As our team sat together recording the first episode of Season 2 of the CFC podcast, something caught our attention. While we share similar values about the importance of honoring children and the place of children among the people of God, we each worship at churches that handle children’s participation in worship differently. We decided to explore how each of our unique church contexts honor and value children as an essential part of God’s people.
Three Models of Engaging Children
Each of our churches employs one of the models Dr. Larson explores in her white paper on engaging children in worship. In the articles in this series, our team describes the unique opportunities and challenges each style of worship brings in light of how children’s faith grows.
Dr. Mimi Larson highlights the benefits of worship models that include and engage all ages in the same service.
Dr. Ahyuwani Akanet invites us to reflect on the rich educational, relational, and formational benefits of age-group worship.
Lindsey Goetz shares the challenges and opportunities that arise from offering children both the opportunity to worship with the larger community and in age-specific groups.
Shared Values, Diverse Contexts
In all of these articles, our team illustrates that the value of honoring children is not restricted to any one form of worship but can be intentionally and creatively expressed in various church contexts. We invite you to read and reflect on these articles as you join us in reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes.
How to Spot a Church that Honors Kids
If you’d like to hear where this conversation started or learn about what church cultures make for healthy faith formation, join us for season 2, episode 01 of The Child in our Midst.