Why Worship With Children? BY Daniel Nealon for Core Christianity
“Where can I send my kids?” This is a common question that people ask when they go to a new church. And it’s well-intended. Many Christians have grown up in churches where adults and children go different ways on Sunday mornings. Parents attend the worship service while children go to a separate Sunday school hour. Having children in worship on a Sunday can feel unfamiliar.
To be sure, it’s not easy to include children in corporate worship. My wife and I are very aware that having our four children beside us in the pew can be distracting, for us and for those around us. We also know that it will require work and discipline on our end. What’s more, we’ve personally experienced everything from blowout diapers to full-on temper tantrums in the middle of church services.
Why Do It?
So why worship with children? Why would we subject ourselves to something that’s unfamiliar and inconvenient?
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We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
First and foremost, we invite our children to worship with us because God desires children to worship! The prophet Joel once visited God’s people with a message of repentance and judgment. He charged the people of God:
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.” (Joel 2:15–16)
When it comes to worshipping God, Joel was clear that when the congregation comes together, nobody should be left out. Joel calls everyone in the congregation—adults, children, elders, and even nursing infants—to worship him as one gathering!
But Is That What’s Best?
Many parents wonder if kids would be better suited for something more age-appropriate. Won’t children be bored with worship? Won’t it go over our little ones’ heads?
These are good questions. Many churches invest heavily in Sunday morning programs and activities for kids because they care about the spiritual growth of kids. These programs create an environment where kids can learn the Bible in age-appropriate ways, pray with other children, and interact with older leaders. Most churches also have nursery care for the youngest members of the congregation.
