Children and Worship is an innovative way to introduce children to the practice of worship. It is a cooperative ministry of the Reformed Church in America (RCA), the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC), and The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC).
Children in worship is a way to adapt the pattern of adult worship to a child's level. It makes use of a dedicated worship space to lead children through a liturgy of worship. The following video is a great introduction to the practice of Children and Worship.
In reflection, I have a couple of reactions to this.
Firstly, I think it's an excellent way to help children practice some of the disciplines of listening, praying, singing, wondering, etc. The 'slow down' approach of children in worship is a much needed corrective to our overly busy, activity focused programs. Once learned and practiced I believe it will genuinely help children to connect with the Lord, perhaps for the rest of their lives.
However, I'm not sure about the emphasis on a 'sacred place' and a sacred liturgy. This way of seeing 'worship' along with idea of a 'sanctuary' is, to my mind, more akin to the Old Testament. The emphasis in the NT, and the one the children need to grasp, is on the presence of the Holy Spirit within us and the church as the body of Christ that meets and builds each other up. I preferred the emphasis on a 'special time' in which we can slow down, reflect, pray and so on.
Added to this, it seems very adult led, and the children are for the most part passive recipients. I would like to leave room to encourage children to lead and bring things to the experience in an age-appropriate way. In this way they learn to be contributers, not just passengers.
Therefore, I would love to use this approach (or a similar one) from time to time. I probably wouldn't do it every week, but I can see the need and benefit of it for the spiritual nurture of children. I would also make sure that children participate and are included in the 'adult' worship service.
This was interesting Ray. It still seems to be a Sunday School principle - that children and adults are separated. I am looking for a way where all ages can worship together without suppression or elevation of any particular age or stage. Many of the concerns you had bothered me also.
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