Episode 4 Season 2

Should we make kids sing in church? (with Kelsey Kramer McGinnis)

52:19

Ways to listen

Today’s Episode

What can we control, and what can’t we control about how our kids engage in worship? Do our worship services even acknowledge that kids will be there?

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, musicologist and mom of small kids, helps us think about the role of music in the life of the church and challenges the idea that we can “make” our kids do anything. Kelsey and our hosts explore what it means for children to be participating in singing and how parents and ministry leaders can get buy-in from kids. Spoiler alert: it’s simpler than you might think! Kids share their stories and thoughts about singing in church.

Meet our Guest

  • Kelsey Kramer McGinnis

    Kelsey Kramer McGinnis is a musicologist and educator based in Iowa. She holds a PhD from the University of Iowa. Currently, Kelsey is a regular contributor to Christianity Today, writing and reporting on worship and church culture. She is also an adjunct professor at Grand View University in Des Moines, where she teaches on music, theology, and social justice. Kelsey’s book, which she wrote with Marissa Burt, is coming out this fall:  The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: How False Promises Betrayed a Generation of Evangelical Families.  

The production-forward move in the worship word wasn't envisioned with children in mind. And I think a lot of churches are now asking, 'how do we make this a more child-friendly space?'

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis

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