Modeling the Way: Guiding Little Hearts to Love God’s Church
Editor’s Note: While we affirm with Scripture the good and necessary gift of Christian fellowship for our spiritual growth, we also acknowledge that, in a fallen world, church experiences can be hard—and even hurtful. If you’re navigating a difficult church relationship today, we hope you’ll be encouraged to keep trusting the Lord and seeking the blessing of a healthy body of believers, whether by persevering through a tough season or pursuing a change. God is faithful to lead you as you lead your family!
Growing up, attending church was the norm for me. Nostalgic memories include singing in the choir, sharing laughs with my cousin, and playing tic-tac-toe with my dad on the back of blank offering envelopes. However, as I matured, expectations dwindled and eventually ceased.
During my tween and teenage years, my family’s church attendance became sporadic, influenced by our feelings and convenience. I quickly realized that church could be tailored to fit my preferences, leading to frequent church hopping based on location, hospitality, music style, ethnic makeup, and my friends' attendance.
But here’s the hard truth God revealed over time—I didn’t actually love God’s church. My devaluation of it manifested in a lack of devotion, coupled with a negative and indifferent attitude. I’d been conditioned to adore church culture over the church itself, favoring a particular preaching style or finding worth and value in the wrong places.
Dangers of a Distanced Heart
When we allow the cares of the world, a spousal disagreement, an upset toddler, or the desire for ease and comfort to keep us from Sunday worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we too can find ourselves distanced from the church. It’s easy to believe that consistent church attendance is optional and non-essential, justifying our absence with excuses like “I’ll go next week,” “I’m too tired,” or “I’ll go when my to-do list is done.” I will be the first to admit that I’ve used these excuses before.
But it boils down to this—we devote ourselves to what we love. If it's self-idolatry, everything will revolve around us: our time, needs, wants, and feelings. Should the enemy of our faith succeed in separating us regularly from the church, the Bible reveals some hard consequences: a lack of endurance, risk of abandoning faith, and spiritual laziness, along with a perilous absence of community, accountability, fellowship, mutual confession of sin, godly counsel, spiritual edification, and rootedness.[1]
Modeling the Way for Our Children
As a child, I often heard the phrase, "Do as I say and not as I do." But now, as a parent, I've noticed how much my actions influence my almost two-year-old. Taking a closer look at myself, I admit there are times when I complain, seem indifferent, and choose my own wants over Bible study and Sunday worship.
Moms, we can only share with our kids what we have ourselves. Our beliefs and actions about corporate worship reflect what's in our hearts. It's like pouring from a cup—if it's empty, there's nothing to share. So, if we want our children to cultivate a genuine love for God's church, we must first allow his Word to cultivate a love for his church within us.
God’s church isn’t a building or an experience. Globally and historically, the church is the body of Christ—those who place their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life with God. It’s made up of men, women, and children across different ethnic, economic, political, geographic, and academic backgrounds. The first church contained Parthians; Medes; Elamites; those who lived in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts); Cretans; and Arabs.[2]
Teaching our children to love God’s church means that we celebrate the diverse makeup of the church and devote ourselves together to Christ’s teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.[3]
The Joy of Worship
At 23-months-old, my daughter enjoys singing, dancing, and praying at church. If she were to tell it, church is a fun place where she plays with her friends, enjoys yummy snacks, and claps her hands. Seeing her so excited makes me appreciate how the Holy Spirit is already working in her heart. Without a care in the world, her budding faith matters in the kingdom of God, and she is experiencing the joy of belonging to his family.
In a healthy church community, corporate worship is far from a routine chore or a begrudging duty. It’s an opportunity to shine the light of Jesus to the unbelieving world—showing that people from diverse backgrounds can fellowship and find joy within our shared faith.
However, it’s not just for others; it also energizes our own faith! Scripture says that the fellowship of believers “provoke[s] love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24-25), encourages devotion to biblical study and produces grateful hearts,[4] displays “God’s multi-faceted wisdom . . . to the rulers and authorities in the heavens” (Ephesians 3:10-11), and equips us “for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Our True Family
Despite my introverted nature, I've learned that Christianity isn't a solitary journey; it thrives within the messy, beautiful, diverse spiritual family God has assembled. In the Gospels, Jesus tells his disciples that they are his mother, sisters, and brothers because they do his Father's will.[5] This familial bond involves mutual support, triumphing over trials, and going the extra mile for each other—putting people above our preferences and sacrificing to serve. Today, the same principle applies to the broader church and our local church community.
As Christian moms, we are members of the body of Christ, called to love and invest in the spiritual discipline of corporate worship together—and then to pass that on to our children. Gathering together with our local church is an invitation to actively continue Christ's work on earth alongside fellow believers. So, let’s lead the way by making God’s Word and corporate worship a priority in our hearts and lives, showing our children the joy of being part of God’s family.[6]
[1] Matthew 18:15-17; Ephesians 4:12; Hebrews 6:12; Hebrews 10:25, 35-36; Hebrews 13:17; James 5:16; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Psalm 92:12-13; Colossians 3:13-16; 1 Peter 2:5-6
[2] Acts 2:9-11
[3] Acts 2:42
[4] Acts 2:42, 46
[5] Matthew 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21
[6] Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 149:3; Psalm 122:9
