stickyfaith Partnering with Parents to Deepen Students Faith Simply Youth Ministry Conference 2014 Dr. Kara Powell & Brad M. Griffin session one Almost 1 in high school youth group graduates drift from their faith after Meet our FYI students: 384 HS Seniors from different regions across the US All involved in church youth groups 59% female 41% male 82% live with both their father and mother Median GPA 3.5-3.99 83% White/Caucasian 8% Asian/Asian American 3% Hispanic/Latino 2% African-American 1% Native American 3% Other Average church size: 500-900 members Average youth group size: 50-75 students What do we mean by Sticky Faith? Both internal attitudes and external behaviors Both personal and communal In process Never too and never too. the sticky gospel Most students believe a gospel that s a lot like a. Gospel of sin management (a la Dallas Willard)
2 How do you define the gospel? The 5 G Gospel: DO Best Practices: 1. Teaching and interactions centered in. 2. Welcome. 70% of kids doubt their faith in high school, but few actually talk about those doubts. What did they doubt in high school? Does God exist? Is Christianity true/the only way to God? Does God love me? Am I living the life God wants? 3. Jesus is bigger than any. Imagine this scenario Your teaching and ministry ideas to help students experience the true gospel:
3 session two: sticky churches helping adults get out of their seats and into kids lives The Two-Table Church Student Support Rank 5 groups of support? (Parents, adults in church, adults in youth group, friends in youth group, friends outside of youth group) First is. Other adults in the church were. Of 13 relationships, were some of the most powerful. We re NOT saying When I say Church New to ratio Parents the way on this. Best Practices: 1. Intergenerational classes
4 2. Intergenerational service 3. Intergenerational worship 4. Intergenerational activities 5. Intergenerational mentoring 6. Intergenerational groups One group with untapped 5:1 intergenerational potential: Your best 5:1 ideas What s already happening in your context? What has potential to work through families to create 5:1?
5 session three: sticky family from carpools to chemistry homework: helping parents build everyday faith When it comes to faith, parents. What percentage of your time as a leader do you give to parents? Best practices: 1. Conversations a. Building faith in the minivan b. Daily highs/lows c. Where did you notice God? d. What mistake did you make today? 2. Past and present spiritual. 3. Family rituals 4. Serve Together Research shows that families already involved together in service to those in need also pray, read their Bibles, attend worship services, share their faith with others, promote justice, and give more financially than those not serving. [Serving] is the most significant and powerful contributor to faith for teenage and adult Christians. Diana Garland, Inside Out Families: Living the Faith Together (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2010), 42.
6 5. Set parents up to. a. Give parents info about culture b. Debrief big events with parents c. Invite parents to share testimonies/stories 6. Rhythms in your family ministry 7. Celebrate that there s no way to be a Sticky Faith Family 8. Stick with your kids through their. Time to assess your own ministry: How are you already partnering well with parents? What would parents say you do well? Where can you grow in partnering with parents? If you had to choose just one best practices area to focus on for the next 6 months with parents, what would it be? What ideas do you have for engaging disengaged and non-christian parents more?
7 session four: sticky youth ministry small ministry changes that deliver big results sticky seniors Only Yet the more leave our youth groups feeling prepared. students feel, the better they do in life & faith transition. Thread that runs through prep:. Tim Clydesdale s identity lockbox theory Best Practices 1. Start early When should you start preparing students for life after youth group? 2. Topics Finding a new church and campus ministry Making new friends Managing Time and $$ Making choices about parties Especially the first 2 weeks. Recovering from poor choices I wish there was more of a transition. It seemed like when I was done with high school everything ended really fast. I haven't heard from the youth pastor or the worship leader I led music with or any other leader since that last night of church before I left for college. That s really sad to me. Handling emerging doubts Navigating changing relationships with parents, friends, and leaders 3. Give them leads 4. Consider 4+1
8 5. Stay in touch 6. How will you respond when they fail? Your best ideas and next steps for preparing seniors sticky change Now, how do we facilitate change in our ministries and our churches? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein Sticky Faith isn t a youth ministry or parent problem, it s a problem. Best Practices 1. The power of shared. Vision: A shared of future. 1 A. What stories of real-life kids or families in our ministry or church already capture our Sticky Faith vision? B. If we could imagine stories that capture how we hope God works through teenagers, what would they be? 1 This definition, and much of the coaching on this process for change comes from our colleague Dr. Scott Cormode, the Hugh De Pree Professor of Leadership Development
9 Communicate, communicate,. 2. People don t resist change; they resist. 3. Experiment on the. 4. Script the. 5. Senior leaders. 6. People tend to support what they. reflection questions: 1. What stories of real life people in your ministry or church already capture your Sticky Faith vision? 2. If you could imagine stories that capture how you hope God builds Sticky Faith, what would they be? 3. What are your five best ideas for how to communicate about the Sticky Faith changes you have in mind?