Growing Up as a Minister's Kid...the Good...the Bad...the Ugly

I am a P.K. (pastor's kid). Which means I grew up in church. I was there every time the doors were open and many times when the doors weren't open.

I attended church on Sunday morning. Sunday night. Wednesday night. Friday night youth activities. Week-long revivals. Other times, I was there for special events, programs like VBS, missions conferences, summer camps and more.

And yes, as a kid, there were times that I didn’t want to be at church. Especially Sunday nights. Sunday nights were when the “Wonderful World of Disney” came on television…right in the middle of the p.m. service. There was no on demand television back then. You simply had to miss the show if you went to church.

Then there was the Sunday night when my beloved Dallas Cowboys were playing in the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos. I was desperate to not miss the game, so I got “sick” that afternoon and was able to stay home and watch the game.

In spite of missing many of my favorite television shows due to being at church, I grew up to love Jesus and His church. In fact, for over 33 years, I have served full-time in children’s and family ministry. During this time, I have watched ministers' kids grow up in church and continue to love and serve Jesus as adults. I have also seen ministers' kids grow up in church and then walk away as soon as they had the freedom to do so.