Raising kids in church

Why I make our kids go every Sunday

It’s been said before that the hour before church is the most unholy hour of the week, and for people who have small children, that likely rings true (it does for our household!). It’s hard to make sure everyone’s hair and teeth are brushed, locate matching socks and shoes, and scarf down breakfast before church begins on Sunday morning. I’m obviously biased, since I go to church for a living (if you’re new around here, I am an Episcopal priest), but I think most people would agree that it feels good to have gone to church. It’s like working out: it can be hard to start, but you never regret having done it. And it is a habit that gets easier to do with practice and consistency.

Of course, many people do not go to church anymore. A number of my good friends do not attend church regularly or hold a membership at a religious organization, and I wonder how my children will look back on the years they will have spent at church. Will they consider the practice old-fashioned? Quaint? Irreleva…