Should children be in the worship service?
My church is currently in the process of renovating our nursery ministry. One of the questions we’re wrestling with is the appropriate ages of children that the nursery should serve. (In a small church with limits both in terms of space and the number of volunteers, this issue becomes even more pressing!)
But really, that question is just the flip-side of the question “At what age should children start attending the regular worship service?” Every family and every church has their own expectations, and it’s important for us to be gracious with those who disagree, and with visitors whose children who may not be used to sitting in an odd setting for that long!
Jason Helopoulos has a great post on Kevin DeYoung’s blog detailing six reasons that children benefit from being in corporate worship:
- Our children are members of the covenant community.
- Our children will be present in the midst of the means of grace.
- Our children will be present in the midst of the entire congregation.
- Our children will be present with their parents.
- Our children will witness their parents worshipping.
- Our children will learn the rhythms of church life.
Clearly, Helopoulos is writing from a Presbyterian perspective, so I wouldn’t phrase his first two points in quite the same way as he does. Still, it’s a helpful discussion of the issues for both parents and church leaders.
March 06 2012 03:21 pm | Uncategorized
Don on 06 Mar 2012 at 7:10 pm #
This is a big issue for small churches. My experience and practice is that children 4th grade and above belong in church with their parents. If parents with smaller children have to sit with them, many would rather stay at home. Small children are a distraction in the worship service; to the congregation, and to the pastor. All little childrens’ muscles are made for wiggling. We all know families who are exceptions (e.g. the neighbor family across the street from LBC).