Posted on: March 11, 2011

Encouraging your Teens to Worship

 

Today we are talking about helping your teens worship.  The word “worship” is actually a contraction of “worth-ship” meaning to honor what is honorable.  So by encouraging your young adult to attend church or another house of worship, you are advocating that they schedule a time and place to give God the honor He is due.  But worship shouldn’t stop there.  Worship should be at the center of our daily living. Author Warren Wiersbe writes, “Worship is the believer’s response of all that he is—mind, emotions, will, and body—to all that God is and says and does.”  Countless studies show that teens who take their faith seriously and are devoted to worship feel much more significant and less insecure than their counterparts.  So how do you encourage your teen to make worship a priority?

Take worship seriously yourself. Modeling is the pre-eminent way to pass on your faith to your children.  Do you take church attendance seriously?  Do you read Scripture throughout the week to prepare your heart?  Do you jot down notes from the sermon?  Do you sing with conviction?  Your teen is watching, and taking notes, too.

Encourage your teen to have their closest friends be in the family of your faith. The Bible talks about the dangers of being “unequally yoked.”  Peer pressure is powerful and, if your adolescent runs with a crowd who does not take God seriously, they may stumble in their faith.  Peer pressure, however is not always a bad thing.  Good, God-centered friends can encourage your teen to grow spiritually and live a life of devoted worship.

Harness social media. We may think social media can cause our children to stumble in their faith—and it can—but the Internet is also full of streaming videos of inspirational speakers.  Their iPods™ loaded with worship songs, and with faith-filled Facebook friends, the online world can actually help with our children’s heavenly journey.

There are many more ways to encourage your teens to worship.  Please share what you do in your family in the comments section below.  I would love to hear from you!

  • Icmo37

    this is a good article to share with many parents out there

  • Sheik Salim

    In addition to the above guidelines,having the right type of friends with close monitoring from helpful parents are important elements in rearing good children. Most importantly are the examples parents set for their children. Parents must aspire to live good moral lives, be committed to our spouses, make the practice of our religions a priority in our lives and practice what we preach. Avoiding alcohol, keeping away from vices like adultery and fornication, gambling, lying, stealing,drugs, etc; showing respect for others, regardless of their color, race, status, backgrounds, etc. are examples parents must adhere to and implement in our homes. Finally, all good religions, be it Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc. teach strong moral principles and are uplifting for everyone in times of crisis, problems and depression. Emphasize the practice of religion strongly in our lives and the lives of our siblings. Life without rememberance of a ‘GOD’ is meaningless, especially in this ‘rat-race’ society. The article emphasizes these points vividly. Thank you Mark and keep up the good work you are doing!

  • SWebb

    I really enjoyed this article, Mark. May I add – LOTS OF PRAYER! lol Positive encouragement is also very important. We try to tell our kids every day how special they are. They are wonderful creations of God and how much God loves them. Not only does this improve their thoughts about themselves, it makes them thankful to him.

  • Caesar Estioco

    thanks Swebb, truly a reminder in rearing our kids/teens (I have 2 teenage boys and a 7-yr old daugther), to address their upbringing, yes, with positive encouragements… one thing more to add is for the family to have a setting of perhaps once-a-week family worship and fellowship. This I do believe would really create oneness of the family and preventing our kids going astray along the pathway to His kingdom.

  • Kendralstenlund

    After our scripture reading each night we have a journal where we right down the kind things or “Christ-like” things we have seen someone do during the day.

  • Cjohnson

    Sheik- Love you enough brother to say there is only one God according to the bible. We can raise our children to have good moral values, but Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. He was murdered because he claimed to be God. Morality without salvation is missing the point. My hope is not to cause problems but share truth in Love, knowing that email is not the best communication tool for this:) 

  • Paul Sp.

    A problem is if you do all these things with your child, but there are elements they don’t like, such as worship music or most speakers.  It can turn into putting spinach on their plate when you know they don’t like it.  Still can be done, but there are consequences for using the “because I said so and it’s good for you” route.

  • Noel Coleman

    I think carrying on conversations with your kids about their faith, questions, doubts and opinions is really important.  Make sure that they are a part of your struggle in faith to live it out and let God complete his work in you.  That way they see that faith is something that has real application and life-changing effects.  Not just something you do but some one you serve. 

  • “Forced Catholic”

    I couldn’t agree with you more.  I’m now 41 years old and was raised a “forced Catholic” like many others.  I was forced to go to church every Sunday morning for 18 years and was also required to go to religion classes one day a week after school up through the time I was confirmed in high school.  As a result, I haven’t stepped foot in a church since except to attend a wedding or a funeral.  I’ve never understood why so many people believe that you have to belong to and regularly attend a church to have a relationship with God?  Our family never had any discussion of religion outside of church except for saying prayers before bed.  And, to add to the problem, my father never went to church with us but always insisted that we (the kids) had to go every week, which is definitely NOT the right way to do it.  Just something for you parents to think about.

  • Anonymous

     The absence of fathers leading the way on taking faith seriously is key. Sounds like you were raised in a home as I was, where the lie was propagated: “Silly Christians, church is for kids!” I have seen first hand how me taking my faith seriously as a husband and father has soaked into my children’s bones. Of course all this work of faith and salvation is God’s work among us, so none can boast.

    As to why we should attend regular larger (than ourselves) group gatherings for worship, the author of Hebrews commends it as a best practice:

    “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
    not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
    encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
                                                                                            -Hebrews 10:24-25

    Thanking God for worship…and kids who do!

  • finally got it

    I also was a forced catholic, but welcomed Jesus into my heart at age 30. As a result of reading scripture I found that we are called to not only be part of a community of believers but also share the word and encourage others to attend. Fellowship is extremely important to surroun yourself with a family not only for praise and worship, but accountability and support.

  • Anonymous

    If there’s one thing I should do more with my teenagers, it is pray with them. It sets an example for them and provides specific spiritual things they can/ should be concerned with. Mainly it helps them develop a personal relationship with God, their creator and redeemer. 

  • Icmno37

    i love this article, though in my own experience, this does not apply to all youth, i am a not only church goer but church is like our second home, my teens are aware of my prayer life, Bible study, devotional time… but my youngest son, i am not sure if he has it inside…if he had a choice, he rather stay home that going to church… this is true for at least the last couple of years… i am a single mom, father is not in the picture…