Advent is a season during which many are especially mindful of the need to pass the message of Christmas, and thus the gospel, on to the next generation. The wonderful new song from the Gettys and Sandra McCracken, “Pass the Promise”, beautifully calls us to bear witness to our sons and daughters. Take a listen!

A couple of months ago, I wrote about God having designed the church to be “a discipling family of faith”. This compels us to place a priority on partnering together with parents to evangelize and train up their children. This is the first principle of children’s ministry, as God has designed this to be a whole-church effort.

Another principle of children’s ministry is the need to fully fold children into our Sunday morning services as soon as possible, hence our monthly Family Worship Sundays when we invite children who have started kindergarten to remain with us throughout the service.

Numerous articles and books have been written and seminars taught, both in regard to why we should welcome children into our worship services and how to best equip them to participate, with attention given to things to be done before, during, and after the service.

Comparing it to teaching a child to swim, Jason Helopoulos, writes this in Let the Children Worship:

“No amount of teaching or even practicing small things in the bathtub would have made [my children] as confident swimmers as they became by actually learning in the pool itself.” (80)

Experience is the greatest teacher, and children cannot fall in love with worship if they are kept away from it. It is through observing others worship God that children learn the universe revolves around Him and not them. For children, worship is more caught than taught.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Evan

(See follow-up article here.)