One of the adages of studying the development of doctrine is, “The church does not know
what it believes until someone gets it wrong.” Progressively, I have become more aware and
concerned for the families of our fellowship. In some, although not all, there is a lax attitude
toward church attendance and aligning your family with the community of life this represents.
I believe what this looks like can be different for all of us. It has many “faces”. But somehow
in the ordering of your life, being involved in a local church should be one of your primary
priorities. I am also aware how discussions like this can rapidly descend into binding
formulas and unrealistic expectations, but in placing all of the necessary cautions in place let
us not fear to venture forth into this sacred trust. When my wife and I were in the parenting
season, it never occurred to us to miss church or to give our kids an option as to whether or
not they would attend with us. Our attendance and theirs was assumed and presupposed.
Perhaps my motive for having us/them go was less than pure (i.e. what others might think of
us if we did not attend), yet the underlying idea was that church attendance was good for us
and them. We wanted them to understand how Church life was to be a real part of our
Christian walk.