Church Attendance Won't Save Your Children

Your children need you to lean in to the local church, not drop in on occasion.

The Gospel announcement introduces us to way of life.

Someone who believes the Gospel of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection then enters into “the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20b–21).

Titus 2 tells us that the Gospel teaches us to say no to a way of life and yes to another.

This theme comes up often in Scripture.

If our lives don’t change when we’ve heard the Gospel–we demonstrate that we haven’t heard it with ears of faith.

Gospel ministry means passing on a way of life!

The society around us is struggling to pass on a moral framework in general. Look at this screenshot of a study by Barna.

We’re well aware of America’s moral ambiguity and drift.

It might shock you to find out church attendance doesn’t really change this picture.

Casual church attendance is not making a dent in the moral framework.

Regular church attendance doesn’t appear to be moving the needle either.

The engaged Christian, however, represents a dramatic shift.

An engaged Christian…

• Attends worship above average (I believe at 3x a month);

• Serves in the church;

• And has committed relationships (often inter-generational).

Let me say it again, your children need you to lean in to the local church, not drop in on occasion.

Lean in to attending gathered worship as a weekly habit of your household and lifestyle. The priority of worship will go farther than the pleasures of brunch or youth sports.

Lean in by signing up to serve on a team and looking for organic ways to meet needs. The comfort of casual attendance misses the reward of “as you are going” formation.

Lean in by sharing meals and asking questions of people in your church. The prospect of deep relationships is worth the digging and sweating to build them.