Kids in Worship

At Providence Church, our goal is for children to grow up knowing how to worship the Lord as Christians, which in the context of a Sunday morning looks like them attending our worship service in the sanctuary. That said, we know that for some parents, keeping their kids from distracting them or others in a worship service is a tall order. With that in mind, we currently have an optional nursery for children aged 3 and under.  If you choose to make use of the nursery, your child will “graduate” and join you in the sanctuary the Sunday after their 4th birthday.

 Children are a blessing, but training them to participate well in a worship service takes time. Our two elders have 11 children between them and have experienced the… energy that numerous children bring. In order to help our younger Providencers, we will do a few things.

1) Some of the theology and concepts in a given sermon can be less accessible for children, and children function better when they understand what is going on around them. To that end, we send out a weekly email to the parents providing them with resources for the upcoming sermon text so they can prepare their children before Sunday. Click here to subscribe.

2) We teach our children catechism questions each Sunday from the Young Baptist’s Catechism by Adam Murrell. This book has a question-and-answer format with Scriptural texts supporting each answer. We encourage you to help your kids memorize them during the week. The children’s catechism moment will happen during our service before the sermon. Not only do we hope for it to be spiritually nourishing for your kids, but we hope the timing will be helpful. They will be invited to get up, move around, and make noise before being expected to sit quietly through a sermon.

Here are a few notes and tips for bringing your children to church, with specific instructions for age ranges:

Ages 0-3

  • As noted above, we will have an optional nursery, but if you would prefer to keep your kids in service you're more than welcome to do so.

  • It is not the end of the world if they make happy noises. Both of our pastors have had small children of their own and recognize that silence with a small child is extremely unlikely.

  • Having a baby or toddler in church can be difficult, and they will at times struggle to stay quiet. If you need to take your child out to regroup or to discipline, please feel free to do so and come on back in when things are under control. We encourage fathers in particular to take responsibility in this area when possible.

  • For toddlers we recommend bringing ample snacks (snacks are key!) and quiet activities. Here are some examples: Toddler Activity Book, Bible Quiet Book, Drawing Kit, and Sticker Play Set

Preschool

  • At this age, your child can start paying a little more attention to what is going on.

  • Focus will still be a struggle for preschoolers, so feel free to step out into the foyer for a few moments with your child to discipline or regroup.

  • At this age, we recommend that a child have their own Bible to read. They can sit on your lap or next to you, and you can show kids how to follow along with the text being read in service.

  • Coloring books/crayons are a good idea, particularly once their short attention span is depleted.

  • Some children do well with a pen and notepad mimicking their parents taking notes on a sermon.

Elementary

  • Once kids can read and write they can start taking notes on the sermon to help them pay attention.

  • A kids sermon journal is a fun way to encourage them.

  • You can also buy special pens or stickers to be used only during service.

  • You could have kids count how many times a specific word is spoken in the sermon or highlight every time they see a name of God in a passage.

  • While we want to respect the word of God, don't give your kids the feeling the Bible is to be kept pristine and not engaged with. It is better to buy a cheap copy of the Bible and underline every time they see God's name than have a perfectly beautiful, but unread, Bible.

Middle School

Ask your kids questions about the sermon afterwards. This should be conversational, you're trying to both draw out what they understood and encourage them to pay attention because they know you will be asking. Good questions are:

  • What did this passage teach you about God?

  • What did it teach you about yourself?

  • What did it teach you about the body of Christ?

  • What do you think the big idea of this sermon was?

  • What do you need to change in your life?

You might consider buying your middle schooler a book of the Bible scripture journal.

It is our sincere prayer that your discipleship of your children, both at home and in corporate worship with the gathered body of Christ, will be extremely fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful for your entire family. We pray that it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in your children. If you have any questions or comments about our beliefs on children in worship or for more advice on this topic, please email LJ Decker or Michael Brady.