As I visit the congregations of the district, I enjoy the conversations and questions I receive. A 

few months ago, I was asked this question: “How can we keep our children from leaving the 

church?” Every pastor and congregation has students who go through confirmation and are 

rarely seen again. Where do we begin if we want our youth to remain faithful from the font to 

the grave?  

The Book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ second telling of the Law. The generation that came out 

of Egypt proved faithless, even after the Lord delivered them from Egypt and showed His 

mighty hand. They grumbled, built idols, and despised His saving work. Because of this, the 

Lord declared His judgment upon them, not letting that generation enter the Promised Land, 

except for Joshua and Caleb. Before the next generation enters the Promised Land, Moses 

tells them the laws, statutes, and promises that God had given their parents.

As part of this catechesis, Moses preaches to the new generation, “And these words that I 

command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, 

and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when 

you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be 

as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on 

your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) This charge is also echoed in the Small Catechism: “As the 

head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household.” Part of the vocation of 

a Christian parent – indeed, the chief part – is to teach their children God’s Word. 

Catechesis belongs not only in the congregation but also in the home. I contend that Sunday 

School and Confirmation classes are an extension of the authority of the head of the household 

as he teaches his family. It’s good that Sunday School teachers and pastors join parents in this 

task, but when parents neglect catechesis in the home, they neglect the vocation God has 

given them. God has given parents the duty to teach the next generation His laws, statutes, 

and promises.

How does this look in real life? First and foremost, bring your children to church. Teach them 

that receiving God’s Gifts in the Divine Service is the most important thing in the world. Bring 

them to church week after week to receive the Absolution, His Word, and preaching. If they’re 

not yet receiving the Lord’s Supper themselves, let them see you receive Communion. If they 

are receiving the Lord’s Supper, bring them faithfully. If parents only bring their children to 

church when there are no other activities on Sunday morning, many studies have shown that 

it’s incredibly unlikely that they will continue attending in adulthood.

This means that hockey, basketball, and other sporting events that take place on Sunday 

morning must yield to receiving God’s Gifts. I can hear the objection, “But if we take that away 

from the children, they will hate the church.” I strongly disagree. Prioritizing church attendance 

teaches them what is truly important in life. It is teaching them what the “one thing necessary” 

is. (Luke 10:42) A child may play sports for many years. They may even receive scholarships or 

other opportunities. But what is that compared to eternal life? Parents – sports can be very 

positive, but all else must fall away when the Holy Spirit calls and gathers His people to the 

Gifts that flow from the cross. 

Second, reading the Bible, singing hymns, and having family devotions are a necessary part of 

being a Christian parent. As the pastor is the spiritual leader of his congregation, the head of 

the house is the spiritual leader of his home. But don’t let family devotions be complicated – 

don’t overthink it. 

Concordia Publishing House (CPH) has many helps. The Story Bible was an excellent 

introduction to the stories of the Bible. I appreciate that the pictures aren’t cartoon-like but 

present the Biblical narratives realistically. Read a story each day, or have a story of the week. 

Another wonderful resource is My First Hymnal. Teach your children the church's hymns at 

home. While singing little ditties like “Father Abraham Had Many Sons” or “I Just Wanna Be a 

Sheep” is fine, I cannot recommend enough the value of teaching children the hymns they hear 

in church. I would much rather give children hymns that they can grow into, rather than songs 

they will grow out of. Sing a hymn a day, or have a hymn of the week. If you’re not musically 

inclined, CPH offers the music for My First Hymnal on CD or as downloads via iTunes, 

Google Play, Spotify, and for free on YouTube. As your family gets older, graduate to the Lutheran Service Book.

Start teaching them the Small Catechism at a young age. Luther says in the Preface to the 

Small Catechism: “Even if children do not understand all they learn in the catechism, they 

should nevertheless learn it by heart, for as they grow older, the Spirit will give them 

understanding.” Again, CPH has a marvelous resource for you called Sing the Faith: The Small 

Catechism Set to Music. From infancy on, my family utilized this as part of our devotions. We 

sang through all six Chief Parts of the Catechism and then started over. When our oldest 

started Confirmation classes, the Catechism was already in her head and heart. This is also 

available on CD, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and YouTube.

Other great resources include: Portals of Prayer and Treasury of Daily Prayer. If there is only 

enough time to read the daily devotion in Portals of Prayer, let that suffice. If there is more time, 

read the Bible passages, writing, and prayer in the Treasury of Daily Prayer.

A family devotion can be as simple as you want it to be. If something doesn’t work, try 

something else. Don’t be discouraged if you miss a day or two. Pick it up again. The Christian 

life only ever begins and is never completed.

How do we retain our youth? By teaching them that God’s Word and sacramental Gifts are truly 

the most glorious things we could ever receive. Nothing else will forgive their sins nor give 

them eternal life. Parents – please hear me when I say that teaching your children by example 

has a profound effect on faith, whether good or bad. The Lord not only creates faith by the 

Gospel, but He also sustains faith by the Gospel. Let’s give our families a steady diet of it. 

Whether our children are catechized in God’s Word or by the world is largely up to us as 

parents. The devil is prowling and has placed a target on the baptized. Not every child raised in 

a church-going home will necessarily continue going to church. The Parable of the Sower 

(Matthew 13) is real. So let’s continue to sow the Word into the hearts of our children.

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them 

diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you 

walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on 

your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the 

doorposts of your house and on your gates.” As Moses taught the next generation God’s Word 

before they entered the Promised Land, so parents are called to teach their children diligently, 

embedding His Word in their hearts and daily lives, so that they may walk faithfully with Him 

from the font to eternal life.