Why Children Should Worship

Children are uniquely equipped to enter into the mystery of worship. Yet the Christian church has often considered children to be less than essential to the worshiping community. The following article explains why and how children can be included as full participants in the worshiping community.

My family attended the worship service at Duke University Chapel one Sunday. Although we were looking forward to being away from our regular worship responsibilities and being part of worship at Duke Chapel, we were a little apprehensive about how our seven-year-old daughter would respond to this new worship environment with its Gothic architecture, different ministers, and unfamiliar order of worship. As we entered the chapel, we were given two orders of worship, one for adults and one for children. The children's worship guide, "?Elementary Worship,?" was informally prepared with pictures, explanations, space for responses by the child in words and drawings, words to responses and creeds known by the congregation, and general instructions for making worship more understandable for children. My daughter's response was positive. This carefully prepared worship guide had succeeded in making worship more meaningful to her. Upon leaving, I realized how our church needed to rethink its approach toward children and their role in worship. It was readily apparent to me that my daughter's response to worship at our church was much less enthusiastic, except during special seasons or when the children's choirs were participating. This realization caused me to reconsider the role of children in the worship experience. Worship is one of the most selfless acts of Christians. It is not for us, Christians, but is our service directed to God and for God in words and deeds of praise, adoration, confession, and commitment. For our children to grow in their ability to relate to God through worship, we as adults must make an intentional effort to sensitize them to all of its facets. The purpose of this article is to lay a brief foundation for why children should worship. Material will be drawn from biblical, developmental, theological, and spiritual formation authorities. A Short Biblical Perspective The Old Testament stresses a covenantal perspective in relation to children in the life of Israel. Children were a part of all that took place in the saga of Israel: the times of joy, the times of sorrow, the times of hunger, the times of captivity, and the times of worship. Scattered throughout the Pentateuch are descriptions of Israel's worship (e.g., Exod. 33:10; Exod. 35:1; Num. 10:3, etc.) In Deuteronomy 31:12–30, as they approached the Promised Land, Moses called together all of the people specifically including the children, so that they might learn a song of great significance to the future of Israel. Thus, one of the contributions of the Old Testament to the role of children in the religious community is that of involving the entire family in sharing the responsibilities and rewards of the covenantal relationship. Later in the Old Testament, the prophets used children metaphorically to describe the relationship between the Israelites and the God of Israel. Isaiah especially is fond of the image of child or son (Isa. 7:14; 9:6). The most poignant example is found in Isaiah 11:6, "? … and a little child shall lead them.?" The continuity between the Old Testament metaphors concerning children and Jesus' teaching is remarkable. In Luke, Mary's song (Magnificat), the Angels' song (Gloria in excelsis Deo), and Simeon's song (Nunc Dimittis), all revolve around Jesus Christ as a baby, and not as an adult political or military ruler. Jesus quickly told the disciples, who attempted to keep children from him, that his kingdom had a place for children (Matt. 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–14; Luke 18:15–17). In addition, the services of a child were used by Jesus to feed the multitudes (John 6:9). The metaphorical use of children in Jesus' teaching is also quite strong. Children were a symbol for humility (Matt. 18:2–6; Mark 9:36; Luke 9:47–48) and a symbol for the greater masses of the poor and powerless (Matt. 18:5; Matt. 25:40). It is difficult for congregations to appreciate the power of these metaphors and for children to realize the potential they have as children for the kingdom of God unless they become a meaningful part of the worship experience. Often worship tends to insulate children from the rest of the world, rather than open it to them. As Jesus stressed, "?if you have given to the least of these, you have given to me?" (Matt. 25:40). It might be said that those churches which do not provide a meaningful role for children in worship probably do not include diverse ethnic groups and/ or people from a broad range of socioeconomic situations. Attitudes toward children in worship may be indicative of a more pervasive narrow-mindedness in other areas. Dealing with children in worship may be the first step toward dealing with the larger problem of exclusiveness in worship. We need to regain Israel's concern for the whole family's involvement in the covenant and for passing on our worship traditions to children in an intentional manner. Additionally, we need our children among us in worship so that we might experience first hand the power of Jesus' teaching on humility and the nature of the Christian life and worship as inclusive (of children, the poor, and the powerless). Developmental Priorities and Worship Child development models teach us many things. I will look briefly at just a few models that have great importance for incorporating children into the community. (1) Children must have the opportunity to learn to worship, just as they learn other skills. This is a lifetime process. The context of the Lord's Prayer comes from a question to Jesus by the disciples to teach them to pray. Our children need to be taught the "?stuff?" of worship. They need to be taught to pray, to praise, to share, to listen, to confess, and to respond to the message of Christ in word and witness. Developmental psychologists tell us that our learning takes place through the building of and gradual internalization of patterns of behavior. The actions of worship (ceremony) and the words of worship (ritual) gradually become a part of our intellectual processes simply by doing and saying them at the earlier stages of life. Meaning is added later through experience and relationships. This developmental model shows us that children learn best by actively participating in worship, rather than by watching. (2) We also know that children learn best when they start at a young age. The sounds of the organ, the lighting of candles, the procession of the choir, the use of colorful banners, the full-voiced singing of hymns by the congregation, the hearing of the Word retold in the engaging manner of a storyteller, and the meeting and greeting of the congregation can have a tremendous emotional impact upon children (even at four or five years old), if they are encouraged to understand and participate. The more worship appeals to all of the senses, the more effective the impression will be on the children. Where feelings are strong, the desire for information often follows. Even as adults, we can recall the feelings of a situation long after we have forgotten the specific circumstances surrounding it. Adults often say, "?The children can't participate because they don't understand.?" Understanding starts at the level of impression and awareness. If interest is created on the basic level, then understanding will follow. (3) Developmental psychologists also tell us that children use words before they fully comprehend them. They are motivated by language at the level just above where they are. For example, the elementary-aged child might respond better to language geared for the junior high student. The implications here are many; but the most obvious implication is that worship designed for involving children should not be condescending, but challenging. Developmental research offers many other insights into the way children learn, but let me summarize. A child learning the skills of worship demands an active and participatory approach. The child should be exposed to the sights, sounds, and general impressions of worship at a young age and in a challenging manner. Faith, Development, and Worship When planning for worship, we need to be aware that those who worship together reflect various stages of faith. John Westerhoff III provides an easily understandable model for understanding how faith is perceived at various stages of faith. The stages are as follows: (1) Affiliative Faith. This is usually the faith of the child based on the models of parents and other influential adults. The child starts the journey of faith by learning those rituals and patterns of the worshiping community of which he or she is a part. The priorities of this stage of faith are based upon the priorities and expectations of those whom the child knows and trusts. (2) Searching Faith. Often during adolescence, the growing person starts to react to those values that were accepted without question during earlier years. Based upon the experiences of growth and development, the adolescent starts to look for new rituals, patterns, and means of expression in all areas of life, including the areas of faith and worship. This is a natural process. By questioning the inherited values of the community, the person develops a sense of ownership of those values that seem most relevant to life as that person has experienced it. It is a time of experimentation with new forms, styles and modes of expression in worship. (3) Mature Faith. This stage of faith integrates the experience of the earlier stages. It reflects flexibility, openness, and personal relationship with God that results from freedom rather than authority. Persons at this stage of faith can share from their broader perspective with those in the affiliative and searching stages. All of these stages need to be part of our worship awareness and preparation. Unless the child has been raised with a strong sense of affiliative faith (notice the covenantal overtones), the adolescent will not have a spiritual foundation from which to test life's obstacles. A strong worship tradition is important for a healthy affiliative faith. If the adolescent cannot search within the confines of the church for answers, then he will search elsewhere. Adults with maturing faith are needed as models for children acquiring an affiliative expression of faith and as friends for adolescents searching for answers to faith. A growing faith is a vital faith. Worship is the ideal arena for all stages of faith. Adults can easily slip into a complacency about worship that values aestheticism over spirituality or structure over vitality. Worship, then, becomes a "?museum?" experience where the songs, sermons, and liturgy are idolized over the God they are to praise. This complacency will not likely happen in worship that encompasses all stages of faith. The children will keep worship structured and participatory because those are the traits that help them best learn. The adolescents will keep worship relevant and responsive to the issues in the world around us, awakening us with their insights and innovations. Finally, the adults should bring a sense of purpose, continuity, and challenge to all who participate. Biblically, we must take the needs of children seriously. They are a part of our covenantal inheritance and a constant reminder that a childlike faith of humility and inclusiveness is at the heart of Jesus' Good News. Developmentally, we learn the need to teach children the vocabulary of worship at a young age and to challenge them in the process of worship education and understanding, rather than to condescend to their apparent level. Faith development teaches us that there is a process of faith development. Worship is one of the most important arenas for experiencing growth in the faith process. Those in each stage of the faith process contribute to the overall health and vitality of the worshiping community. Where to go from here? The second part of this series is designed to offer specific ideas about curriculum content and practical suggestions for making worship more dynamic for children.