Think of how your children might "see" the church—the body of Christ—through you. Are they being given an attractive picture that they would want to embrace? Here are some good words from Tedd and Margy Tripp,
Church is usually a family priority for believers. That is good and appropriate. But parents shape how their children think about church life. Magnify the beauty of the corporate life of your church. It is an essential element of Christian culture. If attendance to church and its activities are a burdensome obligation that competes with other desirable pastimes, children will live for the day they can opt out of attendance... If it is nothing more than a social organization, children will take it or leave it based on their interest in the social opportunities it offers. How "cool" the youth director is or how "hip" the kids are at church will determine your child's interest. If you are critical and offended by the church family, they will be too, but they will take it a step further and leave. If the worship and praise of God warm your heart and you find relationships with God's people satisfying and refreshing, and you love nothing more than to use your energy, time, resources and creativity to benefit the body of Christ—then your children will have a perspective from which to admire and appreciate God's family. You cannot secure their membership in this family through yours, but your recruitment skills will be a primary tool in the Spirit's work in their heart.
(Instructing a Child's Heart, copyright©2008, pages 143-144)
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