CPC || San Diego, CA || Tuesday, February 28 || 2:00pm
4 Messages to Communicate to Parents - Family, Large Church, Leadership/Administration
After working in a church setting for many years, it is time to narrow down all that we have seen and decide what we want to
communicate to parents. Four key truths worthy of communicating to parents are take your kids to church, be on time, avoid
church as a punishment and talk about what you learn at home.
**Setup personal story of leading kids, and leading others that lead kids**
** Started as a blog post with open letters to parents**
1. To the Parents: Take your Kids to Church
**ILLUSTRATION=Trinity’s Attendance Numbers**
If they all came on the same weekend, we’d be toast!
What I’ve seen:
o Help Children see Kidmin as a “scary place”, not a “safe place.”
o Lack of balance in family worship. Should kids be in adult environments? YES, but is it always
appropriate? NO
o Start bad early habits, then wonder why their 13 year old doesn’t want to be at church…
o Kidmin Leaders: Why Should Parents Attend Consistently?
o Questions to Ask Yourself:
 Do the kids want to come to your church?
 If you were 8, would you come? Be honest!
 Do we make it easy to be involved?
 How easy is it to get to the Church and Kidmin areas? Physical Location is Important
 Environment Matters!
**Illustration** Broken Windows
Seeing the Old as New Again
o Communicates the VALUE: We do this by creating a space and environment that is both
attractive to the family, but also builds upon each experience.
2. To the Parents: Be on Time
**Illustration= 45 minutes after start time arrival family**
What I’ve seen:
o Parents that have no sensitivity to the scheduled time we have their children.
o Equal with only letting kids eat ½ their dinner because they couldn’t come to the table in time.
o Kidmin Leaders: Are you accommodating all families?
o Questions to Ask Yourself:
 Does it matter looking at your schedule?


 Could you make it start later?
Have you tweaked your schedule to encourage early arrivals?
Is there a reason someone should be on time?
o Communicates the VALUE: We do this by building value into the earliest part of the
morning, and training teachers to lead through this arrival time.
 The child becomes the cheerleader, and the parent knows the investment.
**Illustration=How we communicated change and commitment to small groups**
3. To the Parents: Stop Using Church as a Punishment
**Illustration=Proud Parent of keeping her kid from what he loved the most. His church**
…But NOT from baseball.
Danger: This communicates two things
1. Church is a luxury, like skateboards and bicycles.
2. Adult Worship is worth of being labeled punishment.
o Kidmin Leaders: This is a reality of how well you’ve communicate to parents
o Questions to Ask Yourself:
 Is your Kidmin a punishment, have you made it that way?
 Are you confronting parents on this? Be brave.
 Are Discipline Procedures bringing safety to everyone involved?
 Communicate this to Parents of strong-willed children.
o Communicates the VALUE: We do this by helping parents find creative solutions to
discipline; and stepping out with courage and respect to confront this problem.
4. To the Parents: Talk at Home
**Illustration= All the tools Trinity has attempted**
What I’ve seen:
o Leaders, Deacons, Elders, Pastors, and other influential parents in my church NOT realizing the value
of their own influence in their kids life.
o By NOT talking about it, you are making life self-centered, not God-centered.
o Kidmin Leaders: Are we helping parents take Next Steps?
o Questions to Ask Yourself:
 If I’m a parent: Am I talking about it at home?
 Are you giving them something worth talking about?
 Are the tools accessible?
 Are the steps to large? Take small steps
 Is it rewarded? Should it be?
o Communicates the VALUE: We do this by encouraging, exhorting, and praying with parents
to see and do their own role under their roofs.