Guest Blogger / DC Curry

 

 

I've asked DC to join the chorus of voices responding to the questions you texted during our "Ask Anything" service in January.  His is a timely post. You just saw him talking about "Cool" in last weekend's services.

DC is one of the great leaders at GCC.  I'm really proud of him. He brings a tremendous background of experience, accomplishment and faith to bear on his influence here. He's been with me a long time. He was a phenom on Notre Dame's football team when he first began attending GCC.  He played in the NFL but left that career in response to God's call on his life to become a youth pastor. Now he leads our entire student ministry.  I suppose the burden God placed on DC's broad shoulders explains why he chose this question to answer. 

Here is DC's response to, "Should I force my teenage to go to church?"

                                                       

My turn!  I picked the question:  "Should I force my teenager to go to church?"

My blunt answer is yes!

The Bible teaches us that one of the responsibilities of a parent is to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 

One thing I love about this passage is that it projects that there is a way in which a child should go...because there is.  There are so many important things that parents will make their children do without even thinking about it like take baths, go to bed, brush their teeth, go to school, but when it comes to church they resort to the great debate.  "Should I or should I not?" 

It seems to me that the same reason that governs why they have to brush their teeth, go to school, get some sleep, take baths, should be the same reason that governs why they should go to church, it's important!  So we make/force our kids to do everything that we think is important so if we don't make/force them to go to church does that mean we don't think it's important?

As a parent, it may not always be popular to make them go to church but it has eternal implications.  It's not just about their attendance, it's about their eternity.  We who are charged with the care of students (parents, youth pastors, teachers, godparents, etc.) must see to it that they find The Way and are trained to live in that Way.
Also know that training is not always easy, comfortable, or fun, and usually doesn’t come without a bit of pain. 

A very respected parent recently told me, "I don’t care what they want to do, I (as the parent) am committed to getting my kids in environments where they can grow closer to Christ."   He believes it’s important, so he follows that up with his actions. 

Do you?

Comments

[Jennifer Prawat]

BRAVO!!!! Well said!! AGREED!!! Thank you!!

[James Kytta]

You ROCK DC!! I think if my Kids ( who are your age ) would have had a role model and mentor like you their path may have been different. You are for real, what you see is what you get and we get the best. I had been in GSM for 10 years and it rocked, but when you came in you took it to another level. My prayers will continue to be with you and the whole GSM staff. God bless you!

[Phil]

I agree with James. DC - you ROCK!

[Samantha Hartzell]

I couldn't agree more! We, as parents, are responsible for our children in EVERY way. I see nothing more important than their eternal salvation (even more impt than brushing their teeth:)) We are given this responsibility directly from God. We should never back down from using the authority that He has given us to lead our children in the way they should go..even and especially if the children don't agree.