The worship of God is primary to our existence; all else grows from it. So when we plan our weekly worship of God, we would do well to remember Jesus' words in Mark's Gospel: "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." In other words, when it comes to children in worship, the question is not, "Should children be included in the worshiping community?" but "How do we help children be a part of the worshiping community?" How do we ensure that they make the transition from Sunday worship as something they have to do to a lifelong commitment to something they want to do as part of a larger faith community?
There are certainly plenty of reasons given for segregating children and adults at church: parents are blamed for not teaching their children how to behave in worship, older members are blamed for looking toward the source of distracting noise with a scowl across their face, and clergy and worship leaders are blamed for planning worship with only adults in mind.
But if we can agree that it is important for children to worship with us, then it's our collective responsibility (the congregation, parents, worship planners, and leaders) to work together to find a meaningful and manageable way for them to do so.
This one-session study for adults will help congregations work through these questions and concerns. Also included are practical and illuminating tips for integrating children into worship.