Why You Should Take Your Kids to Church
If your childhood was anything like mine, you probably have memories of piling into the family vehicle ( likely a Station Wagon) wearing your nicest ironed apparel. The aroma of hairspray and peppermint permeate the car as the family heads to Sunday church. It was a scramble to get everyone ready, but missing was never an option. The family was going to church, and whether it was true or not, for several hours, we would look like we had it all together. Those were the days!
Today, most “church-attending” families attend only once every three weeks, and over half of those don’t go as a family. Sporadic church attendance can be damaging to families. On the flip side, there are many incredible benefits for families who routinely attend church. Here are just a few:
- Church attendance instills and supports a moral compass. Regardless of your denomination, most churches share the commonality of promoting love, compassion, and faithfulness to God and people. Consistently imparting such virtues in children provides them with the moral compass necessary yo successfully navigate adulthood.
- Church attendance provides like-minded community A church family provides attendees with a network of people with similar values. A like-minded church community will support and encourage one another. Church is a natural social system that stands together in the good and bad times.
- Church attendance supports family togetherness and tradition. Families who attend church together often plan activities and meals around the church schedule. These rituals promote family togetherness.
- Church attendance provides talking points to facilitate conversation. Sometimes, finding common ground for dialogue with children is difficult, especially in the tween and teen years. Attending church together provides families with regular discussion topics. Connecting in consistent conversations with children strengthens family bonds.
- Church attendance strengthens marriages. Research has found couples who consistently attend church together experience more contentment in their marriage than those who do not attend. Seventy-eight percent of couples who attend regularly report satisfaction in their relationship.
In this modern culture of busyness and distraction, a commitment to attend church weekly will bring a peaceful break in the monotony of life. It will also instill the timeless principles of God into the family. I encourage parents to practice regular attendance and notice the impact it makes on their families.
And let us 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 10:24-25
