It can seem daunting … “how can we reach more families?” Many churches struggle with this question as they find that they are an older congregation or they think they don’t have the volunteer capacity to reach out to families. Here are some simple ways you can reach families with young children that won’t cost you a lot of money and utilize a lot of volunteers.
Talk to families with young children. When you preach or share any content online, make sure they are a part of your audience. Utilize illustrations, topics and scriptural references that pertain to families with young children. Preach to their felt needs and think about them when you create your sermon series.
Host a Parenting Workshop. There are lots of great parenting resources on Right Now Media or other Christian broadcast networks that you can use to host a parenting workshop. Create a relatable parenting workshop for people from all walks of life and host it for 3 hours on a Saturday. Make sure you have childcare.
Run The Alpha Parenting Class. Alpha makes a great parenting class that works for your community. You can run this for free over six weeks and host it for parents from around your neighbourhood.
Host a Family Fun Night. This takes a bit more planning, but it is a themed evening where you host kids and their parents through a bunch of carnival games and craft-making with some treats at the end. Similar to what you would do for a Harvest Party, pick a theme (space, adventure, under the sea, lego) and dress up. Decorate to the theme and create games. The kids come with their families and play with their families.
Host a Hobby Night. Find someone in your church who has a hobby (woodworking, painting, etc.) and have a Parent / Kid hobby night where the parents and kids work together to do the hobby. This is something that you do with your kids.
Host a One Day Fun Day. Run a 5-hour kids camp for the number of kids you can handle during a pro-D Day. You may want to partner with another church or group for this. You set a registration and host the kids (without their parents) utilizing a Day Camp or VBS curriculum. This will take some more planning and people, but it’s a great way to serve your community during a time when school is out.
Adopt a School. If you don’t have a kids ministry, the best thing you can do is adopt an elementary school. Find ways to meet the needs of staff and students and build a relationship with the educators over time. It will take time, but it will be worth it.
There are more ideas, I’m sure, but pick just one of these and get started this year.
There is a clarion call to reach families with young children, and we can respond.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.