How to Help Your Kids Fall in Love with Church
Sunday mornings don’t always look like the picture-perfect version in our heads. Sometimes they’re filled with lost shoes, sleepy kids, and whispered car arguments that make getting to church feel like a full-contact sport rather than a peaceful family routine.
Yet beneath the chaos is a deeper desire. We don’t just want our kids to go to church; we want them to love it. We long for them to find joy, friendship, and belonging, not just obligation or habit. If you’re hoping to help your children move from “have to go” to “want to go,” you’re not alone. With a few intentional shifts, you can help their hearts genuinely fall in love with church.
Be Clear About Why We Gather
Kids are naturally curious (and let’s be honest, sometimes brutally honest). If they think church is just a place where they have to sit still and be quiet for an hour, of course they won’t be excited. It’s our job to change the narrative.
Talk to your children about the “why.” Explain that we don’t go to church just to check a box. We go to meet with God, and believe it or not, children are excellent worshipers! They have a capacity for awe and wonder that we adults often lose. Remind them that their singing, their prayers, and even their wiggles are seen and loved by God.
Framing church as a place of fellowship rather than just a place of listening changes everything. It’s a place where we find our “forever family.” Spiritual brothers, sisters, and grandparents who will walk through life with us.
Move Beyond Entertainment
In an effort to keep kids engaged, it is so tempting to look for the church with the flashiest youth programs or the most entertaining kids’ ministry. But there is a hidden trap here. If we teach our children that church is about being entertained, we aren’t teaching them to love the church; we are teaching them to love being amused. A healthy balance is the key here. This doesn’t mean your kids can’t have fun at church. We just need to make sure they know that there’s much more to church than the fun stuff.
When the games stop, or the music isn’t their style, they may feel like there is no reason to stay. Instead, help them find value in the deeper things: the truth of the sermons, the beauty of the hymns, and the comfort of prayer. It might seem boring to them at first, but with your guidance, they can learn to find joy in the substance, not just the sparkle.
Foster Real Relationships
One of the most powerful ways to help kids love their church is to help them feel known. A child who walks into a building full of strangers will always feel like an outsider. A child who walks into a room where people know their name, ask about their week, and high-five them? That child feels like they are home.
You can facilitate this by practicing hospitality. Invite families over for lunch. Let your kids see you laughing and praying with other church members during the week, not just on Sundays. Encourage them to make friends, but also encourage them to get to know the “church grandmas and grandpas.” When a child feels connected to the people, the building becomes a place of safety and love.
Get Them Involved in Service
There is a profound shift that happens when a child moves from being a consumer to a contributor. Children love to be helpful! When they serve, they feel a sense of ownership. “This is my church because I help take care of it.”
Look for age-appropriate ways they can jump in. Can they help hold a door? Can they pass out bulletins? Maybe they can help you bake cookies for a sick neighbor or help clean up after a fellowship meal. Service turns church from a spectator sport into a family mission.
Check Your Own Attitude
This might be the hardest part. Our kids are incredibly perceptive. They don’t just listen to what we say about church; they watch how we act.
If we rush around on Sunday mornings stressed and shouting, or if the roast beef is served with a side of gossip about the worship leader’s song choice, our kids notice. They absorb the idea that church is a source of stress or judgment.
But if they see us preparing our hearts with joy, prioritizing worship even when we are tired, and speaking about our leaders with grace and love, they will catch that spirit. Your passion is contagious. Let them see that you love Jesus and His bride, the church, and they will likely follow in your footsteps.
Pray for Their Hearts
Ultimately, loving the church is a supernatural work. We can create the right environment, but only the Holy Spirit can change hearts.
Pray for your children. Pray that they would love Jesus first, because a love for the church naturally flows from a love for the Savior. Pray that they would find godly friends and mentors. Pray that they would see the church not as a building, but as a beautiful, broken, redeemed family that they get to be a part of forever.
Raising kids who love church is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be hard Sundays. There will be days they complain. But keep going, keep modeling, and keep praying. You are laying a foundation that can hold them up for the rest of their lives.
