Why Your Child Should Skip Children’s Church

Matt Galloway
Aug 8, 2017 · 4 min read

I’ve always heard that catchy headlines help lure people into reading articles. Clickbait. Hopefully, you paused and asked the question as to why would someone who works with kids make a suggestion like this. And then you decided to dive in!

First off, make no mistake that I believe our Children’s Worship on Sunday mornings is incredible. High energy and high fun. However, the most important component is the Gospel being taught and every element reflecting that theme. I would put our Children’s Worship time up against anyone else as far as fun and Biblical impact. Children’s Church is a great place for a kid to be. The problem comes in when Children’s Church is the only place your child worships. They learn on their level, but they never are able to put what they learn into action.

One of the awesome mornings in Children’s Worship

The church (big picture and not just FBCT) today has segmented ministries out for every age range. Preschool, Children, Middle School, High School, Young Adults, Married, Single, College, Empty Nesters, and so on. The positives included the ability to make learning easy. People are able to jump in their stage of life and go from there. For the Children’s Ministry, we are able to make sure that every aspect is on a person’s level.

Here is the scary part though. From the time a child is born, a kid can skip out on worship in Big Church, all the way until the start of 5th grade. Meaning until they turn 11, it is possible for them to rarely, if ever, watch their parents model worship for them. The Fuller Youth Institute conducted research over many years to understand what makes a kid have “Sticky Faith.” In other words, what components go into a child continuing in their faith when they graduate from high school and move into adulthood? You can research more here — https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/stickyfaith.

For this thought’s purpose, I want to think about two of the factors. Two of the factors included are intergenerational relationships and families as the primary disciplers. Each factor is removed if your child spends all of his or her time in Children’s Worship apart from families.

First, kids need to have intergenerational relationships. This allows kids to hear the same message spoken into their lives by different voices. Different people all pulling in the same direction. Find other Godly men and women to speak truth into your child’s live. They will have help amplify what you teach. They need to see how other families are pursuing Christ too. It has always been encouraging to feel like a part of other families too. You can talk about life and ask for advice and wisdom. You can also have fun. Dressing up like cows for free food kind of fun.

Laughing because Ben (in the cow mask) is crying his eyes out. You’d never know thanks to the mask!

The second factor may be the most difficult. As parents, model what you hope to see in your child. I don’t believe parents have to be perfect. The beauty of the Gospel is how God redeems imperfection and can use in your family to grow together. Don’t let fear paralyze you because you don’t think you’re “good enough” to lead and model being a disciple for your child. Don’t ever let that doubt creep into your mind. There are all things we can work on and allow Christ to sanctify us. We will duplicate who we are. The worst thing is to do nothing though.

I hope you’ll contemplate how your child interacts with others and what factors are helping them grow in their faith.

My suggestion? Use Children’s Worship as a resource and not a crutch. Grab your kid from Sunday school every once in a while and take them into the service with you. Let them show you what they’re learning in Children’s Worship. If they make a little extra noise or you have to tap them on the shoulder a couple of times, it is perfectly fine! They’ll learn how to act by watching you. They may even surprise you at their capacity to learn and put into action what they learn. So download the sermon sheet (here) the Village Church has created and give it a try! Your child will be stronger for it.

Matt Galloway
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