How do I get my son more excited about going to church?

Question

He loves Jesus and is excited about Him! He just rolls his eyes when it's time for church. We go at night. He is 9.

He goes to childrens church. We all worship together for about 15 min. then split adults/children/older youth.

Answer 1

Donot compel him to go to church.

God is everywhere and let his realize this truth. God says in Gita, "whoever sees Me in everything and everything in ME does not leave Me and not do I leave away from him"

More you compel the more he will rebel and move away from religion.

Answer 2

My daughter is 10 and I know what you mean. We as a family are also church goers. We have a Children's church at our church, for the children to old for the nursery and to young for the big church to go into. They are told Bible stories, they pray and sing songs. They also go on trips like to the zoo sometimes but this is on a different day.

Then on Wednesday nights, they have a different class, with a different teacher that does the same thing. There they also talk about what is going on at home, at school and things that they can pray about together as a group. I know my friend is over a children's choir at her church year round but we only have that at Christmas. Our children's service on Wednesday night, is taken by the children's choir then.

Now on Sunday nights, we don't have a class for the children. My daughter will come into the big church with us. Normally she will bring a book or paper and pen. She is usually quiet and sometimes she might even go to sleep but I still feel she hears some things and will eventually have a longer attention span.

As far as getting him there to start with though, I would just say to find a church that is bursting with kids, teaches good messages that you agree with and make sure that church has something for kids that they can get excited about. They learn alot just from the stories and the coloring pages,crafts that go with them.

Blessing to you...and your child...

Answer 3

Church is boring. You cant get around that. You sit, listen to an hour-long lecture, drone out a few hymns, put some money in the basket, and shuffle out. Yawn-ville to a kid. If you could find a youth service that is more activity oriented, that could help. Kids dont want to sit still and listen for a long period of time. They want to be active and do something interesting. Feeding him Ridalin may be the only way to force him to endure the boring adult services.

Answer 4

It is good he is interested and excited about Jesus, but it seems your church is not reaching him and he is bored. Find a church with that you like that has a GREAT child ministry program. Also try going to a service in the morning. The worst thing that can happen is he looses his enthusiam. Again find a church that he would be anxious to go to!
wanderer

Answer 5

Are there other kids there about his same age? Does everyone have to sit in the pews and be quiet and pay attention or is there a separate part for the kids? How late at night? If it goes past his bedtime then perhaps he knows that he will be getting tired when he goes at night and kind of dreads it.
If there are other kids and they have their own space make it fun like a different theme every time they go...for example, sundae ice cream night, marbles night, scavenger hunt night...of course after or while they are studying the Word.

Answer 6

I can imagine it is a little challenging for a nine year old to stay focused in an adult church service. Is there any kind of youth programs at your church? Or "children's church" during services? If so, I would encourage him to participate in that. There certainly must be kids his age there. and if you don't have any type of youth program, you ought to start one. Sounds like you all need one.

Good luck and God bless

Answer 7

Depends alot on what your faith is. We are Catholic and the mass was hard to understand for a youngster. Our services are not long 45-minutes or so and we discussed the gospel readings and scripture reading for the day before mass and stayed a bit after for a special prayer.
As my kids hit the teen years they kept out of trouble helped by youth groups and attending a Catholic high school but their interest in church became more ecumenical attending services at a charasmatic Episcopal church near-by and a Pentacostal youth group service mid week that stressed upbeat hymn singings and social action. As young adults they attend church on a regular basis but switched to the Episcopal church as its more liberal theology better fit their beliefs but they go to mass with us quite often. .
I think they stayed religious because I didn't force adult understandings on Jesus on them, let their own belief in Jesus develop, and trusted in Jesus to lead them. He did!
Hope this helps,
Dick.

Answer 8

Maybe he shall be in one of those "kids and teens groups" insted of going to church with you. Do you have a group like that in your church?
I think he is a little bored during church time - he is just 9 years old!

Answer 9

You don't need to go to church to love Jesus

Answer 10

Maybe you have morning services, and after that you can go to the nearest restaurant that he likes like MC Donald's Wendy's or burger king, use that as his motivation. Then after a while he'll get used to that idea and who knows, forcing your child into it is hard enough, let alone hearing mass, we just have to be patient

Answer 11

Ask him what he enjoyes the most at church and try to make him join a church choir or something that he adores in the church. or try to talk to the priest he'll know what to do.