When Did Wednesday Nights Change? A Thought for Families and Faith

There was a time—not that long ago—when coaches, programs, and even entire leagues intentionally avoided scheduling practices and games on Wednesday nights. It wasn’t because they were “church leagues.” It was because there was a shared understanding in our culture that mid-week worship mattered, and that families needed that sacred space.

But somewhere along the way, the shift happened.

Now many parents are made to feel that Wednesday practices are “mandatory,” that missing one makes your child fall behind, and that choosing church somehow says you’re “less committed.” And let me be clear—I’m not saying kids should never miss church for sports. As the father of a baseball player, we’ve walked that struggle ourselves. We’ve had to pray through decisions, weigh priorities, and navigate the tension with the same love for our child that every parent feels.

This isn’t about guilt—it’s about recognition. The change itself reveals something deeper happening in our culture.

We’ve moved from a time when church was protected to a time when church is optional. From a culture that respected worship to a culture that replaces it. Not maliciously. Not loudly. But slowly… subtly… until one day we look around and realize the Lord’s Day—and even the Lord’s midweek—has been swallowed up by everything else.

And here’s the truth we must remember:

Sports, dance, cheer, band, and extracurriculars are good things. They build discipline, confidence, teamwork, and perseverance. They matter.

But they cannot do for our children what only Jesus can do.

A batting average can’t save a soul.

A perfect routine can’t anchor a heart.

A championship ring cannot hold a marriage together or carry a teenager through depression, temptation, or fear.

Only Christ can.

Jesus asked, “For what shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” — Mark 8:36

And Joshua once declared to a nation being pulled in a thousand directions:

“Choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” — Joshua 24:15

Our kids need achievement—but they need anchoring even more.

They need coaches—but they need Christ above all.

They need community—but they desperately need the Church, the place that points them to the Savior who loves them, guides them, forgives them, and transforms them.

Parents, the culture may have shifted, but we don’t have to shift with it.

We can cheer them on the field and still choose to lead them in worship.

We can value their sports and still value their souls more.

We can appreciate their gifts and still train their hearts.

Let’s teach our kids that Jesus isn’t an afterthought—not the thing that gets squeezed in after everything else. He is the very foundation everything else stands on.

Sports are good.

Jesus is greater.

And only one of those makes an eternal difference.