I would have to say that one of the most important parts of your ministry is found in your parents. They are the ones that make stuff happen. The hard thing is to get them to understand that they are not the busiest peeps in the world and they need to be present for ministry all the time. The parents that we had in our ministry were definitely the driving force and the backbone. They have experience in life and if they can be down to earth enough and are able to relate with the kids, you are going to have a great time.
Do I think that all parents are to be placed in a small group??? Of course not. In fact, it is prolly the hardest position for a parent to fill because of the old cliché of them being too old. Are they too old to relate with the kids? No, not in my experience. But, not all of them have the gifts to be in charge of or be associated with a small group. So, don’t let a parent intimidate you because they are older than you or make more money than you. They are just like any other person in yours or another ministry. If they have the gifts to be a part of a small group, by all means, put them in the position and let them shine.
I had one dad in our ministry that was in the hardest group of boys I think I had ever had in my entire ministry career to that point. He would always come to me and ask if there was any way to take him out of the group and move him to the parking lot ministry or the security detail. I asked him is he wanted to be in the group or if he felt like some other party of the ministry would suit him better. But what it really came down to was that he felt that he did not have much control over what was going on and he did not think that he was making an impact.
The truth of the matter was that he was doing a great job and the boys loved and respected him. Sure, they were all punks and were way too open about stuff and made this particular dad feel uncomfortable, but they made all of us feel that way. He needed to be in that group. He made a huge impact in the couple years with those boys. So, who are the parents that are your ministry you need to call on? They are out there and they are the ones that are going to be your biggest asset and best advocates in the help you will need to grow in support.
Do I think that all parents are to be placed in a small group??? Of course not. In fact, it is prolly the hardest position for a parent to fill because of the old cliché of them being too old. Are they too old to relate with the kids? No, not in my experience. But, not all of them have the gifts to be in charge of or be associated with a small group. So, don’t let a parent intimidate you because they are older than you or make more money than you. They are just like any other person in yours or another ministry. If they have the gifts to be a part of a small group, by all means, put them in the position and let them shine.
I had one dad in our ministry that was in the hardest group of boys I think I had ever had in my entire ministry career to that point. He would always come to me and ask if there was any way to take him out of the group and move him to the parking lot ministry or the security detail. I asked him is he wanted to be in the group or if he felt like some other party of the ministry would suit him better. But what it really came down to was that he felt that he did not have much control over what was going on and he did not think that he was making an impact.
The truth of the matter was that he was doing a great job and the boys loved and respected him. Sure, they were all punks and were way too open about stuff and made this particular dad feel uncomfortable, but they made all of us feel that way. He needed to be in that group. He made a huge impact in the couple years with those boys. So, who are the parents that are your ministry you need to call on? They are out there and they are the ones that are going to be your biggest asset and best advocates in the help you will need to grow in support.
No comments:
Post a Comment