![[Christian Parenting Resources]](parent.gif)
|
| Should There Be a Church Nursery?by Judie C. Rall |
If you drop your child off at the church nursery only to hear him crying loudly in protest when you leave, be thankful! You have a child with a secure attachment. Now don't sabotage that attachment by leaving that baby in the nursery. Pick him up and take him to church with you! What does the Bible say about children in worship:
Deuteronomy 31:11-13 "...when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people--men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
The word "children" in this verse is the word taph which means little toddlers.
Joshua 8:35 "There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them."
I Samuel 1:21-23 "When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, 'After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.' 'Do what seems best to you,' Elkanah her husband told her. 'Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.' So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him."
Joel 2:15-16 "Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast."
It seems to me that we have a pretty clear picture here. God wanted everyone to assemble together - even the toddlers and nursing babies. When there is a need to, God would rather that we stay home to care for our babies' needs as Hannah did than to come to church and separate ourselves from them. God doesn't seem to mind babies crying during the worship service, children wiggling, and Mom's nursing their babies while the service is going on. It's just important that they are THERE, because they will soak up whatever amount of information they are able to comprehend at the time. The most important things they will learn are that worship is something the whole family does together, that worship is fun and enjoyable, that they should stand when God's word is read, that they should pray when everyone else prays, and that God loves little children. Also, if the church is responding to the children properly, they will learn that they are unconditionally loved and accepted by the church for who they are, and no one will reprimand them for wiggling or making a little noise. They will feel a part of what's going on.
Let's Make Our Services Child-Friendly!
Copyright 1998 by Judie C. Rall, founder of SPACE: Spirit-led Parents of Attached Children Everywhere
Used by permission
Back to Should Children Be in the Church Service?
Home
|
[Where to Buy] [Health] [Protecting Children] [Free Graphics] [Awards] [Text Index of Site] [Webrings] [Who am I?] [GeoCities]
The Kidz are People Too Page |