Why Our Kids Need the Church

Murphy’s Law would say everything goes wrong as you’re trying to get your family out the door for church. People wake up late, and they wake up grumpy. The baby poops through his diaper onto your pants just as we are walking out the door. Big homework projects due on Monday are suddenly “remembered.” I’ve actually arrived at church with a barefoot kid. More than once. Apparently hopping into the car in a warm attached garage makes my kids forget shoes are necessary in the winter.

Sunday mornings are often hard, yet despite all the forces of nature that work against us and the Sunday morning trauma we’ve endured, regular church attendance is a family priority. For us it’s a clear case of the benefits outweighing the costs.

In the heat of the moment, when baby poop is running down your leg and the toddler can’t find his shoes, you need to have conviction and purpose to keep going. You need to be convinced that giving your kids a church family is something you can’t afford to miss. Here are five reasons I think it’s worth it to brave the Sunday morning craziness

Cross-generational relationships

We learn from people who are different from us. Relationships give us a reason to care about opinions and views we don’t understand. Friendships across generations promote cultural sensitivity and give us a platform for understanding different points of view. Knowing that hymns are important to “Aunt Star” who taught my children’s preschool Sunday School class makes their inclusion in our worship precious to my kids rather than an annoyance.

Global citizenship

My kids grew up hearing stories and seeing pictures from remote corners of the world. Missionary reports and visits have opened their eyes to the world and invited them to be a part of what is happening out there. This knowledge has expanded their hearts and made my kids ready for opportunities to give or to go themselves. They are becoming brave people who have something to offer to the world because of it.

Regular consistent teaching from God’s Word

One of my biggest prayers for my kids has always been that God will bring other people into their lives who speak the same truth to them that I do. A different voice may make the truth sound fresh. Growing up within a church family guarantees a variety of voices and styles speaking the same core message. Week after week my kids hear that the Bible is a reliable source of truth containing answers for their lives. They learn how to study it, and they hide it in their hearts. They also see and experience the fruit of it in other people’s lives–watching businessmen live with integrity, teachers be bold about their faith, doctors get their values from God’s Word. Church family gives the truth of God’s Word 3-D depth in my kids’ eyes.

Living with priorities

I believe being a family going to church together, week after week, year after year, powerfully impacts our children. This regular practice makes our values clear. We value not only the truth, but also the community God gave us. It shows our kids that we believe God’s admonition to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 ESV) The practice also trains our children to be familiar with what it feels like to live out priorities through a decision of habit. Regular church attendance is a good habit. It maximizes the chances that your children will seek out the connection of church family as adults.

Opportunities for service

A house full of teenagers means my kitchen table sees many college, job, and scholarship applications. Each one asks them to list their volunteer service. Giving back is an expected quality in our society. We know it creates good citizens and is a key component to a fulfilled life. My kids are easily able to max out these sections by listing the opportunities they’ve had to serve their church family. They’ve learned to change diapers in the church nursery, sweep and clean, carry groceries for food pantry recipients, have conversations with residents in retirement homes, and spend their own money to go on missions trips.

Now you might be tempted to think I have an unusually amazing church after I’ve described all these benefits. You may be thinking there’s no way you can find the same thing. Not true. I do have a pretty amazing church, but I think the benefits are mainly from staying put and living together like family. We’ve spent the past twenty years with a bunch of imperfect, widely different people who are just trying to grow and love Jesus together. We are quirky. We do things poorly. We mess up and apologize. We learn and we grow. The power is in the we. That same power is available for you as you find a group of people you can commit to like family.

I can’t count how many times I’ve said to my kids, “The state of your heart is more important than the state of your hair. We just need to get out of here and go be with our people!” This is who we are as a family, one of our core values. We are committed to our church family, and the returns have been tremendous. I am so thankful my kids have grown up surrounded by people to whom they aren’t biologically related but who have committed to them in relationship. My hope is that you are encouraged to find the same thing.

Lori Florida lives a life that is all about her people. She’s convinced that being Mrs. to one and Mommy to eight will be her most significant way to serve Jesus. She wants to use her life to cheer on and coach the women around her. She is on staff with Project Hopeful working to give a hand up to moms in poverty in Ethiopia. You can find her at loriflorida.com.

Photograph © Samantha Broxton, used with permission