The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time in adolescence to protect kids from the harmful impact of screens. It isn’t only screens though, one of the greatest ways we protect our kids is by limiting their exposure to harmful experiences. We limit the amount of junk food, time spent with negative friends, and even the amount of sun they get without sunscreen.
You carefully limit exposure to things that may harm your children.
Research tells us that church attendance in America is so sporadic right now that a “regular church attender” is a person who attends a church service at least once per month.
One hour per month.
Think about that, church attendance is probably the only thing in our culture that can be considered “regular” if you miss 75% of the meetings and spend only an hour per month involved.
I think it is safe to say that most of those who are creating such categories are not convictionally or regularly committed to a local church.
But, to be honest, those numbers (1 hour per month) look more like the sort of time a kid would be granted to a risky behavior or a potentially harmful experience. The state of church attendance in America looks more like an effort on the part of parents to protect their kids from the church rather than to immerse their kids in a faith community.
It is time we stopped protecting our kids from Jesus. They need more time with God’s people, not less. They need to be encouraged to spend time in healthy places around healthy people learning to worship the God of the universe.
You need more than an hour per month with your church family.
Your kids need more than an hour per month with their church family and engaged in the things of the Lord.
Protect your kids from dangers and from bad influences. Protect your kids from screens and too much sugar. Protect your kids from themselves, when necessary. But, stop protecting them from Jesus.
Invest deeply in your church and take your kids with you. Expose them regularly to the Bible and the things of the Lord.
In fact, take them even when they do not want to be there. Your kids do not get to choose if they go to school, or baseball practice, or dance competitions. Church attendance should not be an option either. Take them where they need to be and trust in the Lord to work through his people and his church to work in your life and the lives of your children.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
