The Shared Journey: Navigating Hybrid Worship with Kids

This article is part of a series exploring three popular models of worship engagement for children. In this article, Resource Director of the CFC, Lindsey Goetz, argues for the hybrid model of ministry with children. 

I’ve been a parent for twelve years. I’ve been a ministry leader for just a little less than that. During that time, I’ve attended churches across the spectrum, from separate children’s programming (in a separate building) to children remaining in worship the whole time. I have experienced the benefits and challenges of each style of worship with kids, and I think I’m ready to plant my flag in the ground. I really like the hybrid model of worship.

The hybrid model of worship with kids includes children in a portion of the worship service and then dismisses them to their own age-appropriate worship or learning experience for a portion of the service. Depending on the congregation, children sometimes rejoin the worship service for Communion or the conclusion of the service.

While God does give instructions regarding the training of children, there is no time in Scripture when God calls his people together for worship in age-segregated groups.¹ When God calls his people to worship, it’s all of his people, and in both the Old and New Testaments, Scripture frequently goes out of its way to mention that people of all ages are counted among the number.

Too often, though, theological considerations like these aren’t the starting point for churches answering the question, “What do we do with kids during worship?” Too often, contextual concerns like the comfort of adults, cultural norms about individuality and age segregation, or even a genuine, well-intentioned desire to “give parents a break” drive the conversation. While these contextual considerations should be part of the conversation, they should not be the starting point.

The way we worship forms us. How our community gathers says something about who we are. When considering questions like this, we must begin with theological considerations, then consider the realities of children and their developmental needs, and then filter these values through the reality of our context, both large and small scale.

At CFC, we’ve written many words about the value of children among the people of God. Our theological convictions are strong. Children ought to be considered and included among the people of God because Jesus loves children. The life and ministry of Jesus, and indeed the testimony of scripture, give us a clear picture of a diverse people gathered to worship Christ, and this includes the diversity of age.

Sticky Faith research from the Fuller Youth Institute shows that it’s relationships with people in the church that matter most to lasting faith beyond high school.  The church has a responsibility to do its part to help kids not just attend the church but connect with and belong among God’s people. How would the priority of having every child in our churches connected to five adults other than their parents by high school shift the forms our ministry with children takes? The hybrid model of worship allows churches to remain faithful to scripture’s teaching on worship within a specific cultural context while also honoring children’s way of being in the world.

Scripture’s teaching on worship

While God indeed calls his people to worship him intergenerationally, there is no mandate for the worship to occur in the same physical location. Intergenerational worship doesn’t have to mean everyone being together all the time. Churches may choose to separate for a portion of the worship service and explore the same theme, passage of scripture, or season of the church year in various, age-appropriate ways. Churches can strategically use the time during the sermon for age-appropriate times of hearing and responding to God’s word, relationship building between church members and children, and helping children learn to participate in the worship service of that particular congregation. All of these goals align with the testimony of Scripture regarding children.

Child development and faith formation

Children are whole people, but not miniature adults. As they are, children reflect the image of God and relate to him in unique ways shaped by their developmental stage and stage of faith formation. In the early stages of faith development, an experience of belonging is key, as is developing an identity as a part of a group of people who practice faith in predictable ways. Developmentally, children learn through play, exploration, testing, and other interactive pursuits. Dedicated children’s spaces and lessons can allow them to experience that God is interested in every part of their lives and that they can know Jesus now, not just in the future as adults. The hybrid model of worship also allows ministry leaders and volunteers to provide explanations about and help children understand and participate in the church’s worship in ways appropriate for their age and stage of development. The hybrid model nurtures the two stages of faith formation young children often find themselves in by providing them an opportunity to identify and belong among the entire people of God and providing spaces where they can belong and deepen relationships with a small group of people while learning and practicing what it means to be a part of this particular community of faith in ways that speak to a child’s interests, concerns, and developmental stage.

Cultural norms

Applying Biblical truth to real-life situations is one of the major tasks of the Christian, but often, the church shies away from opportunities to help Christians lean into this task. Articulating and contextualizing a high value of children is one way churches help cast a vision for a kingdom-shaped culture. Because these kingdom values are being applied to a particular group of people at a specific time in a particular place, the precise way children are engaged in worship, whether inclusive, exclusive, or hybrid, will look slightly different at just about every church.

Challenges and opportunities

The hybrid model provides excellent opportunities to honor children’s unique ways of being in the world, to help children understand the Gospel and explore God’s word in age-appropriate ways, and to provide a context in which children can build meaningful relationships with others in the church. However, no program or model of ministry is perfect, and any model for worship will present unique challenges. Ministry leaders will need to carefully consider both the strengths and challenges of this approach and implement it thoughtfully so that it aligns with theological values and the church context. Many of these challenges are also opportunities for intentionality, curiosity, and thoughtful planning.

First of all, volunteers miss a portion of the worship service. At churches with one service, ministry leaders need to care for themselves and their volunteers to ensure that they attend worship services and participate in the kids’ worship. Furthermore, this model leaves limited time with the children in programming, sometimes as little as 30 minutes. It can be challenging to teach much content in that amount of time while also managing a group of children. Ministry leaders and volunteers need to be intentional about both the purpose of that time and the content for the time. Lastly, removing children from the worshiping community sends implicit messages about where children belong and whether or not they are wanted among the people of God. Church leaders must be intentional about listening to how the children in their church are experiencing worship and carefully communicating that children are still worshipping and are a valuable part of the people of God. Leaders must also prioritize and make space for all generations to spend time together for fellowship and discipleship.

In conclusion, the hybrid model of engaging children in worship, where children join the larger congregation for a portion of the worship service and then engage in their own worship time for a section of the service, can be a sustainable way for churches to care well for children and parents while also adhering to the high value of children we see outlined in scripture. Such a decision can be an excellent way to help children build relationships with other believers, see themselves and their way of being in the world as important to God and worthy of his time and attention, and provide an opportunity for kids to learn about their particular church’s practices and forms of worship.