I’ve been thinking about this question lately. It’s a question I get in various forms all the time for various reasons.
"At what point do I stop making my kid come to youth group?"
Some may see that and say "I would never force or coerce my kid to go to church." But for the 99% of families in 99% of churches… at some point there is a battle with most kids. (After all, there are some people who go to the perfect church where every single kids longs to be at the church 24 hours per day)
This isn’t a complete thought, this is mostly laying the groundwork for an article that may come in the future.
This is my experience. About 50% of kids in the churches I’ve attended or worked at don’t need to be pushed to come to youth group. They like it so they come. But about 50% need to be motivated, coerced, bargained with, or even forced to come.
Parents do see the problem. See, with a child… you can force them. I would argue that there shouldn’t be a choice with kids up until adolescence starts. (So, 10-12 years old.) Then they need to learn… when is it time to force/coerce/bribe my kid to come to church and when is it time to let them come on their own?
I’m stopping here intentionally… I just want pose the question… when to force, when to not.
Leave a Reply