Parents of teenagers, I want to begin by saying thank you. Thank you for trusting Prince Street Church Student Ministry to be part of your teenager’s life. We consider it a privilege to spend time with your students, teach them God’s Word, encourage them, pray for them, and help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. We have leaders who genuinely love Jesus and care about your teenagers. We want Student Ministry to be a place where students belong, ask questions, build relationships, hear the Gospel, and learn what it means to follow Christ. But as important as Student Ministry is, we recognize that we only have a small amount of time with your teenager each week. You have something we don’t have: everyday influence. You Are Still Their Primary Discipler The teenage years can sometimes make parents wonder how much influence they still have. Your teenager is becoming more independent. Friends become increasingly important. School, sports, activities, jobs, social media, entertainment, and countless other voices compete for their attention. Sometimes it may even seem like your teenager would rather listen to almost anyone except you. But don’t underestimate the influence God has given you. Even if your student participates in everything we regularly offer during the week, we have approximately three hours with them on average. We believe those three hours matter. We want to use them well. We want to teach God’s Word faithfully, build meaningful relationships, create opportunities to serve, and continually point students toward Jesus. But three hours a week cannot carry the entire responsibility of discipling a teenager. That’s why we believe so strongly in partnering with parents. God has given you countless ordinary moments throughout the week that we will never have—the ride to school, conversations around the dinner table, trips to practice, difficult evenings, celebrations, disappointments, questions about relationships, decisions about the future, and those unexpected late-night conversations. Those moments may not feel like “discipleship,” but they can become some of the most meaningful discipleship opportunities you have. Scripture gives parents a significant role in helping the next generation know and follow God. We see this clearly in Deuteronomy 6: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…”
— Deuteronomy 6:5–7 What I love about this passage is that discipleship isn’t described primarily as a program. It happens through everyday life. Faith is talked about at home. Along the road. At bedtime. In the morning. For us, it might happen around the dinner table, on the drive home from practice, sitting in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru, or during one of those late-night conversations when your teenager suddenly decides they’re ready to talk. Those ordinary moments matter. Let Them See Your Faith Notice what comes first in Deuteronomy 6. Before parents are told to teach their children, they are told to love God themselves. One of the most important things you can do for your teenager’s faith is to cultivate your own relationship with Jesus. Your teenager doesn’t need you to be a perfect Christian. They need to see that your faith is genuine. Let them see you read God’s Word. Let them hear you pray. Let them see you worship with the church. Let them see you serve others. Let them hear you talk about what God is teaching you. And let them see what happens when you get things wrong. There is something powerful about a parent being willing to say, “I was wrong. Will you forgive me?” Our teenagers need to understand that following Jesus isn’t about pretending we have everything together. It is about continually depending upon the grace of Christ. Bring Jesus Into Everyday Conversations Discipling your teenager doesn’t mean preaching a sermon every time you get in the car. Sometimes it simply means asking a good question. “What do you think about that?” “How can I pray for you?” “What do you think God would want you to do?” “What has God been teaching you lately?” And sometimes discipleship means listening. Teenagers are beginning to wrestle with big questions about identity, relationships, their future, what they believe, and the kind of person they want to become. Give them room to ask questions. You don’t have to have every answer. When you don’t know, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know. Let’s figure that out together.” The goal isn’t to win every conversation. The goal is to continually help your teenager look toward Jesus. Let Them See That You Need the Church Too There is another part of Deuteronomy 6 that is easy to overlook. The passage begins, “Hear, O Israel.” God gave these instructions to a community of His people. Parents are the primary disciplers of their children, but God never intended parents to do this alone. Your teenager needs the church. They need pastors, Student Ministry leaders, Sunday School teachers, mentors, and other believers who will encourage them and reinforce the truth you’re teaching at home. But they also need to see that you need the church. If church is only important because there is a youth program for your teenager, they’ll notice. Let them see you worship. Let them see you build relationships with other believers. Let them see you serve. Let them see you open God’s Word with others. Let them see that following Jesus isn’t something we do alone. We belong to the body of Christ. The church cannot replace discipleship in the home, and the home was never intended to operate separately from the church. Parents and the church need one another. You Don’t Have to Change Everything This Week Perhaps you’re reading this and thinking about all the things you haven’t done. Maybe family devotions haven’t happened consistently. Maybe you’ve missed opportunities for spiritual conversations. Maybe your teenager seems uninterested in talking about faith right now. None of us will parent perfectly. We need God’s grace just as much as our teenagers do. So don’t try to change everything overnight. Start with one small step. Pray with your teenager once this week. Ask how you can pray for them—and then pray together. Talk about something you learned from Sunday’s message. Share something God has been teaching you. Read a short passage of Scripture together. Make gathering with the church a priority for your family. Small, faithful rhythms can become important parts of your family’s life. We’re Here to Walk With You Parents, we want you to know that Prince Street Church Student Ministry is on your team. Those approximately three hours we have with your student each week matter, and we want to steward them faithfully. But we also want what happens during those hours to strengthen and support what God is doing through you at home. We want to pray for you. We want to encourage you. We want to provide godly adults who know your teenager, care about them, and will point them toward Jesus. And we want to help you navigate the joys and challenges of discipling a teenager. Because ultimately, our goal isn’t simply to have teenagers who show up at youth group. Our desire is to see students know Jesus, love Jesus, and choose to follow Jesus for themselves. So keep going. Love God with your whole life. Keep His Word close to your heart. Look for opportunities to talk about faith in the ordinary moments. Practice your faith alongside the people of God. And through it all, keep pointing your teenager toward Jesus. We are grateful to partner with you along the way. Praise God. Serve Others. Cultivate Disciples.
