Why the drop in confidence? Poor behavior on the part of some religious leaders has caused serious self-inflicted wounds for the church and organized religion -- damaging its image. At the same time, the nation is becoming less Christian and less religious, and those outside of Christianity naturally view the church with less respect.
In spite of falling levels of confidence, you can build parents' confidence in your ministry. Here are 5 keys.
Make safety and security a top priority. Their child's safety is a big deal to parents and rightly so. They want to know that their children are safe in your care. A thorough on-boarding process for new volunteers including a background check, a check-in / check-out system, clear evacuation plan, rules like a minimum of two volunteers in each room and other steps will build parents' confidence in your ministry.
Here is more critical information about parents' safety expectations at church and how to meet them.
Excellence. Children's Ministry done with excellence breeds confidence. Excellence is found in doing the small things well. It's in the details. This includes everything from proofreading before printing to keeping your rooms clean to doing events well.
Take this test to see how your Children's Ministry scores in the area of details.
Follow through. When you make a promise...follow through. When a parent calls and leaves a message...return the call that day. Respond to parent emails within 24 hours.
Communicate. Effective communication is essential. Keep parents in the know. Newsletters, parent Facebook pages, text messages and take home papers are just a few ways you can communicate with parents.
Here are 7 ways to effectively communicate with parents.
Partnership. It's not easy being a parent. There are key times in a parent's life where they come looking for help. Partner with them during these times and you'll gain their confidence.
You can read more about key times to partner with parents in this post.
Do these 5 things well with consistency and you'll find the compound effect will cause parents' confidence in your Children's Ministry to skyrocket.
