Use this opening letter to parents to express appreciation for the moms and dads of your youth group members. Also use it to educate, encourage, and inspire parents in their important roles.
An Opening Letter to Parents of Teens
Dear Parents of Teenagers,
Thanks for all you do to invest in the life of your teenager(s). You probably play many roles: an Uber driver (ready to pick kids up/drop them off when they call). A coach (helping them perfect sports). A tutor (working with them on homework). Often a guidance counselor (preparing them for the future). And sometimes a jockey (pushing them to cross the finish line…without a whip, of course!) Parents are all of these, wrapped up in one.
That’s why, with all the insane busyness of parenting a teen, it’s easy to let youth group attendance slide off the grid. It’s tempting to think, “My kid’s just too busy for a night of hanging out with other teenagers. There’s no time for some goofy games and hearing another Bible lesson.”
Believe me when I say I understand the temptation. As a parent of a busy teenager, my wife and I feel pressure to measure every event through the lens of what matters most. And we’ve decided that youth group attendance must be a priority. Although we view ourselves as the primary spiritual influence of our kids, we also believe that a strong youth ministry plays a vital role in our son’s overall spiritual development.
Opening Letter to Parents: What Teenagers Really Need
With this as a backdrop, here are five short yet powerful reasons to encourage (make?) your teens attend youth group:
1. Teenagers need models and mentors.
“O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:17-18
In the Jewish culture, it wasn’t just parents who poured into the younger folks. Older men poured into younger men, and older women poured into younger women (Titus 2:1-8).
Of course, God calls you as a parent to be the primary spiritual mentor of your own teenagers. But they also need other godly adults! It’s important for your son or daughter to see that this whole “Christianity thing” is more than just mom and dad’s belief system. They need to have models and mentors who reinforce all the spiritual truth they’re learning from you.
2. Teenagers need community.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25
In an age of bullying, gossip, slander and hatefulness (which can destroy a teenager’s self-identity), young people need other young people. They need godly peers who can lift them up, encourage them and challenge them in all the right ways.
Youth group is also a place where teenagers can discover their spiritual gifting and begin to use it to serve others. This will help them have a heart to selflessly serve others for the rest of their lives!