As I mentioned in one of my earlier comments:

“Yeah, even if the teaching is more than the kids should hear, I like it when the service starts with the children, and then dismisses them after worship–for the teaching. I’ve also been to churches where the pastor brings the young kids up to the front and teaches them a little lesson before dismissing them. I love that. Wish my church did those things.”

Yes…absolutely, our children need to see us worshipping at home, but they need to be “included” at church too. Just my .02.

As always, thanks for reading and for commenting!

tim

Here’s my take on it. I believe our kids need to see us with our Bibles open, on our knees in prayer, and worshipping our Lord in our homes first and foremost. Personally, on Sunday and during a mid-week service, I want my child in an age-appropriate learning/worshipping environment (for the same reason I wouldn’t send my 2nd grader to a high school class).

Hopefully my child knows what I do in church because she sees me doing it at home the rest of the week and she will emulate the behavior. In all honesty, if she were ‘made’ to sit in church between her mother and me, she would likely not understand the message and as a result not want to go to church. As it is now, she loves the experience of her age appropriate classes.

I know this wasn’t the main-focus of your post, but I felt compelled to reply.

Yeah, even if the teaching is more than the kids should hear, I like it when the service starts with the children, and then dismisses them after worship–for the teaching. I’ve also been to churches where the pastor brings the young kids up to the front and teaches them a little lesson before dismissing them. I love that. Wish my church did those things.

Thanks for reading and for commenting!

tim

Sounds like your church gets it. The only time my church allows children in the sanctuary, is when they are doing baby dedications.
My former pastor used to make jokes all the time about children’s ministry…like he’d say, “Don’t worry, we’re not going to make you work in the children’s ministry…” like it was some sort of punishment…or it was a terrible place to be.
That always bothered me. But, like I said, he’s my FORMER pastor. Ha!

Thanks for reading and for writing.

But your point, which Wess has also made, is valid. A friend of long ago once told me that she had never referred to her son and daughter as “kids,” but always as her children. But we agreed that, more fundamental than the words, was whether we saw our children as people.