Raising Worshippers: Overcoming Sunday Morning Struggles
As families with kids, Sunday mornings can be a battleground. From tantrums over church shoes to teenagers who’d rather sleep in, getting to church can be a daunting task. And once you’re there, kids often grumble about Sunday school, complain about fellowship time, and squirm through the sermon. But as parents, it’s our responsibility to train our children to be worshippers, and bringing them to church is an essential part of that.
The Importance of Weekly Faithfulness
When we commit to weekly faithfulness in gospel-proclaiming churches, we teach our kids that there is nothing more important for their souls. The local church may not seem exciting, but when God’s people worship together in spirit and truth, we obey the Father and have fellowship with Christ (John 4:23–26).
Engaging Hearts, Not Just Minds
So, what can we do when our kids resist church? First, we pray for the help of the Holy Spirit. Then, we engage their hearts in five ways:
Acknowledge Their Feelings
Church may not always be easy for kids, and it’s okay to acknowledge that. If they’re young, church may seem boring or restrictive; if they’re older, it may still seem boring or restrictive. We can listen to their experiences and sympathize.
Evaluate and Address Underlying Issues
Sometimes, our kids don’t like church for reasons that are not necessarily spiritual—and are mostly fixable. We can be sympathetic and help them find practical solutions. For example, giving them a snack before worship can help with hunger, and pens and paper for taking sermon notes can employ fidgeting hands.
Set a Good Example
As parents, we set an example by our own actions and attitude. We pray for the church, prepare for Sunday with joyful anticipation, and talk about how the morning’s sermon convicted us of sin and helped us to love Christ more. Our own genuine love for the church is a compelling testimony to our kids.
Teach Them About Worship
We help our kids understand worship by explaining that it’s our chance to hear God speak to us and for us to speak to God. We tell them why we do these things, and show them from Scripture that belonging to the church is essential for believers.
Meditating on Truths
When we teach Bible stories to little ones, we highlight the fact that Adam and Noah and Abraham all worshipped with the rest of God’s people. With older kids, we teach them that the New Testament Epistles were not written primarily to individuals but to first-century churches. With teens, we remind them that their ultimate future is as a worshipper in the heavenly church (Rev. 7:9). Meditating on these truths can stir the whole family to love the church God loves, even when it’s hard to sit still.
Leave a Reply