Fred Pry, CEF® Vice President of Administration:
‘The church is a child’s spiritual family. The church needs children, and children need the church’
For Immediate Release
October 20, 2025
ST. LOUIS — Church attendance has been declining for decades. A recent study suggests that only 30% of adults attend religious services each week. Perhaps most critically, while 36% of Gen Z respondents say they go at least once a month, nearly as many don’t attend at all. It’s been reported that this decline in church attendance even contributes to a social and mental health decline as a society.
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus with young people around the world. Essential to this ministry is a passion for children and families to be established in a local bible-believing church.
Fred Pry, CEF Vice President of Administration, outlines four key reasons why children should attend church. First, he says, going to church allows the pastor to be a shepherd and continue the discipleship process.
“Pastors are more than just great speakers,” said Pry. “They’re the people God gave us for spiritual guidance through the scriptures and application to everyday life. The very word ‘pastor’ comes from the Latin word for ‘feeder’ or ‘shepherd’ — someone who takes the flock out to feed in the pasture. When you hear the Word of God from someone who serves as your local shepherd, you’re allowing him to speak into your life; to help you grow and change. When children attend church, they learn and see the value, love and acceptance of the Christian community.”
In an online world, in-person church attendance helps children experience authentic, real-world community with other believers. God’s Word highlights the importance of meeting together in Hebrews 10:24-25 by encouraging believers not to neglect meeting together.
“The church is a child’s spiritual family,” observed Pry. “The church needs children, and children need the church. Kids need the community of believers within the church, and the church needs them. Eye contact and communication with like-minded people feed into our lives like nothing else can.
“Children need this same kind of social bonding with other young believers, too. It’s important we encourage them to attend church, make friends and thrive within their own spaces in children’s ministry.”
Pry also points out the value in experiencing corporate worship in all forms.
“Powerful things happen when the Body of Christ gathers together in corporate worship and prayer,” Pry shared. “One aspect of corporate worship is singing praises together. Those who don’t sing are missing out on a beautiful act of biblical community worship. Praying is a way to recount God’s praises in church and is a vital practice for how to describe His goodness to others.”
Finally, Pry says, in-person church attendance helps encourage and build the faith of those around us.
“Being welcomed and cared for in church is essential for one’s spiritual growth,” remarked Pry. “If children are searching, the church is where they will find the answers. Children who are assured of their salvation and of the love of Jesus can help share that love with others, while learning how to kindly welcome their peers.”
Pry summarized, “It’s been said that watching church online is like watching a campfire on a screen — it looks nice, but you can’t experience the same warmth. When kids share the warmth of attending church with their spiritual family, they will grow in their faith.”
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), which was founded 88 years ago, has been establishing the Good News Club® in countries around the world for decades. Clubs are thriving worldwide, in countries including Australia, Cambodia, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda and many more.
In 2024, through the combined ministries of CEF, more than 31 million children worldwide were impacted for Christ. More than 533,000 teachers were trained around the world to reach children.
For more CEF news, see the ministry’s latest edition of the online magazine Impact.
CEF is an international, nonprofit, Christian ministry that has been dedicated to seeing every child reached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, discipled, and established in a local church since 1937. CEF is located in all 50 American states and in most countries around the world, with over 3,500 paid staff and tens of thousands of volunteers around the world.
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To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.