Besides my family, one of God’s greatest blessings of my formative years, was attending a Bible-believing and teaching church. God used Pine Forest Baptist Church to shape me into the man I am today. I’ve learned much since my younger days in church, but the lessons I learn today build on their foundation. Because of my experience, I am convinced families need church.
Church taught me much about God’s Word, and how to live in community with other believers. Thankfully, I sat under the preaching of some gifted pastors, and loving staff members modeled ministry skills for me. Lay leaders and teachers provided learning opportunities that helped me prepared for God’s calling on my life.
Recently, both the church I currently pastor and my home church have experienced the grief of losing long-standing members. I have reflected much over the last couple of weeks on the blessings so many people have been in my life. Yet today, my generation of parents and those just younger than me seem to miss the importance of family involvement in church.
The church today faces increased competition of the time, attention, and resources of young families. School, sports, and a multitude of other options provide distractions from the important role church plays in child development. With that in mind, I offer a plea to young families to get involved in a Bible-teaching church.
Families Need Church
1. Families need the support of older couples. (Titus 2:2-6)
One of the beauties of a church family is the investment senior saints can make in the lives of young people. My (almost) 14 year old daughter enjoys a surrogate set of grandparents at our church. She even refers to them as her grandmother and grandfather. Couples who have lived through raising children provide a wealth of encouragement, support, and sympathy to parents with younger children.
2. Families need the support of other young families. (Galatians 6:2; Proverbs 27:17)
Life is difficult for families these days, and having other families to share the load makes the going more bearable. Families can pool resources, provide mutual encouragement, and share responsibilities in order to alleviate excessive strain on individual families. Family friendships provide mutual accountability and “iron sharpening iron” opportunities that make individuals and families stronger.
3. Families need Biblical guidance. (Joshua 1:8)
No matter how much the world has changed, the Bible still provides the best solutions to life’s greatest issues. Obeying God’s Word is still the key to prosperity and great success. Multitudes of other sources promise “life hacks,” but only God’s Word has stood the test of time as the reliable guide for living.
4. Family members need a relationship with Jesus. (Matthew 19:14; John 3:3)
No matter how times may change, one truth remains: “you must be born again.” Our secular culture will not introduce kids to a relationship with Jesus. The best chance to see kids come to faith in Jesus is through the ministry of the church. Statistics show us that the older a person gets the less likely that person commits to Jesus as their Savior. The optimal opportunity to see kids come to know Jesus is in their tween and teen years. That opportunity is much less likely to happen outside of church.
Churches are not perfect, and all of us can produce “hypocrite” stories. But I cannot implore you strongly enough to take seriously your involvement in a Bible-Teaching church. You will provide for your family in ways not possible through any other means. You may argue that you can receive most of the benefits in other social arrangements. Only the church provides the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit working through your family to accomplish “God-only” results.
God blessed me by placing me in a great church when I was a child. Many of the childhood friends I made in church remain my friends today (LONG after my childhood). I met, dated, and married Andrea in church. My home church prayed for me, discipled me, and ordained me into ministry. Most importantly, I came to know Jesus in a church faithful to teach and preach the Gospel. I shutter to think of where I would be today had it not been for the church of my childhood.
Seriously, folks. Get your family in church.