Let’s face it: young families are busy. From balancing work schedules to adapting to their new life with a baby, they don’t have much spare time and when they do, they want to make sure their time is spent in a place where they get value and enjoy every minute.

For ministry leaders, this presents a challenge. How can you connect with young families when their lives are so chaotic? What can you do to make sure they are building faith connections with their little ones, as well as other parents?  

As you look at building community for young families, answer the following questions to get started. 

What is your goal?

Sometimes it can be easy to start a program or initiative because the church in the next town over did something similar, so it must work for your community. That may be true in some cases, but not always!

Think through what you want to accomplish by building a community for your young families. Do you want to create a resource for new families that come into the area, so they can find connections easily? Do you want to build a community that focuses on group learning to teach faith? Should it be formal? Or, do you want to offer resources to families to consume when they’re able?

Knowing the why behind your actions can make it a lot easier to determine what you want to do it, how often you should do it, and who should be included.

How can you add value?

As you look at the options that young families have on their calendars, there are many! Baby swim classes, parent-baby classes, dinners, and family sports all top the list.

What can your church offer to these busy parents to give them value and faith formation that they need? What will be different than what they can find elsewhere, like on message boards or in other groups?

Thinking about how your offering will be different, unique, or even valuable can ensure that you are meeting their needs.

Not quite sure what your community needs? That’s okay! Reach out to a few young families in your community and ask them what would be helpful. Often times, this can be the best way to start thinking about a program.

What does your program look like?

Now that you know what you’re trying to accomplish, it can be so much easier to put together a program outline that details everything you need to know, including the resources required (budget!) and what the schedule will look like.

Once you have this outlined, filling in the details – from creating invites to buying resources – becomes much easier. That gives you more time to focus on the important part: recruiting young families and making your program a reality.

Interested in learning more? Check out our free step-by-step guide that offers insight into how you can host Frolic Faith Classes for your families!