I’m so excited for something new this Sunday!
Our Christian Ed team got together last month and parents said they’d love to have their children with them in worship sometimes. They said that some of their children have never been to an entire worship service and don’t really know what happens. They said that they’d like their children to receive communion with them.
And they also said that their children don’t tend to sit still for long and sometimes make some noise.
I said, “Great!” Joyful noise in worship is the sign of a vibrant church.
Want children to stay involved in church? There’s some good science saying that young adults who chose to stay in church often did so because of relationships they have with adult members (not their parents). Researcher Kara Powell calls it an important factor in having a ‘sticky faith.’[i] She advocates a 5:1 model for the church – each child/teen has five adults other than their parents who know them, look for them on a Sunday, talk to them, and know about their lives outside of church.
Our youth director Tom Schauer gets this – he involves youth and adults together in events as much as he can. Our music director Abby Schoppe gets this – she has parents and children playing the chimes together. Our praise band leader Ingrid Marstaller gets this – she loves to have teens playing in the band.
It’s time to expand our multi-generational ministry to include worship. So…about once a month at the 10:30 AM service, we are going to have a radically-family-friendly worship service. Adults and children will worship together. There will be singing, there will be movement, there will be prayers, there will be Scripture, there will be communion…and there will be smiles and a joyful noise.
To our parents…as someone wise once said, “RELAX! God put the wiggle in your children; don’t feel like you have to suppress it in God’s house. We’re glad you’re here!”
To our other worshippers…”The presence of children is a gift to the church and a sign of a healthy congregation. Please welcome our children and give a smile of encouragement to their parents. The way we welcome children directly affects the way they respond to the church, God, and to each other.”
I’m so excited for something new this Sunday at 10:30 AM!
In Christ,
Pastor Jen
[i] https://www.lifelongfaith.com/uploads/5/1/6/4/5164069/__the_church_sticking_together.pdf