In many ways parents need from their youth ministers just what youth ministers need from the parents they work with. By and large, this shouldn’t be surprising at all since the focus of their concern is the same. They are not in competition with each other. Most parents have very reasonable expectations of the youth ministers that work alongside them. Once in awhile you will get the one that cries out: “Fix my kid!” If you work with kids very long you will encounter such a parent; we will come to that bump in the road soon. But for now, let us consider what needs parents have in common with their youth ministers:
1) Parents need some respect. Much maligned, rarely praised, it is likely that parents actually have it rougher than youth ministers in terms of respect, or the lack of it. Much, if not all, of the blame for “why kids are so screwed up today” is laid unceremoniously at the collective feet of parents. Did cultural systems fail to change with the times? Did the church miss the boat? Are kids responsible in any way for the problems they encounter? You wouldn’t think so by the way the media typically plays it. Far too much negative press is given to parents.
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