"Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them." (Mark 10:13-16)
Children in church...this can be a hot topic among Christians. Many adults want to have the service free from any disruptions, especially talking babies, so they can worship. Then there are parents, like Daniel and I, who see that having children in the worship service is a blessing. From the very first time that they are brought into the church building, they are exposed to singing and praying are a corporate body, and the preaching of God's Word.
We used to send our children to the nursery, until Josiah. He absolutely hated the nursery. So we started taking him into the service with us. Can you believe that he actually sat still? So then we started bringing Cara into the service with us. She too sat still and quiet. Then Mathias came along. He did not like to be quiet and we really struggled with him. For 2 years we struggled. Now he sits well. Sara is in training right now during our family worship. Mostly she sleeps, but even then she is in the arms of her mother, and not some stranger in the nursery. God began to work on our hearts and convicted us that having the children in the service with us blesses the whole family. We were all hearing the same teaching and were able to have discussions because we were all learning the same thing.
We now attend a church where there is no nursery. Yes, you read correctly, no nursery. We are a family-integrated church. The desire of the parents in our fellowship is to remain in worship together and worshipping as a family. Our church is also a liturgical church. Most of the liturgy changes from week to week, but there is a bit that remains the same. When we come to those parts, if brings such joy to our hearts to hear even the youngest members of the church participating. We are also learning the great hymns and Psalms together.
While doing some reading on the subject of family-integrated churches and having children in the worship service, I came across some great articles. The first one is from Raising Godly Tomatoes. I highly recommend this site for child training. If you scroll down 1/4 of the way down the page, there will be a question and answer in training your babies to sit in church.
Scott Brown, the director of the
National Center for Family-Integrated Churches (NCFIC)
has also written some great articles on the history of having children in the worship and the importance of worshipping as families. There are also many other wonderful articles to read and I encourage you to do so.
Children in the Meeting of the Ephesian Church
By Scott T. Brown
Ephesians 6:1-4 is the flagship New Testament passage on child rearing and fatherhood. It is an extremely simple and steadying message in light of the dizzying array of advice the world gives to parents...
Children Destroy Worshipful Atmospheres
By Scott T. Brown
"A couple of years ago I asked a pastor what he felt was the purpose of the Sunday School. He responded immediately, "to keep the children out of our hair so we can worship." For those of us who were raised on multiple choice exams, we know that the first impression is usually the right answer. So, I expect that his answer was sincere, though I don't think he would like to see it in print. In the same spirit, a dear friend of mine said to me the other day: "no one wants a four year old distracting him in church."
So, I ask you, If you do not bring your children into church with you, why don't you? Does your church hold to the premise that children are a nuisance? If you feel that it is Biblical that families should worship together, then I challenge you do bring them with you. Show those in your congregation that children are a blessing and should be included in corporate worship.
If you disagree with children being in the worship service I would love to hear from you also.
Last night about midnight, Sara starts screaming. It took about 45 minutes to get her calm and back to sleep. Having her wake up in the night is nothing new, but we could tell something was really bothering her. This morning we found out ... 2 more teeth! So at 8 months old, Sara has 6 teeth. Right on schedule like a good Ryken baby. At this rate she will have a mouth full by the time she is 1 year old.
