3 Cheers For Church!

Let's talk about church and your son or daughter’s enthusiasm to participate in it. And we’ll consider church with a long-term goal in mind, namely, to see our children become mature, responsible, and godly people who carry their faith into adulthood. 
 
In the “church attendance” records, two interesting facts stand out. First, adult Christians were asked, “What was the most important part of church growing up that led you to want to keep going after you left home?” Surprisingly, it was not the Sunday school teacher or curriculum, or the solid theology of the preacher. And it had nothing to do with denominational loyalty. The primary factor for young adults who continued going to church was that, as a kid, they enjoyed the church experience. 
 
Now, contrast that with another interesting bit of data. While teens report a higher church attendance rate than adults, once they leave home their church attendance drops off in appalling fashion. One survey suggests that, out of teens who went to church through high school, only 25% continue to attend church in the first few years after leaving home. Why? The main reason they stopped going to church was because they no longer were forced to go to church. Being “forced” into church attendance implies that they are no longer going because they enjoy the experience. 
 
While the church has come under much criticism in recent decades, there are still plenty of reasons to celebrate what God is doing in, and through, the church. Our children can enjoy their church experience today, and find value in church that lasts well into the future. We can “cheer” for our kids as they experience these things at church.
 

1. Celebrate Christian friendship. Proverbs 13:20 states, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Church is about relationships – with God, other believers, and those in the world who don’t know Christ. Look for the friendships in your child’s life that promote faith values and encourage wise choices. Going to church as a family is a priority, but who your child relates to at church may have more to do with their desire to come along. Support these key relationships. Cheer for Christian friends! 
2. Celebrate serving together. We come into relationship with Christ by grace through faith, and not by works. And, yet, in the same Ephesians passage we read, “For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” (Eph 2:8-10) Kids today are not interested in theology for the sake of learning. They want theology that is lived out in real-time action. They are engaged in social justice, global issues, and hands-on helping. Our kids are “digging” church that allows them to dig a fresh-water well in a remote village. Parents who serve alongside their kids increase the likelihood that this serving posture continues into adulthood. Cheer for church that serves! 
3. Celebrate various “expressions” of church. In the Bible, we learn much about Christ and how He lived, but we learn very little about the form and structure of church. In fact, the church depicted in scripture met in homes and shared daily life in pursuit of Christ. In Acts 2 we see, “All the believers were together and had everything in common… Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” I grew up in a traditional church, and I continue to participate in structured church programs today. However, church as described in scripture is more about people than programs, emphasizing the spiritual journey more than tracking attendance records. So if your son or daughter is not enjoying church on Sunday, look for the expressions of church that they do enjoy during the week. Youth group involvement might be just as important as Sunday morning. Also encourage involvement with solid para-church ministries in your area. This “verb” form of church – living out our values with other believers in the world – is the expression of church most described in scripture, and we want to cheer for our kids as they participate in it. 

So let's give three cheers for church! And the more your kids enjoy the experience of church, the more you will have to celebrate.