kids and ask them about their weekly missions. Then give parents a space to report on what their preteens have been doing.
3) Invite them to serve.
Invite your parents to serve—even once a quarter—in your BE BOLD class. They’ll get a chance to see BE BOLD in action! Can’t get them involved during your programming time? No problem. Every week, we recommend serving a healthy snack. Have a sign-up and let parents get involved by providing the snack.
4) Challenge them to collect their preteens’ faith questions.
Use parents as a resource to find out what kinds of faith questions their kids are asking. Then, when you see similar questions coming up on the scope and sequence, make a special invitation to preteens (and their parents) who were wondering about that. (And if you’re really bold…be a resource to help parents know how to answer the tough stuff BE BOLD might not cover!)
5) Share BE BOLD highlights in “big church.”
See if you can get approval from your senior pastor to get on stage once a quarter and talk about some of the Bold Action projects preteens have done. Encourage the whole congregation to pay attention to ways preteens are serving your church…and to thank them for their service. If you have photo permission from parents, include pictures!
