RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: preschool parents

Showing posts with label preschool parents. Show all posts

Seize This Special Moment When You Can Influence Parents Spiritually

6:00 AM Dale Hudson

If you want to influence children, then you have to influence children's greatest influencers...their parents. No one has more influence in a child's life than his or her parents.

How do you influence parents? Let's take a look at one of the best times to do this. It's when parents have a new child and are wanting to participate in child dedication. If you are intentional about seizing this moment, you can influence parents spiritually.

In one of the ministries I led, we had no clear process for influencing parents who wanted to dedicate their children. In fact, the first personal contact we had with them was the morning they showed up to dedicate their child. They would sign up online and then we met them right before the dedication service started. I begin to notice that many of the parents had no clue about what the dedication meant, much less about raising their kids to love and follow Jesus.

I realized we were missing a key opportunity to influence these young parents and so I decided to begin a parent-child dedication class that parents had to go through before they participated in the dedication. Notice, how I started by calling it a "parent" and child dedication class and event. I wanted parents to understand from the get-go that it was just as much about them as it was their child.

In this class, I focused not only on what the dedication was about, but also about how to lead your child spiritually. I gave parents practical ways they could raise their children to love and follow Jesus. The impact was seen immediately in the lives of the parents, as they begin to live out what we taught them. And the impact will continue for years as the parents influence their children for Jesus.

I want to encourage you to focus on influencing parents when their children are young. It's in the early years of a child's life that the biggest impact can be made. The first 3 years of a child's life are especially critical, as so many brain connections are being made. Children learn more in the early years of their life than at any other time.

We are hosting a live webinar next week that will equip you to influence preschool parents. I'd like to invite you to join us. It is Tuesday, December 5th from 2 to 4 p.m. EST.

I will be sharing a session about "Connecting with Preschool Parents." I'll share how to connect with and influence the young Millennial parents in your community.

Jean Thomason (Miss PattyCake) will share "Start Early." She'll show you how to begin spiritual formation in the baby and toddler years.

Darcy Wood will talk with you about "Building a Vibrant Preschool Ministry. You'll discover the keys to developing a thriving preschool ministry that reaches the preschoolers and young families in your community.

When you register, you will also receive a copy of my ebook "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" ($7.00 value). This popular book will help you develop a thriving volunteer team that ministers to preschoolers and influences their parents.

The webinar will be recorded, so even if you can't join us live, you can register and stream it/download it afterwards. This is included in the registration.

Below is more info. about the webinar and you can register now at this link. Join us and discover how to seize key opportunities to influence parents.

5 Big Things You Need to Know About Millennial Parents

1:16 PM Dale Hudson

Born roughly between 1980 and 2000, the Millennials are growing up fast. Many of the older Millennials are now parents.

More than 16 million millennial women are now mothers and that number is growing by more than a million every year. In fact, 82% of children born each year are born to millennial mothers. That comes to 5 out of every 6 babies.

As they have in many other areas, the Millennials are challenging the norm when it comes to parenting. Let's take a look at some of their unique characteristics.

#1 - Google is the new grandparent.

Millennials grew up online. When they needed an answer for something, they "Googled it." When they needed to research a subject for high school, they searched online. When they wanted to see the latest review of a product, they searched online. When they were looking for a part-time job in the summer, they searched online.

So it's only natural that now, as parents, they search online for parenting help. Unlimited information about everything from napping schedules to teething to surviving the terrible two's to anything else you need to know about parenting is just a click away.

Yes, they still ask their parents for advice at times, but their primary go to is the internet.

#2 - Co-Parenting.

About 1/3 of millennial parents follow traditional gender roles. Another third say the spouses share chores equally. The final third strive for shared chores, but in reality, the female does more. But more and more fathers are wanting to step up and be more involved with sharing household responsibilities. Unlike, previous generations, millennial fathers see being more involved with the children as a masculine trait that they want to strive for.

#3 - Gen Xer's and Boomers to the rescue.

Millennials are facing financial challenges. They reached childbearing age during the recession and many have large college debt. As a result, many of them rely on their Gen X and Boomer parents for financial help. This can be anything from help for rent to asking grandparents to watch the grand-kids while they are working.

#4 - Religious nones.

More Millennials are "religious nones" than any previous generation. The term "none" refers to not claiming affiliation with any religion. Look at the trend...

14% of Boomers are religious nones
19% of Gen Xer's are religious nones
34% of Millennials are religious nones

This obviously means Millennials are much more likely to not pass faith to their children. It's hard to pass along something you don't believe yourself. This is very concerning, not only for the Millennials, but for their Gen Z children as well.

#5 - Work-Life Balance.

Millennials more than any other generation, want a good balance between work and the other areas of their life. Part of this is because many of them saw their parents put work first and become unbalanced as they tried to "climb the ladder."

Millennials don't want to repeat this and so they look for work opportunities that offer them flexibility in how much and where they work. The primary deciding factor in choosing a job is not the salary being offered, but the opportunity to have a well-functioning work-life balance, recognition and purposeful work. They are willing to take a pay cut, pass on a promotion and even relocate if it helps them achieve a greater work-life balance.

These five factors have big implications for churches who want to reach and engage Millennial parents. Churches must know how to navigate these unique characteristics if they want to be effective.

Here are some questions to think about...

1. How can we use the internet and social media to connect with Millennial parents? How can we provide them with tools to invest in their children and disciple them through these avenues?

2. How can we provide Millennial parents with parenting tips and tools as they seek to co-parent?

3. How can we provide Millennial parents with training and wisdom in managing their finances well?

4. How can we reach the Millennial parents in our communities who are "nones?" How can we re-engage those who grew up in church and have walked away?

5. What will our strategy be to get Millennial parents involved in discipleship, faithful church attendance, serving and small groups since they are very guarded with their time? How can we help them see the importance of making church attendance a priority for their children?

I will be sharing a session entitled "Connecting with Preschool Parents" that will answer many of these and other questions during our upcoming live webinar. If you'd like to effectively reach and engage the Millennial parents in your community, then join us for this event. Below is more information and you can register now at this link.

Effective Preschool Ministry in the Church

8:41 AM Dale Hudson

Have you seen this quote?

"In the race to a child's heart, the first one there wins." - George Barna

Wow! Let that sink in. We are in a race to capture the hearts of the next generation. And we can't wait until children are in high school or middle school or even elementary school. No...it must start in the earliest years of a child's life.

Research shows that the early years of a person's life are the most critical...especially the first 3 years. Look what Anthony Lake says.

What children experience in the earliest days and years of life shapes and defines their futures."
Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director

There is no other time frame that has so much potential to lay a spiritual foundation in a person's life. Babies' brains can form over 1,000 neural connections every second. And these connections are the building blocks of their future. Children who are read to from the Bible, talked to about God, sung worship songs to and given personal attention at church will have a better opportunity to grow up to follow Jesus.

If we truly believe that preschoolers have the most potential of any age group in our church, then we must make preschool ministry a top priority. We must be prepared to effectively connect with preschoolers and their parents.

That's why I am excited about the upcoming live webinar "Effective Children's Ministry in the Church." We want to help you build a vibrant, effective preschool ministry.

I am excited to have Jean Thomason joining us as a speaker. Jean has been effectively reaching and ministering to preschoolers and their families for over 20 years as "Miss PattyCake." She recently released a new book called "Sharing God's Big Love with Little Lives."

Jean will be sharing a session entitled "Nursery with a Purpose." Jean will equip you with fresh ideas and encouragement to help you guide children into all God has created them to be. You'll discover how to nurture children's faith during the nursery and toddler years.

Darcy Wood will also be joining us. Darcy is a dynamic leader who leads the children's ministry at Eagle Brook Church in the Minneapolis area. Eagle Brook Church is one of the largest and fastest growing churches in the nation. A big reason for their growth is their dynamic preschool and children's ministry. Darcy and her team have built a thriving ministry. I have personally visited their ministry and seen it in action...it is incredible what God is doing there. Darcy will be sharing the keys to building a vibrant preschool ministry. Darcy and her team create great resources to reach the preschoolers and families in their community. Here is an example.
I will be sharing a session entitled "Connecting with Preschool Parents." If you're going to influence preschoolers, then you have to influence their parents. I'll share key ways you can connect with and engage the Millennials...who are the parents of the preschoolers in your community. If you haven't read the book I co-authored a few years ago entitled "100 Best Ideas to Turbo Charge Your Preschool Ministry," be sure to check it out. I have also led the preschool and children's ministry in some of the largest and fastest growing churches in the nation. I say that to let you know that what we will be sharing is not just theory, but proven principles that work.

We already have people from all over the country who are registering for this event. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today at this link. Registration includes a free ecopy of my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams" ($7.00 value).

As an added bonus, registration will also include access to the webinar after it is over in both downloadable and streaming formats so you can share it with the leaders in your church.

Join us and let's get equipped to reach the next generation! Let's get there first with the love and hope that can only be found in Jesus.