A church is a family. That’s the main lesson in Megan Hill’s new book for kids, Meg is Not Alone (Crossway, 2022). Inspired by a real-life event in the childhood of the author, Hill tells the story of a little girl named Meg whose parents miscommunicate and accidentally leave her at church one Sunday morning. What could have been a crisis turns into a wonderful picture of why the church is truly a family, and why Meg didn’t feel alone as she waited for her parents to come back and get her. I’m smiling as I write because we just had this happen at our church a few weeks ago.
A church is a family. The church you and I are a part of is made up of our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, and for many of us, even children in Christ. I am blessed to serve as a pastor to a beautiful family of saints in Columbia, KY. One phrase that I have tried to repeat over and over again to my congregation is that a church is a group of people helping one another hold on to Jesus. This is not just a place where we come worship or receive Bible teaching. It is a true family that we belong to. We serve one another, we give to one another, we sacrifice for one another, we encourage and even rebuke one another. We call one another to check in, we bring meals, we give rides and furniture and money and advice. It’s a bit of heaven on earth. I love these people, and they love me and my wife and kids as well.
A church is a family, or at least it’s supposed to be. Not every church is. In a time when many youth and kids ministries are sectioned off from “big church,” we need to work hard to build bridges across the generations. It is refreshing, healthy, and biblical for our kids to have non-blood relationships at church with people outside of their own generation. Older men and women provide wisdom as well as diverse perspectives that shake our younger people out of the egocentrism we are all so prone to in our youth. A healthy church is one where people of diverse backgrounds and personalities are all sacrificing their preferences for the good of the whole. Fellowship and relationships across the generations helps to foster this kind of gospel atmosphere.
A church is a family, for those with wonderful families, but also for those who feel alone. Especially for those who feel alone! A church is not just for the extroverts who easily make friends and love moving in and out of crowds. It’s also for the introverts and the loners. Those who feel like an outcast. Those who come from a broken home, those who have a hard time making friends, or those who are simply lonely. God “sets the lonely in families.” (Psalm 68:6, NIV) Social media and smartphones are producing a generation of loners who don’t know how to relate to people right in front of them. In ten years, you can be sure, more young adults will refer to themselves as introverts than ever before. The lesson of this book—that a church family means we are truly not alone—is one of the most important truths Christian parents must instill in their children.
Just reading this book by myself made me deeply thankful for my current church family, as well as the church family I had as a kid growing up. Parents, I would encourage you to purchase this book and read it to your children. It will teach your kids one of the most important aspects of a church, but it will also stir up your heart to love and cherish and invest in your own church.
Photo courtesy of Crossway
Editor’s Note: This resource was received by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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