So you're a parent of a teenager, huh? Congratulations! You have one of the most important (and sometimes the most difficult) jobs on the planet.

We know your job isn't always easy, but here's what we want you to know: we're here to help, in any way we can. Sure, we're a "youth" ministry, but teenagers aren't the only people we care about. We care about you too.

No matter how connected (or not connected) you are with our church, this parent resource page is here to help you care for your kid and serve you at the same time.

Thanks for letting us be another voice in the life of your teenager. Your trust and partnership means a lot to us.

It's hard to know when we're winning in youth ministry. Like, is anything we're teaching actually sinking in? Are students really growing in their faith? That's why we decided to go ahead and define the big win for our ministry. It's the one thing that we, as a ministry team, want to achieve. It's the goal we want to keep in mind at all times. It will motivate and guide us in everything we do. It goes like this:

WE WIN WHEN A STUDENT TAKES A STEP TOWARD OWNING THEIR FAITH

TAKING A STEP

Now, we say "take a step" for a reason. It's because there's no finish line or certificate of completion when it comes to spiritual growth. Instead, spiritual growth is a journey and no two journeys are identical. That's why our big win doesn't have anything to do with a specific skill or achievement. Instead, we win anytime we see a student take a single step closer to owning their faith in Jesus.

OWNING THEIR FAITH

What, exactly, does it look like for a student to own their faith? We believe there are four things that lead to, and are a result of spiritual growth. We call these four things our four spiritual habits.

SPEND TIME WITH GOD

This is an obvious one, right? Sometimes it's the only spiritual habit we can name. After all, isn't "growing spiritually" synonymous with "spending time with God"? Well, not exactly, but it's still pretty important. After all, if teens are ever going to make their faith their own, they've got to start spending time with God on their own. It means opening their Bible on their own, having conversations with God on their own, and discovering how they best connect with God through worship on their own.

SPEND TIME WITH OTHERS

Engaging in healthy community can, and should, be a spiritual habit we help our teens develop. But "healthy community" doesn't just mean hanging out with Christians. This spiritual habit is about growing in Christlike relationships with everyone.

USE THEIR GIFTS

Teens need to be reminded that God made them unique – with specific gifts, talents and passions. Then they need to learn how to use those gifts to love God, others and shape the world around them. Because when teenagers begin to discover who God made them to be, and then use their unique identity to love both God and others, they grow.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Teens need to learn how to talk about God. Sharing your story is the spiritual habit of making faith a regular, everyday, go-to topic of conversation in our lives. Because when we talk about God and His place in our story (or, more accurately, our place in His story), it helps us believe, helps us understand, and helps us take ownership of our own faith.

We count it as a win whenever a teen takes a step toward own their faith by practicing one, or maybe even all four, of these spiritual habits.

As a parent, you are making a huge impact in your teenager's life. The impact you're making is far more significant than any impact we, their church, could ever hope to make. You are the most important voice in your kid's life, both now and for a lifetime.

But in all of our time caring for teenagers we've learned something really important. (We drew a picture to help you remember it.) We believe that, in every teenagers life, this is true: your best chance at influencing your teenager's faith and future is to recruit other adults to influence them with you.

Dr. Kara E. Powell and Dr. Chap Clark, authors of Sticky Faith, encourage parents to "develop a sticky web of relationships" for their kids. We love that idea!

Especially during the teenage years, when your kid is beginning to pull away from you in their search for independence, we want to come alongside you by creating a pool of trustworthy adults who can help influence your teenager.

That's why our ministry is so committed to small groups. Small groups are about more than just good discussions. Small groups exist to connect your kid with an adult you can trust so you can better influence their faith and future.

So, please, engage with our volunteers. They can be a powerful ally for you and your family.