Children In Worship

Our littlest saints, singing songs to Christ, worshiping him with their hearts.

Toward The Training of Children in The Worship of God on the Lord’s Day

Proverb 22:6—Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Trinity Reformed Church is a community of Christians that practice Covenant Renewal Worship (CRW). An important and necessary emphasis in CRW is Families worshiping together, with a particular emphasis that children should be a part of our weekly service. Their inclusion is a practical outworking of our commitment to Covenant Succession. We should remember that as we believe in the Triune God’s promises to His people, our children’s participation in both the service and the communion are evidence of His blessings to us.

Although the participation of our children in our worship service is a blessing, there are practical challenges and times when the parents and congregation must to work together in this endeavor to raise up the next generation of faithful Christians

Proverbs 14:4—Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox

Congregants who are not parents of young children: Please be patient and give grace to those families that are endeavoring to train their children to be an active part of the church and worship God with you. All congregants can be an encouragement in this endeavor and help parents continue to raise their children according to God’s ways and include their children in his worship service.

Helpful Tips For Parents

Parents with infants:

Parents with babies must remember that this is only a stage of life that will pass quickly, and that babies have basic needs and do not understand how to behave during services. Therefore, for this season, parents must strive to provide for their needs and monitor their behavior. This could include such things as:

  1. Tracking their feeding so that they may be fed close to the service.

  2. Monitoring the infant’s disposition. If the baby is becoming restless and unhappy, quietly step out of the sanctuary and into the nursery room. The nursery is adjacent to the sanctuary making participation still possible.

  3. If the baby begins to cry, and does not stop after a few moments, quietly leave the sanctuary until he or she is calm. When the parent believes that the baby is calm/content, return to the service.

Parents with young children:

Roughly around age the age of 1.5 to 2, parents should begin training young children how to behave during the church service. This is a difficult process but the fruit it bears is immensely sweet. Additionally, this is just another stage of life in which you are instilling godliness into your child. What is planted in the child at this age, can and will have many rewards as the child grows. This could include:

  1. Practice sitting quietly at home. This may include a quiet time where children look at books, draw, etc.

  2. Talk to the children before church about how to behave (no running in the sanctuary, stay quiet during the service, standing with the rest of the church, generally participating in the liturgy, etc.).

  3. Crafting family worship time throughout the week to mirror aspects of worship on Sunday (standing while singing, kneeling to confess sin, teaching your child how to confess sin, singing the psalm of the month, etc.)

  4. Because the children are young, it is important to monitor them closely. This includes before, during, and after the service.

  5. Provide help for the children. This could include having a special bag of items that are reserved for church time (children’s Bible, small notebook for drawing, small stuffed animal, small snack, etc.)

    1. Overtime, however, and as the child matures, these helps ought to gradually fall away.

  6. If a child becomes disruptive, quietly remove the child from the service. Take time to talk to the child and remind them how they should behave. If needed, discipline the child. When the parent believes that the child is ready, return to the service.

    1. Leviticus 19:30—You shall keep my keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord

  7. After service, talk to the children about the service, what they remember and about their behavior. Remember to acknowledge children’s good behavior in words and even celebrate when they make improvements.

Parents with older children:

Parents should continue to monitor their children as they get older. This should include:

  1. Discuss the expectations for church. This would include staying in the service unless absolutely necessary, listening and participating in the service.

    1. E.g. responsive readings, singing aloud, tithing their own money, etc.

  2. Parents should provide expectations regarding behavior after the service.

    1. Enjoy the time to interact with church family and friends.

    2. Encourage engaging with adults

    3. Encourage older children to respect the church property.

    4. Set limits on where the children are permitted to go

      1. Stay out of mechanical/electrical spaces/rooms

      2. Don’t climb in or seek out interstitial spaces, such as above ceilings, mechanical shafts, etc…

      3. No play in the parking lot

Once again, Trinity Reformed Church believes that God has called us to be united together to participate in the worship of our Lord and Savior. This includes all members of the Church, even to the youngest child. God loves children and he desires that they not only be part of his church, but that they, along with the adults, worship him in spirit and truth on the Lord’s day. This requires parents to be wise and diligent—but God has promised to bless your efforts. The above guidelines are given in the hope that they will support this endeavor.