Little Ones in Big Church
For children to be able to be comfortable in a church, they need to see their parents in that space. This won’t happen if the children are always siphoned off to their own children’s entrance. I have experience of a couple, if not more versions of how church welcomes children, some in my opinion are spot on others I think need to learn from the success of others.
A church that I was at for a long time, would encourage children to go to a particular place in the auditorium where their age group would gather, we all know that youth and young adults automatically sit together in a huddle taking up a certain amount of the rows/pews. However, making space for the three to six’s and the next age group up with their own dedicated place gives them space to worship, sing, dance and do the movements that go with songs. It also adds for an easy exit with children leaving their parents and joining in then walking to their room together.
Just look at this picture, this was taken on a Good Friday and with permission from this gorgeous family I was able to use this photo. These three siblings would usually be with me in Childrens Church, however on Good Friday this church as made it possible for them to join in with Big Church. All three of them a brother and his two little sisters are busily colouring in with packs provided by the church under the chairs with feet swinging as they complete their masterpiece. The word of God is being preached and what the children are learning is that “this is what happens in big church” the fact that they are allowed to be part of it and made to feel comfortable is just great. I love this picture and what it captures.
Have you ever walked into one of these buildings, I’ve seen two in Australia and because the children and families have their own entrance and are dropped off before their parents reach Big Church it honestly looks like the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has had a good morning rounding the children up.
There is nothing better than seeing all generations in church together, the screams, the crying baby, the tantrums, the wild child running and dancing down the ailses, don’t make claims like - we are a family church, and we are one big family and yet the children never see the light of day in Big Church. How do these leaders ever think that those children are going to feel comfortable in a place they don’t get invited into or introduced to until they are youth. By the time they are youth, they will have made their faith decision and it may not include being in the space you excluded them from.
Having spent time in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, New Zealand wins hands down on introducing their young to public speaking and spending time on a stage. Jeepers Creepers I have never seen a country so willing to hand over the microphone, what this does is normalise the stage to them, they grow up not scared of it, not nervous of it and become better on it for being there so young. Other countries could learn from this, why do you think your nativity play turns your little ones to mush and crying every Christmas, well its because you haven’t given them the experience of stage time before this and you only push them up on it once a year.
A little skit on John the Baptist can have adults laughing in the pews, or a cute song on Creation can really show what little Johnny or Milly has been doing for the past six weeks. If you want to double your numbers on a Sunday, advertise that your children are going to be up on stage, and believe me your rows will be filled with Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and more, all who may have never been to church before, now there’s an opportunity not to be missed.
See our resouce on Stage Time to make the most of this opportunity. You don’t have to be up there long with children singing a song or having a chat about their terms work for the cuteness to flow, including your young in your Big Church promotes families and you are living out your tag line of “a church for everyone”.