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.”
Thanks! One thing I like about the YRBs is that they are particular to our congregation and to the service for that day. In other words, the children receive the same bulletin as the adults, with some added features to engage, encourage, and educate them in worship. Our hope is that this is another way in which to include them in worship.
How does doing something like this really work?
1. Have people committed to doing it each week. We have three people who are committed to a given Sunday each month (i.e. the first Sunday of each month, and so on).
2. Have services planned ahead of time (i.e. before Saturday!) Our administrative assistant sends us the bulletin on Tuesday, and we send it back to her by Thursday morning so she or a volunteer can print them. If we don’t make the deadline – guess who gets to print them!
3. Take the time to think. What does the church do and why does it do it? How does your church explain these things? What are some things you want your children to know and/or do?
4. Take what you thought about in #3 and put it into language and/or an activity that is age appropriate.
5. Rotate what you do each week. If we explain the offertory this week, then the next week we may focus on the call to stewardship.
6. Don’t be afraid to recycle and repeat. We don’t say the same thing every time, but we may repeat/recycle certain explanations, activities, and so forth a month or two later.
7. Educate your parents and adults, particularly for children who are learning to read.
Doing this does take time, especially at first; however, it is well worth it. One mother commented to me that at first this was hard for her, because she felt bad for whispering in worship with her son. (He needs help because he is learning how to read.) However, she now sees this as a major connecting point between them, and has “gotten over†whispering in church. She says that the YRB also challenges her in how she explains and teaches things to her children!