"Family Matters"
By Paul Kendall

Church Education

Our society values education. We spend thirteen years of our youth going to school and many go on to spend anywhere from another four to six years in college. We encourage our college children to have both a major and a minor course of study and we want them to make good grades all along the way because, after all, “you’ll need this education when you get a job of your own!”

Truth be told, most of us adults don’t use all that we learned in school. I know I took algebra, but, for the life of me, I can’t remember a single thing about it except for being confused - and getting very hungry every time “pie” was mentioned. So why take years of classes we may never use? Educators insist that it is to develop a mastery of the basic skills. You might say to “train your brain” to solve a variety of life’s problems.

Equally important in life is the teaching of moral standards and spiritual guidelines and there’s no better place to learn than in church. A child that grows up in church may not remember every Sunday school lesson but he will develop a mastery of the basic skills. When he’s older, he may not be able to quote chapter and verse but it’s in there and affecting his choices and the way he lives.

Many Christians have the desire to make the world a better place – to see people transform their lives from darkness to light. Just like any vocation, the more training a Christian has - the more effective they’ll be in making a difference.

Ephesians 4:12 says that we should go to church to be “…equip[ed] …for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…” But for many, the value scale for attending church is how well they like the music and the pastor. 

I don’t remember my elementary English teacher – but she taught me to speak real good… excuse me… she taught me to speak very well. You see, thirty years later and its still in there. So it will be with the life lessons you and your children learn every week in church. You know, you really can’t afford to miss out on the priceless Christian education that a good church can provide you and your family. And, please don’t rely on the old concept of “do as I say and not as I do” and send them to church with the neighbor lady.  Set the example by getting up, getting ready and going to church as a family. After all… they’re worth it.

You might even begin to enjoy learning how to better yours and your children’s lives. Here’s an algebraic equation that never fails:

Your family + church = a better life for all.

That's Family Matters... I'm Paul Kendall.

Paul Kendall is the host of the popular syndicated radio program "Family Matters" and author of a new book by the same name. Radio programs, family resources and much more are available at www.KendallFamilyNetwork.com.