Children in worship

Children belong in the worship service and they can be full participants in the experience. While there are some legitimate pragmatic reasons why some churches take children out of the corporate worship service, there are no legitimate developmental or theological reasons to do so. Often, the problem with children in worship is two-fold: (1) a lack of a “theology of children” on the part of the congregation and its leaders, and, (2) a lack of accomodation of the needs of children in worship. Focusing on getting clarity on those two points will go a long way to helping a congregation do good work of the spiritual formation of their children.

Attached is the “Young Reader’s Bulletin” from Grace Baptist Church, Richmond. They do a great job at being intentional about the formation of children in their faith community, including their participation in worship. The bulletin is an example of a well-thought out, intentional teaching resource for both children and parents. You can download the sample bulletin here: Young Reader’s Bulletin

Take some time to look over the bulletin (the cover clip art is not original to them, we’ve added it as a placeholder):

• Note that the the bulletin is intended for “young readers” and is written at their level (including the large print)
• Note that the bulletin follows the order of service and highlights all those places the children can participate with the rest of the congregation (hymns, litanies, etc.)
• Note how the message and theme of the service is highlighted through notes and activities
• Note how the sermon is framed by the STORY, the biblical narrative–which is the most important thing the kids need (see previous post on children’s sermons)
• Note the participatory nature of the resource–children are instructed to “do” several things (experience is key)

Finally, note how much thought and work goes into doing something well. Kudos to Grace Baptist Church and its staff!

“When I’m not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.”