How Does Church Attendance for the Kids Work?

Religion is a big component of people’s lives. It affects decisions like where to live, who to marry, whether you get divorced, etc.

When people divorce, they have to extricate every facet of their lives together, including religion.

In doing this, there can be some tricky things to navigate, like where do the kids go to church?

Let’s run through some scenarios to see how children’s church attendance usually works out after a divorce is finalized.

Scenario 1: Both parents belong to the same religion but now attend different congregations.

In this scenario, the kids will almost always attend church with both parents in their respective congregations. This means one Sunday (or Saturday if the parents celebrate their Sabbath on Saturday) the children will attend with one parent, and the next they’ll attend with the other. The kids will have a different set of friends in each congregations, as well as a different set of activities.

If, as in Mormon wards, activities (scouts for example) are held on the same days across wards, then parents usually pick a primary ward so the kids have some constancy and don’t duplicate these activities. If weekday activities aren’t a thing in your religion, then you won’t have to navigate this issue.

Scenario 2: Parents are members of different religions (or one is not religious).

In this scenario, the children will engage in the parent’s religious observance (or lack thereof) when they are with that parent. This means if one parent is Baptist, then the children will attend church and engage in Baptist worship when the kids are with that parent. If the other parent is Seventh Day Adventist, they will attend church and celebrate that parent’s religion while with that parent.

If a parent is not religious or becomes irreligious during the divorce process (which happens), then the kids won’t observe any religion while with that parent.

(Note: if a parent is religious and his or her ex is not, the religious parent will often ask to have the kids every Sunday or Saturday morning to take them to church. If the irreligious parent is okay with this, and they often are, then it works out great. If that parent does not want to give up that time with the kids, then it is very unlikely a court will make that parent give up time to allow the kids to attend church every week.)

Scenario 3: One parent is religious and the other is openly hostile to religion.

In this sort of situation, the religious parent will often try to get an agreement that the children will be raised in his or her religion, despite the other parent’s misgivings. Honestly, the irreligious parent is usually fine with this. They usually draw that line at taking the children to church or other religious activities (although, sometimes they fine with this as well), but they won’t actively discourage the children’s faith or religious observance.

When parents agree to raise a child in one faith, we write that in the divorce decree so it’s enforceable, just in case someone changes their mind.

Sometimes, the irreligious parent will not agree to a child being raised in a religion and will be openly hostile toward the other parent’s faith. This creates a lot of hostility for the children. If the children have been raised in a religion up to that time, judges will often order that the parent not disparage the children’s religion and allow them to be raised in it.

Lots of Other Considerations

There are lots of other considerations and situation that I could discuss, but these are the most common. Religion among divorcing families is a tricky subject, and one that needs a lot of finesse to handle well.

Protect Your Money And Your Family

We remove fear associated with divorce, protect your money & maximize time with your kids!

We're here to help. Let's determine your best options.

Call Us 24//7 at 801-685-9999 to Speak with a Live Representative

Utah Divorce FAQs
Top 100 Divorce Blog
What Clients Are Saying…
BrownLaw icon
Excellent
Brown Family Law
Based on 970 reviews
Daniel is guy who truly wants to help. Working with him never feels transactional. He truly does provide you with tailored solutions for divorce which is rarely a "cut and paste" situation. Thanks again for your help Daniel!
David and Dani were very helpful and made my case as stress free as possible.
Great Team. Efficient and smooth process. Excellent communication. Thank you David Hunt.
I’m so grateful for attorney Nicholas Schwarz and paralegal Carren Leavitt at Brown Family Law. From day one, they were ready to work with me immediately, making my case feel like a top priority. Their organization is exceptional, every detail was handled with care and efficiency. Most importantly, their commitment to communication stood out. They kept me informed every step of the way, answered questions promptly, and made sure I fully understood my options.

If you want a legal team that is proactive, organized, and truly dedicated to their clients, I highly recommend Nicholas and Carren at Brown Family Law.
They got my dovorce going and stayed in contact with me every week. Every step of the way anytime I had questions they were answered fast. They made it so much easier.
Clay was great to work with! He was very willing to explain everything I needed to know and helped me understand the options on my case. Very easy to work with.
Jennifer and Dani, as well the rest of the team went above and beyond when it came to my case.
I would highly recommend ‘Brown Family Law’.
My experience with them was exceptional.
Alija
Loved working with Daniel and the whole team. Great service.
Marco and his team at Brown Family Law have created nearly the perfect system for getting divorced in Utah. From the initial intake, to gathering all of the necessary documentation, to the client communication in between. There is so much work that goes into getting divorced, but with Marco and his team you'll always know where you are in the process and what happens next, which is such a comfort. Would highly recommend.
I would give them 10 stars if I could. Clay was professional and super organized. He took the time to explain everything. I would highly recommend him for any family law needed. Melanie was a godsend. She not only kept me continually informed of the progress, she sent texts of encouragement and support throughout the entire process. I would give her 100 stars for going above and beyond to make this experience less stressful. Her encouragement and genuine caring were comforting and calming. The entire staff at Brown Law are on your side and if you are lucky enough to get Clay and Melanie on your team you will not be disappointed. Thanks! Mack M.
Response from the owner:Wow, thank you so much. Melanie is great. Glad she helped you so well.
yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7

Categories