Don’t Parent Without Church

Parenting can be intimidating. We are responsible for a life! We must feed, clothe, and teach another human to live on this planet. It’s a big responsibility—one given to us by the God of the universe. We will answer to Him one day for how we performed our task. That may sound daunting, but if we’re smart, we’ll let Him—the greatest parent there is—show us how to get it done. He did, after all, set the perfect example and wrote the most powerful parenting book. But to receive His wisdom, we must first trust and rely on Him and not on ourselves.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT).

In the process of sharing His wisdom, He also gives us resources to empower us. One of those resources is the local church. It contains practical and spiritual investments that we can’t get anywhere else. It is part of His instruction to us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, NKJV). Church attendance and participation are part of the way they should go. It’s part of their discipleship.

Here are several key parenting benefits to attending church:

Corporate Gathering

 When we meet together corporately with other believers, God is present. He reveals Himself through Bible teaching and His manifested presence. When our children experience the presence of God, their lives are changed forever, drawing them closer to Jesus and a stronger relationship with Him.

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20, NKJV).

Praise and Worship

An important part of our corporate gathering is praise and worship. Again, God inhabits our praises (Psalm 22:3). As our children learn to worship, God will manifest Himself to them by speaking to them and ministering to their needs. Our children will also learn to physically worship through singing, clapping, raising their hands, etc. (Psalm 150, Psalm 134:2, Psalm 149:3). Like corporate prayer, they can learn by example as others around them (including us!) worship our God.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6, NKJV).

Bible Teaching

 The Word of God is the foundation for our children’s walk with God. Their relationship with God will not survive without a strong knowledge of His Word. Though we as parents ought to teach our children the Word consistently at home, church attendance will expound on Bible principles and doctrine that we may miss or need to learn ourselves.

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart (Proverbs 4:20-21, KJV).

Godly Leadership

Along with Bible teaching comes godly leadership. Children’s ministers, youth pastors, and other godly leadership examples within the church can influence our children for good. These positions reinforce what we teach them at home, providing spiritual wisdom for us and our children.

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you (Hebrews 13:17, NKJV).

Corporate Prayer

 Corporate prayer at church is a powerful way to learn to pray. Surrounded by other praying believers led by praying pastors, children can learn by example. They can also be encouraged as they see God answer those prayers.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:42, NKJV).

 Spiritual Gifts

A Spirit-filled church will welcome the gifts of the Holy Spirit into its services. These gifts are meant to build up the Body of Christ, including our children. Through these gifts, our children will encounter the power of God and be strengthened spiritually. And, like I experienced, they may receive direction for their life’s assignment. They are gifts that they won’t find anywhere else.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit…But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:4, 11, NKJV).

Service

 The church is a great tool for teaching children to serve. Churches offer a variety of areas in which to serve, making it easy to find a place that fits our children’s gifts and ages. This experience can not only teach them to serve others and develop people skills, but can also prepare them for their life’s calling.

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV).

Godly Friends

 In a world of ungodly influence, our children will have a harder time finding godly, like-minded friends. A Christ-centered church, however, will provide our children with friends whose lives reflect our godly standards, offering fun and a good influence at the same time!

The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray (Proverbs 12:26, NKJV).

God never intended us to parent without the church! But He also never intended for us to be parents without the church. We need church, not only to help our children, but to help ourselves. The above list of benefits applies to us, too. If we are not in attendance and receiving what the church offers, we will come across as hypocrites to our children. In the long run, they will not value the church unless we value the church. We will also struggle in our personal discipleship, which will affect our parenting at home. As vital as the church is, the church is not the parent; it is a God-ordained resource for the parent.

The closer we get to Jesus’s return, the more challenging parenting will become. Our culture will put more pressure on our children to live the opposite of a Christian life. That is why God instructs us to attend church more, not less. If we value and obey God’s instructions, the church will be there for our parenting guidance…and for our children’s protection.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25, NKJV).