3 HUGE Benefits of Keeping Kids In Church

I’m a big proponent of keeping kids in church with their parents. Though I’ve received a lot of pushback on this topic in the last few years, I think discussing the benefits of keeping kids in church is worth our time, instead of just focusing on how difficult it can be. Yes, when your children are young, it can be HARD to keep them quiet during church (lots of tips on that here). But hard is not the same thing as bad, and keeping kids in church is an investment that is well worth our time and energy. Let’s have a conversation here about the benefits of keeping kids in church.

Shared Spiritual Experience

Sharing a spiritual experience with someone is a way to connect in significant ways. Never is this more true than within a family. We want to embrace our children, no matter how young, and run towards the Father, right? We can do that in so many ways, but sharing a spiritual experience is high on the list of connecting as a family. It shapes the very culture of your family and your home when you attend a church service together and feel the Spirit of God moving. When you see the lost saved, the prodigals return, and the sick healed, you are changed, together, for the better.

I know this can seem hard to believe when you’re in the baby/toddler stage, when it’s hard to get them to stay in church for even a few minutes. Let me say first that it does get easier as they get older! But also, even if they are only in the service for a few minutes, and they certainly don’t seem to be listening, their spirit is aware of what is going on and that is leaving an impact on them in the same way that it leaves an impact on you. And families that are impacted together by the Spirit of God are strengthened and grow even stronger in their faith.

They’re Learning

Kids are sponges, right? This is what we’ve always been told. They soak up everything they see, hear, and experience. So why do we think they can’t soak up “adult level” teachings in church? Here’s the thing. The Bible is for everyone. Therefore, church should be for everyone. Sure, there may be topics they don’t quite understand or words that don’t make sense to them. That’s okay! Even as an adult, I may not completely grasp every concept that is taught in church. But that gives me an opportunity to grow in wisdom, when I seek out what these topics mean. It also teaches me to seek out people who have more knowledge in specific areas and ask them questions.

There can be a time and a place for kids to receive their own teachings. Sunday school, Wednesday night classes, and other child-centered programs are great for kids. But the main church service is an excellent time for kids to practice listening to and understanding higher-level concepts. That’s how we all learn and grow – by challenging ourselves to learn something new. This may seem ridiculous if you are still in the baby and toddler stage, but as your children grow, you will see the benefits of them hearing and learning big truths during church.

For example, my brother-in-law, Anthony, is our pastor. Every week after church, when we ask our six year old what she learned, she says, “Nothing, I was just coloring.” One day, my husband was talking with her about being kind to her siblings, and he used a phrase that Anthony regularly says while preaching: don’t turn your love off. As soon as he said it, our daughter’s eyes got big and she said, “That’s what Anthony always says!” She may say she’s not learning anything in church, and she may not even know she’s learning anything, but she is hearing and taking in everything that’s going on, and I know that will make an eternal impact on her life.

Discipling Our Kids, Disciplining Ourselves

I’d be remiss to leave this major point out. Sometimes, discipling our children means discipling ourselves, and that is not a bad thing. I am a much more patient, self-controlled, and self-disciplined person now than I ever was before I had children. While the growth in these areas may not have been pleasant at the time, I am so thankful for what it has taught me.

Church can be a time to discipline ourselves. Yes, I would like to sit through an entire service without nursing a baby, taking a toddler to the bathroom, or answering a hundred questions from curious kids, but church is not just about me. It’s about my kids, too. I want to disciple them in this area. I want to teach them to sit, listen, and learn from the leaders in our church. I want to teach them that the Word of God is worth our time. I want to teach them that corporate worship, prayer, and teaching is a biblical calling and something that exists to edify each of us, no matter how young. 

And in order to teach them this, I must discipline myself. I must teach myself to be patient with their questions, their needs, and their wants. I must teach myself to be understanding when they’re having a hard time being quiet. I must teach myself to be gracious, compassionate, and caring, even when I really don’t feel like it (it’s okay, we can all admit that we’ve been there). 

If I can become more Christ-like through the endeavor of keeping my kids in church with me, then I know it is absolutely worth my time and energy.

Do you keep your kids in church with you? How do you feel this benefits your family?