In this episode, I talk with Will Hutcherson of NextLevel Church in Fort Meyers, FL. Will and I talk about clarifying the win for family engagement and their five-part strategy for partnering with parents. He shares a lot of practical things they have done to simplify and maximize this strategy, and what it looks like all throughout the year.

Will Hutcherson

Connect with Will on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Email: Will@nextlevelchurch.com

NextLevel Church

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Parent Survey from Will

Orange – An organization that values the church and parents coming together to make a lasting impact on the next generation by providing curriculum and resources for both parties

Just a Phase – A project by Orange that helps parents understand how to win at each phase in their kid or student's life

Parent Ministry – An organization that comes alongside the church and helps them know how to partner with parents

Champion Tribes – A resource that helps busy dads connect with their sons in unique and life-changing ways

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters (book) – Dr. Meg Meeker talks about why the father-daughter relationship is crucial and shares ten secrets every dad should know

13 Reasons Why – How Do We Respond as Parents? (Article) – A blog post to help parents know what conversations to have with their kids and students about this new Netflix show

Partnering With Parents: 5 Part Strategy

  1. Celebrate major milestones
  2. Reactivate felt needs
  3. Connect parents with each other
  4. Resource parents when they need it and create a bridge between the small group leader and parent
  5. Cue weekly

Partnering With Parents: Developing a Strategy

  1. Survey parents
  2. Ask: If we could do anything, what would we do
  3. Consider current resources–people, money, and organizational energy
  4. Create a plan
  5. Present it to key leaders
  6. Launch and then begin to automate/delegate

Action Items

  1. Clarify the win for parent partnership at your church
  2. Evaluate what you are currently doing to partner with parents
  3. Brainstorm ideas for partnering with parents with some key leaders at your church, and then map out a plan for the next year
  4. Partner with small groups or adult ministries at your church to help connect parents with other parents

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Next Episode: Tomy Cummins

In the next episode, I talk with Tomy Cummins of Woodmen Valley Chapel. Tomy and I talk about what student ministry looks like at his church. He shares an overview of what their programming looks like throughout the year, and then we dive into some specifics about trips and volunteer culture.