| Rachel Joy Welcher is a pastor’s kid raising a pastor’s kid. In other words, she knows what it’s like to live with both privilege and pressure. As a child, Welcher knew the beauty of church life; she also knew that her actions could cost her father his job. And now, her daughter, Hilde, will grow up with the same dynamic.
There are evangelical messages Welcher doesn’t want to pass on to Hilde. But there’s much she hopes to impart, as well.
“One thing missing from the current conversation about the need to deconstruct and sort out our church baggage is the good of an evangelical upbringing—the good of being raised in the church, the privilege of having Christian parents, and the beauty of knowing the gospel before we could walk,” Welcher writes.
She goes on to describe aspects of the Christian life that she hopes to pass on to her daughter—experiences ranging from reading the Bible regularly to enjoying God’s good gifts through her five senses.
“I hope she learns something of God through the sermon on Sunday as well as the flowers that pop up between the fence and the wood stack in our yard,” Welcher writes. “I hope she sees the gospel when she forgives someone for hurting her or is forgiven for hurting someone else.”
Whether our evangelical baggage hangs heavy or the church has always been our safe place, we have the opportunity to put God’s character on display for them—in part, by leading them to “encounter the beauty of being raised in the church.” |
