8 Ways to Help Our Kids Develop a Life-Long Love for the Church

One of the most spiritually productive things we can do for our children is integrate their life into the life of a solid Bible-teaching, God-centered church.

Without a doubt, when our kids are involved in the church they will benefit from biblical teaching, interaction with godly adults, and friendships developed among like-minded families. But most of all, they will gain an understanding that “the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15), should be a priority for the rest of their lives! And if we can teach our kids that, we will be setting them up to move forward in their faith for decades beyond their years in our home. 

In fact, the local church can be there for our adult children in a way that far surpasses the influence we are likely to have later in their life. Week in and week out, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) will encourage them, challenge them, provide accountability, keep them grounded in the truth, grow them, and help them focus on eternal things. Needless to say, we want our children to grow up to be highly committed members of their church! And that means we should do all we can to instill that pattern while they’re young.

With that said, here are 8 ways we can help our kids develop a love for the church, that hopefully becomes a life-long love!

1. Go to church. 

It almost seems silly to say it, but if we really want our kids to grow up thinking church attendance is normal and expected, we have to set that example. How good it would be if our kids were convinced that missing church was an odd and rare occurrence.

2. Be involved beyond the weekend.

Our children should sense that not only are we faithful church-attenders, but we love spending time with the people of our church. This may look like investing in a small group or serving sometime during the week or having people from church over for dinner, or going to a church event. In other words, the church shouldn’t be something we only attend on the weekends, it should be an active part of our lives.

3. Make church involvement a priority in your kid’s schedule. 

Most churches have specific ways for children to be involved at church — whether it be youth events, Sunday school, summer camps, kids’ classes, kids’ choir, etc. Make church stuff a part of your kids’ schedule. Undoubtedly this can be a challenge with homework, sports schedules, lessons, tutoring, and a dozen other commitments. However, if you hope your busy adult children will make time for church, you’ve got to find a way to make it a priority now. 

4. Invest in church friendships.

The benefits of church friends are numerous, but here’s one benefit I’ll point out: the church is so much more attractive to children when their friends are there! If you want your children to love the church, help them develop meaningful friendships. Make the effort to have church friends come to hang out at your house, or meet up for some playdates! The effort will be worth it.

5. Speak highly about the church.

What we learn at church, what’s going on at church, the events we are excited for, should all be a topic of conversation in our homes (and cars). We should show, by our words, that we value the church. Conversely, we should be cautious of critical comments and complaints.  Clearly, no church is perfect and we can all find something to complain about — but rarely will casual negative chatter do any good, especially for our children’s perspective of the church!

6. Pray for your church. 

On a regular basis (perhaps at meal or bedtime), pray for your church. Spending time talking to God about anything shows you care about it — especially if it’s something you constantly pray for. So more than your kids hearing you pray for good sleep, or a good day, or even physical health, let them hear you asking God to keep your church healthy! Let them hear you beg God to use your church to save souls! Allow your prayers for church leaders to display your respect and appreciation for them. May our deep concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ be obvious as we lift up church members by name. 

7. Serve as a family.

We don’t want our kids becoming mere consumers in the church, we want them to become eager servant-hearted adults. One of the best ways to nudge them in this direction is by allowing them to experience the joys and pleasures of serving. Find out what opportunities are available at your church to help, and then do what you can to meet the needs together!

8. Pray for your kids when they’re at church.

Especially as my kids get older, I find myself praying for them while they’re at church activities. The reason being, I know my growing children need to own their faith apart from me. I also know that godly church leaders (who may say the exact same thing I’ve been saying for years), might be listened to in a fresh new way. And I also know that if my kids enjoy church, learn at church, grow from church, and gain good friends at church, they will know firsthand how great church can be — which will hopefully make them want to prioritize church for the rest of their lives!

And our children becoming highly-committed members of their church is one of the best things that can happen to them! Let’s do what we can to get their lives integrated into the life of the church!

Blessings,

Heather Pace

Grow closer to your kids as they grow closer to God. The Faith Forward Family Devotional is written for families with children of all ages to help equip and inspire you to raise another generation to love and serve Jesus.

In just a few minutes a day, at your own pace, you can take your family through the entire Bible in one hundred devotions.

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