Children in Worship

Parents, let me start off by saying we want your kids in the worship service! Children are a vital part of the covenant family, and as parents God calls us to pass on the faith to our children. According to Deuteronomy 6, we are to “diligently teach the faith to our children.” One of the ways we do that is through the worship service. By including your children, you are not only communicating how important it is to you to gather corporately with God’s people, but also your children’s importance to God! In Luke 18, Jesus invites the “little children to come to Him.” To Jesus they are viewed as vital members of God’s Kingdom.

The phrase I want to stick with parents is – teaching precedes understanding. Yes, your children may not understand all that is happening, but your teaching will shape and mold their understanding. So, teach your children the different parts of the service, and why we do what we do. One of the things my wife and I did with our kids, we had them draw whatever they heard during the service, and then we had a family discussion during lunch about what they drew.

Lastly, we know that children are loud and squirmy – RELAX! God put the wiggle in children. Yes, you will worry what others around you may think, and worry that your children might be a distraction, so may I suggest you sit closer to the front to make it easier for your children to engage, but also if you need to leave the service for a little bit it will make it easier to exit and come back.

To the members of our congregation: The presence of children is a gift to the church, and they are a reminder that our congregation is growing. By welcoming children, we are affecting how our children will respond to the Church, to God, and to one another. Please welcome them, learn their names, and assure their parents we are glad they are here. Doesn’t their presence remind all of us of the baptism vow we made to assist the parents in helping them bring up their children in the “fear and admonition of the Lord”?