For many Christian families, it’s crucial that their children become involved in church. However, there’s a big difference between simply attending church and truly experiencing it. It’s important to remember this as you encourage your children to form their own relationship with the teachings of Christ, or else you may have kids whose words speak louder than their actions. If you’re interested in finding ways to get your kids more involved in church and their faith, here are three ways to get your kids involved.
Choose The Right School
Building the right foundation for your child often involves picking a school that will cater to your faith as well as provides your children with an excellent education. While some public schools do have their strengths, many families find that sending their child to a Catholic high school is the best way to ensure that their child continues to learn about the Bible and engage with it regularly.
Taking classes in religion and theology in addition to other core subjects like math, science, and English allows children to grow up engaging with their faith as commonly as any other school subject. This helps them to understand that their religion is an important part of their identity, and allows them to grow in their faith with the guidance of a variety of teachers and adult mentors.
Having these kinds of role models who can also instill in them an appreciation for their religion goes a long way in keeping your kids engaged with the teachings of the church. Many Catholic schools also offer other ways to get your kids involved with a church, such as serving as altar servers or singing in the choir.
Make It Relevant
Sometimes getting your kids involved in the liturgy is making sure that you shop from a business that offers a wide variety of supplies for churches that will appeal to youth. For example, a company like Cokesbury offers dozens of Christian children’s books along with different versions of the bible that may have more appeal to children and high schoolers.
A lot of times, getting your kids involved with church involves getting them to understand the relevance the word of God has to their own lives. By sourcing the right reading material and discussing it as a family, you increase the likelihood that your children will get excited about the connections they see between the issues they face and what the Lord has to say about them.
Making church and the Gospel relatable to your children can go a long way in building a strong foundation of enthusiasm and respect for the church. Once they see the words and wisdom of the Gospel as relevant and applicable to the dilemmas they face, they’ll be more likely to continue attending church.
Encourage Them To Join Youth Group
Often, one of the greatest strengths of any religion is the sense of community it fosters. Particularly during the middle school years and adolescence when it can be challenging to make or keep friends, having a youth group to attend weekly can offer your child a place and community to call home. Your church youth group is an excellent option for helping your child find community, friendship, and a deeper understanding of their faith, all at once.
Beyond discussing different Bible stories and their application in modern times and to the things your kids are facing, you can also expect your child to build friendships in the youth group through various outings and team-building exercises. These sorts of activities also help to build camaraderie and an eagerness to stay involved in church happenings, ultimately bolstering your child’s relationship with the church and its liturgy as a whole.