The 3 P’s to Promotion Sunday
Spring season marks the beginning of the end of a season for your 5th (or 6th) graders. It can be a bittersweet time, especially if you have watched them grow up in your kids ministry! When I was graduating from kids ministry way back when, I was that kid that never wanted to leave (obviously, I never really left kids ministry). Youth ministry felt scary and I was definitely not “cool” enough. On our promotion Sunday, all the 5th graders had to walk through a dark tunnel and we were met with thick fog, strobe lights, loud music, embarrassing games, and overall confusion as to what was going on—all the basics for youth ministry in the early 2000’s. Over the years, ministry has changed and both kids and youth ministry leaders have learned a thing or two when it comes to equipping families on how to make that transition a little less scary for both kids and adults.
Whether you move kids up at the beginning of summer or at the end, every leader should spend time thinking through how to intentionally prepare your parents and kids, practice what it will look like, and party it up! Let’s jump into those 3 P’s to make the most of the transition from kids ministry to youth ministry.
Prepare
Most 5th graders are counting down the days until they are able to go to youth group. They are checked out of Kids Ministry, ready to get out of the room with 2nd graders, and onto the cool space where they get donuts and chick fit a. The preparation really comes in to play with your parents and families. There will be some kids who needs an extra push into youth ministry, but the majority of your preparation will be focused on conversations with parents.
A great way to prepare your parents is to work with the youth min staff and plan a 5th grade parent night. A few months before your promotion Sunday, get all your 5th grade parents in a room and give them space to hear from the youth ministry staff, ask questions, and get to know other parents with a graduating 5th grader. This is the one of the best things you can do for your parents, especially those who do not already have kids in youth ministry. This is also a great time to share important dates like summer hang events, camp, and fall kick off so parents can plan their summer plans accordingly.
Other ways you can prepare your parents:
Add them to the youth ministry email list
Resource them with books and podcasts about teenage development, technology, and parenting
Connect them with other youth ministry parents
Practice
Now is the time to give your graduating kids a sneak peek into youth ministry. It can be overwhelming for a child to jump into youth ministry for the first time. They may not know where to go or what to expect and that could turn into a huge hurdle to keep kids from even attending in the first place. Months and weeks leading up to the big promotion, you can calm any anxieties those kids may have.
Here are some ways you can practice:
Invite your youth ministry staff into your kids space. Let them teach large group or hang with small groups. This allows your kids to give a face to a name and start learning about who will lead them into the middle school and high school years.
Host a “preview Sunday”! Take your graduating kids into students for the day and let them experience it.
Party
The last but certainly the most fun part to graduating your kids into youth ministry is the PARTY! You want to send them off with a celebration worth remembering. Not only do you want to create a fun environment for celebrating, but how can you speak words of encouragement and wisdom into their life as they move onto what is next. Some party ideas are:
Host a graduation dinner and invite the whole family. Use this dinner to speak truth over the kids and you can even ask the parents to write letters
Have a party on a Sunday morning. Celebrate the graduating kids in front their friends—how fun!
Recognize the graduating kids in the adult service. Bring the entire church into the celebration and spend a few minutes praying for the kids as they move onto youth ministry.
This is an exciting season for your kids and families so don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate this milestone and remind them of the Gospel.
Don’t forget about our Promotion Sunday Gift Guide!