Church + Family: The Perfect Duo

Last night, I watched my youngest brother sing with his children's choir at church.  I was pretty surprised at the size of the choirs.  His children's choir is made up of older elementary students, and over 50 of them sang last night!  Even more surprising was that there were more than 100 students in the youth choir!  A lot of the kids had parents in the audience encouraging their involvement in church and in the choir.

Scott Linscott posted a blog (you can read the whole post here), talking about how important it is for parents/guardians to encourage their children's faith.  He says, "There are no guarantees that your children will follow Christ even if you have a vibrant, purposeful relationship with Him. But, on the other hand, if we, as parents do not do all we can to help our children develop meaningful relationships in Jesus, we miss a major opportunity to lead them and show them the path worth walking."


As parents, you have a unique opportunity to influence your child in ways that no one else can.  By you valuing faith and church, you teach your children to value them as well.  Children take special notice of their parents' words and actions.  Even though I grew up in church and have quite a number of Sunday School teachers and other adults to look up to, some of my biggest spiritual lessons were taught to me by my parents.  They led us in family devotions every evening where we read the Bible and prayed together, and we made church a priority in our busy schedules.  My dad taught Sunday School for years, and I remember him sitting at his desk at our house each week and preparing his lessons.  My parents modeled to me that my relationship with God was important and that I should prioritize church and other activities that would grow my faith.  


In the midst of your crazily hectic schedules, please remember the amount of influence you have on your children and on how much they will make God and church a priority.  It's not enough to rely on others to teach these lessons to your children - it has to be done by you.  


If you aren't already, spend a few minutes before bedtime reading a Bible story as a family.  If you're new to the Bible, ask your kids for help choosing a story - they learn lots of them here at Camp!  And, as much as you can, attend church as a family; and praise your children for their involvement in church activities.  


What other suggestions do you have?  How do you teach your kids that God and church are important?  What family activities do you have that encourage your children's faith?