Dear Steve,
Friday was the first time we came to your Friday night teaching in McMinnville. I just wanted to say how nice it was to know that I wasn't going to be ushered out because our baby was a little noisy. At the church we attend we have to have him in the nursery or I have to be in the cry room with him during service. It felt so nice to be able to sit with my husband and child and not be so on edge because he might make a peep!!! It really impressed me how you were able to speak and not get distracted by people. Our pastor tells people not to get up while he's talking. I guess I am rambling on a lot because I have never been to a gathering like that and really enjoyed it.
God bless you and your family.
Love in Christ,
Janet, Salem OR
Kids in church service
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Kids in church service
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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Reason:
Janet,
Some churches do not want distractions in the services because they are taping the messages or because they don't want others to be distracted. Imagine if Jesus had adopted that policy when he preached to the multitudes on the hillsides! I think it is good and normal for young children to be with their parents in church. It is the nature of children to be distracting (even if merely by being distractingly cute!), but adults ought to learn to cope with the reality of children in the body of Christ. Our society has come to think of them a little bit like the disciples did when they forbade parents to bring their children to Jesus. I am glad to see people bring their babies and children, knowing that this provides a training opportunity for the parents. If the children are never allowed into the adult meetings, how will they learn proper behavior in meetings? I think that very small children can learn to sit relatively contently at a very young age (there were two little foster girls, aged 2 and 3, who came Friday night with one of the families. Even though the meeting was very long, they had been trained to sit quietly, and that is just what they did for the whole time!). Of course, infants can't be expected to know such things. But by bringing them into the meetings, the parents have an opportunity to train them. If people don't like the sounds made by babies in the church, those people can find plenty of churches where the only evidence of the existence of children is the occasional "identification number" flashing in the corner to notify the parents in the service that their child is causing problems in the nursery. I wonder how the early Christians managed to get by without such wonderful technology!
Some churches do not want distractions in the services because they are taping the messages or because they don't want others to be distracted. Imagine if Jesus had adopted that policy when he preached to the multitudes on the hillsides! I think it is good and normal for young children to be with their parents in church. It is the nature of children to be distracting (even if merely by being distractingly cute!), but adults ought to learn to cope with the reality of children in the body of Christ. Our society has come to think of them a little bit like the disciples did when they forbade parents to bring their children to Jesus. I am glad to see people bring their babies and children, knowing that this provides a training opportunity for the parents. If the children are never allowed into the adult meetings, how will they learn proper behavior in meetings? I think that very small children can learn to sit relatively contently at a very young age (there were two little foster girls, aged 2 and 3, who came Friday night with one of the families. Even though the meeting was very long, they had been trained to sit quietly, and that is just what they did for the whole time!). Of course, infants can't be expected to know such things. But by bringing them into the meetings, the parents have an opportunity to train them. If people don't like the sounds made by babies in the church, those people can find plenty of churches where the only evidence of the existence of children is the occasional "identification number" flashing in the corner to notify the parents in the service that their child is causing problems in the nursery. I wonder how the early Christians managed to get by without such wonderful technology!
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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Reason:
In Jesus,
Steve
Steve
As a friend of ours who is a pastor in Oklahoma said.... you go to a church meeting in many other countries and you not only have babies making noise, but cows and pigs and all kinds of other things!
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
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Reason:
This is an older thread, but I just read through it and wanted to post an alternate view.
For what it is worth--
My wife and I have 2 boys, ages 3 and 1. We love them dearly and are training them to be respectful when necessary.
The church we attend has a nursery and sunday school for all ages through junior high at the same time as the morning service.
Here are some of the benefits my wife and I enjoy with this format.
1) Both my wife and I are able to focus on the teaching of the Word better and worship God without distractions. "How could you call children distractions?", you say. Children require attention (especially at 1 years old) as any parent will tell you. Maybe we could be able to focus while juggling a 1 year old, but I can't see how.
2) Kids are also getting teaching in the word that supplements what the parents are teaching at home.
3) Kids are also learning to sit and be quiet in sunday school. Also, as parents, we teach our 3 year old to sit quietly and listen during dinner and other various activities outside church.
Those points being made, I'm in agreement with the following:
1) Children 10 and up are able to sit in service and learn from the message alongside their parents
2) Some churches are too hyper sensitive to any noise from a baby or child (or adult) in service, usually displayed under the emphasis on "removing distractions". Adults should be better at focusing in my opinion.
For what it is worth--
My wife and I have 2 boys, ages 3 and 1. We love them dearly and are training them to be respectful when necessary.
The church we attend has a nursery and sunday school for all ages through junior high at the same time as the morning service.
Here are some of the benefits my wife and I enjoy with this format.
1) Both my wife and I are able to focus on the teaching of the Word better and worship God without distractions. "How could you call children distractions?", you say. Children require attention (especially at 1 years old) as any parent will tell you. Maybe we could be able to focus while juggling a 1 year old, but I can't see how.
2) Kids are also getting teaching in the word that supplements what the parents are teaching at home.
3) Kids are also learning to sit and be quiet in sunday school. Also, as parents, we teach our 3 year old to sit quietly and listen during dinner and other various activities outside church.
Those points being made, I'm in agreement with the following:
1) Children 10 and up are able to sit in service and learn from the message alongside their parents
2) Some churches are too hyper sensitive to any noise from a baby or child (or adult) in service, usually displayed under the emphasis on "removing distractions". Adults should be better at focusing in my opinion.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
Reason:
I think that the presence of a nursery and childcare during church services is fine for those who wish to use them, so long as people whom God has graced and called for this ministry are available and willing to staff them.
I understand completely how distracting a newborn can be to its own parents during services. My own wife had several newborns at intervals of two or three years, and she often had to carry a crying baby out of the church and keep it quiet for the duration. This meant that she often missed most of the church service. She would say (quite justly), "What is the point of my going to church, if I can't participate or hear the sermons, and it is just another place to take care of the baby, but a less convenient place than home?" I sometimes took the babies out to relieve her, but it did seem less than ideal for one of us to have to miss so much of the service.
In our case, there was a nursery available, but my wife did not wish to leave the baby in the care of others. Her preference was just to stay home with the baby and miss church.
I am aware that childcare can be a valuable ministry for churches to provide in the cases of people who need or want to use it. The thing I was disagreeing with above was the policy of churches to exclude children from the service, even when parents want to have them with them there.
I understand completely how distracting a newborn can be to its own parents during services. My own wife had several newborns at intervals of two or three years, and she often had to carry a crying baby out of the church and keep it quiet for the duration. This meant that she often missed most of the church service. She would say (quite justly), "What is the point of my going to church, if I can't participate or hear the sermons, and it is just another place to take care of the baby, but a less convenient place than home?" I sometimes took the babies out to relieve her, but it did seem less than ideal for one of us to have to miss so much of the service.
In our case, there was a nursery available, but my wife did not wish to leave the baby in the care of others. Her preference was just to stay home with the baby and miss church.
I am aware that childcare can be a valuable ministry for churches to provide in the cases of people who need or want to use it. The thing I was disagreeing with above was the policy of churches to exclude children from the service, even when parents want to have them with them there.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
Reason:
In Jesus,
Steve
Steve