The Symbiotic Relationship of the Youth Leader and the Parent

One of the responsibilities of a youth leader is a very important part of youth ministry success and goes beyond the students in the youth ministry. Sometimes we can focus so much on teenagers and their world that we forget about their most important setting. The home.

There are a lot of pressures on parents. Parents must become a lot of things in their children’s lives. Sometimes they are principals, teachers, coach’s, chefs, tutors, friends, news anchor, and even their kids pastor.

As a youth leader, we are part of the critical symbiotic relationship of the home, the church, and the youth ministry. With that in mind, we should be a resource to parents in four areas: conversation, education, discipleship, and recreation.

Conversation

As leaders, we must help develop the conversations in the home between parents and their children. If anything, we must be an involved and dedicated part of the symbiotic relationship of home, church, and youth ministry.

Here are some conversation starters between parents and teenagers.

Teach parents how to find out what their kids want to do with their life, ask them what restaurant they want to go to for a family dinner, encourage them to get involved with the youth ministry socials, ask them who their friends are and if they have been connecting with their friends, and share biblical knowledge and practical ways for families to do devotions.

A parent will play many roles. But maybe one of the most important is to make sure the whole family is communicating. Set a culture of everyone knowing what is going on in everyone’s life – this can be done with a regular family dinner together, and, individual quality time communicating to each other.

Education

Another important element of parenting is the education of our children. This can be intimidating because parents are so far removed from the educational process and content. And the re-education of our children’s values is a reality. Here are a few things that can help:

Parents should get in touch with school teachers and ask how they can get involved, set a time of study daily for 1-2 hours instead of hoping it happens, control the home-work setting with mood – no phones or TV or distractions, encourage kids to group study with their friends, and be sure to check with children at the end of each day or week to see their progress.

The education of our children is really everyone’s task and not just the school. And, additionally, the bond parents can create while teaching their children is lifelong. 

Discipleship

This could be one of the great outcomes of parenting. If we are careful, we will see the impact discipleship in the home can have on our kids in the next 10 years. If we are careful to include discipleship and theology in the home, we will defy the statistics of the biblical worldview in Gen Z.

The communication between parents and youth leaders should be at a high point in the teen years. It is important parents know of the resources that are available to them. Youth leaders should be communicating to parents with their youth ministry content and schedule, youth leaders should send parents a study guide or outline for sermon series, and youth leaders should be holding parent sessions bi-annually with the youth team and the parents/guardians.

The bond of communication that can be opened between the home and the church could be a major youth ministry outcome of this parental discipleship.

Recreation

One of the underestimated family values is certainly recreation and total wellness. Every family should be getting plenty of exercise and focusing upon complete wellness. This can be a creative and exciting connection in the family. Among other things, well-planned recreation can take the pressure off everything that is going on and be a source for building better relationships.

Here are a few things Next Gen leaders can do for almost no cost and effort:

Begin with simple games and set up an obstacle course, play board or card games, have a movie night, plan a scavenger hunt, take a ride to the park and play frisbee or fly a kite, take a day-cation and drive to a local sightseeing area, or take a family walk or bike ride, and even visit and serve at a local shelter or kitchen.

Finally

As youth leaders, there are multiple ways to connect with parents. If you are wanting more ideas on connecting with parents, you can go to Pinterest, YouTube, the ALPHA Youth Series, search the internet for conversation starters, see the US Department of Education to help with homeschooling, and make sure to talk to the parents about their specific resource needs.

The symbiotic relationship between the home, the church, and the youth ministry must become a priority in Next Gen leadership. Afterall, healthy homes build healthy children who build healthy societies.