He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction. Malachi 4:6
Parenting is a big deal for the welfare of any culture. Children's ministry helps equip parents and kids to be godly difference-makers. Events like Vacation Bible School and Children's camp are a core part of most children's ministry strategies. Because of this, they are a critical part of our strategy as a full Church Management System. Like Youth Camp, we don't do much to help with reserving space or choosing curriculum. Where we excel is in helping you connect and communicate with both parents and kids.
In our system, this starts with creating groups. First create the group for the kids to register, then create another one for parents to register. This video will walk you through the details on both of those.
As children register, they are all put in a single group. In most cases, you will want to create additional groups for each age-graded class or small group in your VBS or other event. These classes will give you a place to track attendance and a way for teachers or small group leaders to communicate with and manage their groups.
Move or copy them from the registration group to their small group:
- Sort the registration group based on the age group column you set up as a registration attribute by clicking on the header of that column.
- Next, check the box by the name of the first person you want to move/copy, hold the shift key and check the name of the last person to select them all.
- This will cause the Action button to turn green.
- Click on it and choose the option to copy.
- Choose the group/class you want to copy them to.
You can even create a check-in view and use the check-in system each day during the event to provide additional security. This will help your parents feel even more confident in leaving their kids.
The heart of a parent is more than simply their love for their kids. It involves helping them prioritize the motivations of their life and time around their kids (see Proverbs 4:23). Thanks for the privilege of helping you help parents be all God intended.
