Welcome to the Family ministry moment.  I’m Jonathan and we are discussing the reasons kids should attend worship services with their parents…

How many times have you said: “eat your veggies or you don’t get dessert.”  “Clean your room or you are not going out.” If you are not in by curfew, you’re grounded for the week!”  Our kids know these things are important to us, they know we value them, because if they don’t comply, they know there are consequences. If we force them to brush their teeth, eat their vegetables, clean their room, but make going to church optional, what are we communicating to them?   DO you put more emphasis on chores and doing homework than going to worship and reading the Bible?

Many parents don’t want to force their kids to go to church or read the bible and the reasons seem legitimate; they want it to be their decision.  They don’t want to force God on them in fear that their kids will rebel and never want to go to church again.  But, when we make going to church optional, we are communicating to them that it really isn’t important.  We are in essence, saying, “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.  It is important to me, but it’s not that important if you don’t go. But if you don’t clean that room of yours, you will have serious consequences, young lady.”

Going to worship and reading Gods Word should be the most important things we do together as a family.  And just like there are consequences for not cleaning their room, our kids should have consequences if they have a bad attitude about going to church. In Joshua 24.15, he says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”  Joshua didn’t go and ask everyone.  He knew he had to lead his family.  And today, parents have a God given responsibility to lead their family, to model what a follower of Christ does. I hope you communicate to your kids that attending worship is way more important than cleaning their room, brushing their teeth or being in by curfew…

I know what you’re thinking: MY kids give me such a hard time about going to church. If you are one of those parents, we will be discussing how to make church more relevant to your kids, so come back to hear more. Leave a question or comment and I promise to answer every one as we strive to have homes devoted!

When your kids complain about life, show them this…

FOX Carolina 21

 Welcome to the Family ministry minute.  I’m Jonathan Cronkhite and we are talking about the reasons kids should attend worship services with their parents…

 Let them catch you!  Let them catch you worshipping…. We all know that our kids catch more of what we DO than what we say.  Someone said that our faith is caught more than it is taught.  So, let them catch us worshiping.  We have a great opportunity and privilege to show our kids how important worship is!  Where else do they see dad closing his eyes and singing to God?  Where else does mom and dad get taught from God’s word?  (it has to be good for our kids to see mom and dad “get instruction”, since they never see that happen anywhere else.)

It shows them we are serious about God; that we really do desire to follow Him.  It shows our kids that we can humble ourselves before our Holy God.  It shows them that we are in need of forgiveness, that we are not perfect.

Until our kids decide to follow God on their own, I want them to follow me and my example.  I want to be like Paul, so I can say to my kids (my disciples), “live as I have before you, follow my example.”

Besides, my kids love snuggling with me during worship and I enjoy it too!  It isn’t always easy with little kids.  In the beginning, it was difficult to get them to sit still during the sermon, but just like training them in other areas, we had to train them, discipline them and give them consequences for misbehavior.  Just a couple weeks ago, I had to take our 8 year old out in the middle of the sermon to remind him why we were there and what I expected of him.  Honestly, now the biggest issue we have is that they fight over who gets to sit next to daddy!

So, next Sunday, bring your kids with you to worship.  It may be uncomfortable for them and for you, they may fight back, but it is so worth it.

I hope you come back for more encouragement and inspiration.

Thanks for listening.  Post a comment or question and I promise to answer!

SEE VIDEO HERE: Why Worship? So Kids See Baptism

Welcome to another Family Ministry Moment.  We are discussing why kids should attend worship with their parents, as a family…Another reason is that your kids will be engaged by the sacrament of baptism.

No matter what your denominational traditions are, whether baptisms are administered during your church service or once a month at the beach your kids need to see the sacrament that Jesus commanded us to do.   Most of us probably have baptisms within Sunday morning worship….This is a fantastic opportunity to bring up faith conversations with children.  Parents can share their memory of when they were baptized or confirmed.  This can lead into a conversation about the difference between baptism and confirmation. Children can be told about their own baptism, too.  Bring out the pictures and share about the celebration!

No matter whether you sprinkle or dunk, this is a great way for our kids to grow in their understanding of this outward sign of what God is doing on the inside.  With boldness and conviction, observing fellow worshippers stand publicly before God’s people and confess Him as their Lord and Savior can give children strength to take a leap of faith.

The first two of our five kids have been baptized as infants.  However, we decided to wait until the younger three desired on their own to take a stand publically for Jesus.   But if our kids never go to worship, they won’t even see a baptism.  They won’t see others taking a stand for Jesus. They won’t become curious about it or know to even ask about it. Yes, we may talk about it at home a little, but how rich it is to experience it often at church.  Let them engulf the mystery of baptism with you.

Below are some questions for discussion and even scripture verses you can use in your conversations with your kids about baptism.  Let me know what you think by commenting. I promise to answer your questions, to help you have a home devoted.

I am also going to discuss ways to engage and help your kids find meaning through worship. So check back soon…or email me so you can be the first to get notified of updates as they happen. Thanks.

Here are some questions to talk about:

* When do your children witness baptisms?

* If your kids don’t attend a worship service with you now, at what age will they see people getting baptized?

* Have you had a discussion about what baptism means with your kids (even if they were baptized as an infant)?  Could they tell you what baptism is?

In scripture:…

Romans 6.3-4  What does baptism represent?

1 Peter 3.21  What saves us?

Acts 2.38  We also receive what when we are baptized?

Matthew 28.20  What did Jesus tell us to do?

Titus 3.5  What does the water of baptism represent?

Colossians 2.12  Whose power raised Jesus from the dead and continues to work

I saw this here http://ow.ly/5fUEg   and had to share it!  This will help me have patience and keep things in perspective!

Whether you have little ones at home or not, print this out, post it somewhere or share it with a friend.  This is something I need to remind myself of often.
Don’t spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have asked for.. I”m testing you.

Don’t be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it…. it makes me feel more secure.

Don’t correct me in front of people if you can help it I’ll take much more notice if you talk to me in private.

Don’t make me feel that my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

Don’t be too upset if I say “I hate you”. It isn’t that I hate you; I only need your attention.

Don’t protect me from consequences. I need to learn that way.

Don’t take too much notice of small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I want.

Don’t nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

Don’t make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when they are broken.

Don’t forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like. This is why I am not always accurate.

Don’t tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

Don’t be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose my faith in you.

Don’t put me off when I ask you questions. If you do,you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.

Don’t tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real and you can do much to understand.

Don’t ever think it beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm to you.

Don’t forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult for you to keep pace with me but please try.

Don’t forget that I love experimenting. I couldn’t get along without it, so please put up with it.

Don’t forget that I can’t thrive without lots of love. But I don’t need to tell you that…. do I?

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