Children in Worship?  YES!!

When adult followers of Christ brought their children with them to meet Jesus, some of his disciples tried to turn them away.  But Jesus welcomed the children gladly with open arms, blessed them, and declared that the kingdom of God belonged to them (Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17).

Jesus continues to do this for our own children in a different way in baptism.  When our children are baptized, the Lord puts his name upon them, for they are baptized into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  In this way, God claims the church’s children as his own disciples and commissions the whole church to care for their spiritual growth and nurture.

Therefore, when the Lord calls us to worship him together each Lord’s Day, we must do everything we can to bring our children so that they too can learn receive the many blessings that Jesus gives us in corporate worship.  Children of all ages will learn that they too belong to Jesus as they are present with the whole congregation and learn to participate actively in ways appropriate to their age.  For biblical reasons and practical tips for training our children to worship, see the following resources.

Resources for Teaching Children to Worship

It Takes a Congregation…to Nurture the Children by Steve Burger
from Reformed Worship 76 (June 2005)

Children in Worship: Let’s Bring It Back! by Jason Helopoulos
Children in Worship: Mom-Tested Tips by Jason Helopoulos
from the blog of Reformed pastor Kevin DeYoung

The Family: Together in God’s Presence by John and Noel Piper

Parenting in the Pew by Robbie Castleman
Including Children in Worship by Elizabeth Sandell
Books with many practical suggestions about teaching children to participate actively in corporate worship.