Children and the Worship Service

Jesus is still opening His arms and inviting children to come to Him. One of the ways we re¿ ect this truth to our children is by welcoming them into the most central, most regular, most valuable, and most corporate activity of the church. When we encour-age families to worship together, we communicate to the children that they are a part of the congregation and, as such, should be included when the church gathers to worship. The presence of children also serves as a reminder to the church of its responsibility to nurture the faith of the next generation.Yet there are challenges that parents, other worshippers and church leaders face when they include children in the church service. In this booklet, David and Sally Michael address some of those challenges and provide practical suggestions for parents and churches, in the context of a biblical vision for the active participation of children in the worship services of the church.