Do Kids Need Church Today?

Church, A Child, & A Story

It was the summer of Y2k. The world was still intact, and my 11-year-old son was in our study, deeply engrossed in the computer. With him sat the current VBS director, a woman who had “understood” his “energy” when he was just a little tyke in her Children’s Church class. Now they were compiling photos for a Powerpoint slideshow for the VBS finale.

“Miss Katherine” is part of the church village that helped raise our child. That story is just one of many that explains why I am passionate about kids being in church. Though we do have some confusing and hard stories related to kids and church, by far, the redemptive ones win out. We are called to…

tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders. Ps. 78: 4

As studies reveal that 35% of people aged 20-35 are leaving the church, we need to know why church is so crucial in forming followers of Christ who love the story of God’s grace.

Here are 5 things we need to know about children and church.

1. The purpose of church for children.

Healthy ministry to children and youth seeks to come alongside their parents in growing and equipping followers of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many parents like me at times have mistaken notions of what church should offer our children. We want…

• moral development programs
• free babysitting with animal crackers and lemonade (with gluten-free options, of course)
• the coolest youth program in town that somehow manages to fully entertain while it also enlightens.

Many parents puzzle at the oft-recited Proverb 22:6,

“Bring up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.”

That verse is no guarantee, but studies reveal that children who have been taught in the “way” of the GOSPEL, learning that they are saved by GRACE, not by what they do (make all –A’s, share their toys) or what they don’t do (go to raves, hit somebody on the playground), are more likely to continue in it.Gospel-centered church teaches our children they are saved by grace, not by what they do (make all –A’s, share their toys) or what they don’t do (go to raves, hit somebody on the playground). Click To Tweet

2. The community of church for children.

As parents, we are called “to grow our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” And yet, God has so designed the cosmos that we are “stronger as a pack.” What would we do…

• without the Sunday school teacher who understood that our high-energy child focused best when given greater responsibility?
• Or without the single young woman who met my teenage daughter for coffee?
• Or without that aged grandmother whose love for Jesus shone on little second graders every week?

Where else can you get an entire group of people who promises to help you raise your children in the love of Christ? Church is the body designed to support the parent in our overwhelming task.

3. Church, by faithful preaching and teaching of the Word, grows our faith as parents.

As desperately as our children, we parents need the constant reminder of the redemption story God is writing. Even on the worst days,

the days when we worry that our child will never quit biting the other toddlers,
the days when we worry that our senior will never figure out what comes next in life,

church reminds us through preaching, teaching and example that God is sovereign. He is mighty and merciful. And he is restoring all broken things.

4. Church strengthens parents to live authentically before our kids.

It is sadly true that some churches at some times have given the mistaken impression that you should get your act cleaned up before you go to church. Gospel-centered teaching and preaching frees parents to live the calling of the gospel.

Because we are forgiven, we live a lifestyle of repentance with our children. We forgive and ask our children’s forgiveness. God works in our repentance and forgiveness to grow our children in this lifestyle.

As we are being transformed, we long to teach our children the commandments (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) — not to force them to become obedient children, but to help them live the disciple’s life of loving and serving the God who first loved and served us.

Our children learn moment by moment, day by day, what we value…

• As we read the Bible and pray – alone and with our children.
• As we feast together over good food and good stories.
• As we discuss and pray over their hard stories like losing a best friend, not making the team, failing Chemistry tests.

5. Church offers the help we need to defeat sabotage.

Parents trying to get their kids to church will face fierce opposition — the Church body and means of grace help us fight — the devil, the flesh, and the world.

• Satan wants to kill and destroy, and tearing up a family sharing life together in church will take priority.
• Our flesh tells us we work hard all week and we need to sleep late on Sundays.
• The world says, “People who go to church are judgmental!”

But there’s good news. Church supplies us with the primary weapons we need to fight that sabotage:

• the TRUE STORY that God loves us, even if our teenager doesn’t…
• the prayers of the saints that calm us when our child refuses to walk into Sunday school.
• the gospel reminder that we are forgiven when we all start yelling at each other on the drive to church.

Church is the place that grows us all in grace, the capacity to love and turn from our sin and live a new story. It is worth every battle we will face to be there with our children.