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Family, Parenting and Religion
Why Church Matters to Your Kids, Part 1: Does the Church Matter?

Why Church Matters to Your Kids, Part 1: Does the Church Matter?

Last updated on: April 16, 2015 at 5:40 am by Tim Wright

Why Church Matters to Your Kids, Part 1: Does the Church Matter? 2015-04-16T05:40:41+00:00 Tim Wright

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Philip Yancey, in his book, What’s so Amazing About Grace, opens up with a gut-wrenching story about a man who was approached by a prostitute in Chicago. She was homeless, broke, sick, and unable to feed her 2-year-old daughter. Through tears of shame she admitted that she had been renting out her daughter in order to support her own drug habit. After the man got over his initial shock, he asked her: “Why don’t you go to a church for help?” Her response: “Church? Why would I go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. They’d just make me feel worse.”

The book, Sacred Roots: Why the Church Still Matters, recounts the story of a Millennial who had been raised in the church and is now an atheist. His reason: Christianity is something that if you really believed it, it would change your life. I haven’t seen too much of that.

Countless stories have been written of late on the decline of the church and its influence, especially among Millennials. While the majority of USAmericans claim that Jesus is the Son of God, only 30% believe the church is important…that the church matters. Only 2 out of 10 Millennials believe the church matters and when asked to list those things that influence their faith, the Church didn’t even make their top 10 list. (Source: Sacred Roots)

Where once upon a time a congregation’s best attenders worshipped 3 or more weekends a month, now the best attenders show up once every 4-5 weeks.

People have come to believe the church no longer matters for a variety of reasons:

Some have been burned by the church
Some have found the church to be lifeless, faithless, and graceless
Some believe they can commune with God better in nature than in a building
Some believe that if they want a sermon, they can get it on TV
For many, the internet provides all the information they need on their particular faith
For others, the church is one big hypocritical institution only interested in money
For many, including Christians, the church has become simply another consumer option. If I need it, I’ll take advantage of it. If it doesn’t fill my needs, I’ll move on to something else. The Church may be good to have around if it’s convenient or helpful, but it’s not essential.

I’ve been in the church all of my life. I’ve been a pastor for over 30 years. That will tip you off that I have a different, though minority, view of the church.

I believe the church does matter. I believe the world needs a vibrant, dynamic, church.

That’s not to say I’m ignorant of the bad stuff caused in the name of the Church and Jesus over the years.

At the same time, I realize that bad press sells. The moral failures of pastors, the public judgementalism of a congregation, financial scandal, etc., make great news stories.

Unreported, however, are the hundreds of thousands of good things millions of churches are doing around the world every single day.

No national news organization has told any of the stories of our congregation, for example: No news story on the on-going work we are doing in one of the most at-risk neighborhoods in our area. No coverage of the 270,000 meals we packed in a 24 hours period for hungry kids. No journalists interviewing us about the medical clinic we are helping to build in Rwanda.

And we’re just one medium-sized church out of millions around the world doing stuff like that every day which no one talks about, hears about, or reports on. But these churches are quietly going about the business of helping their communities in the name of Jesus, and the communities and the world is better for it. Millions of Christians each day quietly live out their faith by helping their neighbors, choosing integrity at work, and serving in their communities.

I believe the church does matter.

And I believe it matters now more than ever for your kids.

Over the next several weeks I hope you’ll join me as I tease out some of the compelling reasons why the church matters to you, your kids, and the world.

Searching for Tom Sawyer

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