Teens are often given the power to decide many things for themselves. Choosing to go to church may be one of the most important decisions they can make.
This Sunday morning many teens will stay in bed and weigh whether or not they want to get up and go to church with their family. Unfortunately, about 70% of those teens will decide to stay in bed and sleep in. What is more unfortunate is the fact that their parents will allow them to, thus letting another meeting in the Lord's house fall by the wayside.
How do you make a teen want to consciously and enthusiastically want to be involved in the life of their church? There are ways and it may be easier than you think.
Don't give them the decision. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making church a mandatory family outing. Church is not like a family picnic or a day trip to grandma's house. It is much more serious and imposes much greater influence on your teen's life than anything else they will participate in. If your teen is adamantly against going to church because of laziness or lack of motivation check out some suggestions below. If she doesn't want to go because of having different religious beliefs than you, this will require a thorough discussion between you and your teen.
Find a church that offers teen activities. Consider checking out new churches in your area and find some that offer a Youth Ministry. Find a place of worship where your teen can congregate with other teens and have Bible studies with peers, fun outings, and outreach programs. More and more churches are offering contemporary services where much of the time is spent in singing contemporary worship songs. Teens like this type of worship because they can relate to it much easier than traditional services.
Encourage your teen to invite a friend to church. Having a friend tag along to church gives your teen something to look forward to each Sunday. Just make sure that they spend time listening to sermons and participating in activities rather than just chatting amongst themselves. The time needs to productive in learning God's Word and the lessons taught.
Get your teen to volunteer in church operations. If your teen has a purpose for being at church each Sunday morning, they will jump out of bed. There are many opportunities at almost any church where teens can greet people as they come in the building, watch children in the nursery, assist teachers with Bible lessons, etc.
Here are some teens that have words of encouragement to their peers on the topic of attending church: (LivingBold.com ~ December 3, 2001):
*** "We need to go to church and hear God's Word regularly, if only to realize how precious we are to Him. We can share this message with other teens: You are precious to God. Have you, yourself, ever stopped to think about how special you are to the Lord?" -Jessie B.
*** "Bottom line is encouragement from their parents, their church, pastor, and their peers, along with them wanting to go to church and accepting the responsibility of getting out of bed and going is what determines a teen continuing to attend church." -Adrienne O.
Help your teen make the right decision!
