As a dad of three, I spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of people I hope my kids become. I want them to be kind, make wise decisions, develop healthy friendships, and grow into adults who genuinely love and follow Jesus. I want them to have a strong sense of who they are, know how much God loves them, and have people in their lives who encourage them to become everything God created them to be.
And if you’re a parent, I’m guessing you want many of those same things for your kids.
But here’s something I’ve learned about parenting: most of the things that shape our children’s lives don’t happen in one big moment. They happen through hundreds of small moments repeated over time. It’s the conversations we have, the habits we develop, the relationships we encourage, and the environments we consistently place them in.
That’s one of the reasons I believe being connected to a local church is such an important part of raising kids.
Not because attending church guarantees our children will grow up following Jesus. And certainly not because the church can replace the role we play as parents. But because when our kids are consistently surrounded by people who love Jesus and care about them, some pretty incredible things can happen.
Here are five things I believe every parent should consider.
1. Your Kids Gain Another Adult Who Believes in Them
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to surround them with other adults who genuinely care about them.
Think about how meaningful it would be for your child to have another trusted adult who knows their name, remembers what’s happening in their life, celebrates their victories, and encourages them when things get difficult. Someone who consistently reminds them that God loves them and reinforces the same faith and character you’re working to develop at home.
That’s one of the things I love most about small groups in Nuvo Kids.
Our small group leaders aren’t simply there to supervise children for an hour. They’re there to invest in them. They help kids understand biblical truths, ask questions, pray together, and discover how following Jesus connects to their everyday lives.
And those relationships become more meaningful over time.
Here’s something every parent eventually discovers: sometimes our kids need to hear something we’ve been telling them from someone other than us. You might have talked to your child about kindness, forgiveness, or making wise decisions a hundred times. But then another trusted adult says something similar, and suddenly it connects in a different way.
Imagine your child growing up with another voice consistently pointing them toward Jesus.
That’s worth making time for. And it’s one of the reasons consistency matters. The more opportunities our children have to connect with their leaders, the more those relationships have an opportunity to grow.
2. Your Kids Build Friendships That Can Shape Their Future
We all know friendships matter. The people we spend time with influence what we believe, how we think, and the decisions we make.
And as our kids grow older, the influence of their friendships only becomes more significant.
That’s why I believe one of the greatest benefits of consistently bringing our kids to church is the opportunity to help them develop friendships with other children who are also learning to follow Jesus.
At Nuvo Kids, we intentionally create opportunities for kids to have fun, connect with others, and build relationships through activities, Bible teaching, and small group conversations. But what I love is what happens when those relationships begin to grow.
Kids start recognizing familiar faces. They remember names. They look forward to seeing their friends. They begin feeling comfortable, connected, and excited about coming back.
And eventually, church becomes more than somewhere their parents take them. It becomes somewhere they feel like they belong.
My hope is that as my own kids grow older, some of their closest friendships will be with people who encourage them to make wise decisions, challenge them to grow, and remind them of what’s true when life gets difficult.
The friendships our kids build today can influence the decisions they make tomorrow.
And helping them develop those relationships is one of the best investments we can make.
3. Your Kids Begin Developing a Faith of Their Own
One of my greatest hopes as a parent is that my children won’t simply grow up believing in Jesus because Emily and I do. I want them to develop a genuine relationship with Jesus that becomes their own.
But that doesn’t happen simply because they know a few Bible stories or can answer questions about God.
It happens as they begin discovering who God is, asking questions, understanding biblical truth, and learning how their faith connects to real life.
That’s what we want to help kids experience at Nuvo.
Every Sunday, our goal is to help children learn to trust God and love Jesus, make wise choices based on the Bible, and treat others well. We want them to understand that following Jesus isn’t just something we talk about at church. It changes how we treat our friends, how we respond when we’re frustrated, and how we make decisions.
And one of the beautiful things about consistently participating in church is that these truths begin building on one another.
A lesson about forgiveness might connect with something they’re experiencing at school. A conversation about trusting God might help them navigate a difficult situation. A small group discussion might give them the courage to ask a question they’ve been thinking about.
Over time, those experiences can help children begin connecting the dots between what they believe and how they live.
And when those same truths are being reinforced at home, the impact can be even greater.
4. Your Kids Learn That Faith Is Part of Everyday Life
Here’s something I’ve noticed about parenting: our kids pay attention to what we prioritize.
They notice the things we make time for, the commitments we protect, and the activities we build our schedules around. And whether we realize it or not, those decisions are teaching them what matters.
When being part of a church community becomes a consistent rhythm in our family’s life, we’re communicating something important. We’re showing our kids that following Jesus isn’t simply something we do when it’s convenient. It’s something that matters enough to make room for.
Now, that doesn’t mean your family has to be at church every single Sunday. We all have vacations, family commitments, sports, and weekends when life gets complicated. That’s normal.
But I do think it’s worth asking what our family’s rhythms are teaching our children.
Because the habits we help our kids develop today often become the things they naturally prioritize later in life.
And our goal isn’t simply to raise kids who attend church. We want to raise kids who understand what it means to be the church.
We want them to discover the joy of serving others, showing kindness, making a difference, and using the gifts God has given them. As they grow, we want them to recognize that they don’t have to wait until they’re adults for God to use them.
They’re not just the future of the church. They’re an important part of the church right now.
5. Your Kids Experience What It Means to Belong
I think one of the greatest needs every child has is to know they’re loved and that they belong.
Our kids are growing up in a world that constantly tells them who they should be, what they should look like, and what they need to accomplish to be accepted. And that pressure only increases as they get older.
But imagine your child having a place where they’re reminded every week that their value isn’t based on their performance, popularity, or accomplishments.
A place where people are excited to see them. Where they’re encouraged to be themselves. Where they know they’re loved by God and surrounded by people who care about them.
That’s the kind of environment we want Nuvo Kids to be.
We want kids to have an incredible time on Sundays. We want them to laugh, play games, learn about Jesus, and leave excited to come back. But even more than that, we want them to feel known and loved.
And that kind of belonging is something that grows through relationships and shared experiences.
The more opportunities kids have to be part of a community, the more opportunities they have to develop meaningful connections within it.
And when life gets difficult, having a community of people who know you, care about you, and are willing to walk alongside you can make an incredible difference.
The Small Things Add Up
Here’s what I want to encourage you with.
You don’t have to be a perfect parent to make an incredible difference in your child’s life. And you certainly don’t have to have perfect church attendance.
I know how busy life gets. Between school, sports, work, family commitments, and everything else on the calendar, sometimes Sunday morning can feel like one more thing to squeeze into an already full week.
But I also think it’s easy to underestimate the impact of consistently putting our kids in environments where their faith can grow.
Because one Sunday might not seem like a big deal. One conversation with a small group leader might seem insignificant. One new friendship might not feel like it’s changing anything.
But those small moments begin adding up.
Imagine your child entering middle school with trusted adults who know them, friendships that encourage them, and a growing understanding of who God created them to be.
Imagine them navigating difficult decisions with a foundation of biblical truth and people they can turn to for encouragement.
Imagine them growing into adulthood with a genuine love for Jesus and a desire to make a difference in the world around them.
That’s the kind of future we’re investing in.
At Nuvo, we believe parents have the greatest influence on their children’s faith. And our heart is to come alongside you, support you, and help you build that foundation.
So if church hasn’t been a consistent part of your family’s rhythm lately, maybe this is a great opportunity to make a small change. Not out of guilt or obligation, but because of what you want for your kids.
Sometimes the most important investments we make in our children’s future are the small decisions we make consistently today.
And we’d love to partner with you as you make them.
