Posted on October 20, 2011 by in Blog

Is Children’s Worship Dead?

Pull up YouTube and you’ll see the trending videos of the day.  Your favorite news channel will highlight trending stories that a t.v. producer feels are important for you to know.  Twitter will show you trending tweets from people you will never meet.  It seems as if everyone is trying to capture our attention for what matters most.

In my work with leaders in children’s ministry, I sense an alarming trend that isn’t being tracked by Twitter, highlighted on YouTube or the nightly news.  This trend is not a mere frustration of praise and worship songs missing the bullseye on Sunday.  This trend is an altogether abandonment of praise and worship from our curriculum plan.  It’s a trend that views worship as an”ineffective use time” with children.

I know….some of you don’t believe that can possibly be true.  Others of you may reluctantly admit that you have fallen into this category of leaders who have thrown their hands up in the air when it comes to a focused time of praise songs on Sunday.

Consider these words from Louie Giglio in “The Air I Breath”:

“Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live.”

The need for us to connect to our creator in an act of both corporate and personal worship is central to our design.  We exist to witness God’s glory and reflect it back to him in adoration for who He is and what He has done.  It requires focus.  Focus is not something easily attained in today’s culture.  (How many times have you checked Facebook or email on your Smartphone today?)

I wonder…..what comes first:  personal or corporate worship?

While singing a song isn’t the only way to worship with our lives, it is a powerful tool at our disposal to help plant the seeds of who God is and focus our attention squarely on Him.  Praise and worship plays a supreme role in the transfer of faith to the next generation.  It is not merely a time to sing songs.   Rather, it is a time to engage hearts, refine focus, and teach kids what it means to engage in a corporate time of worship.

If you desire to reignite the hearts of those who gather in your spaces on Sunday, re-prioritize worship.  Worship should be our first priority, not the last.  It is the very reason we exist.

In an article titled, “How Worship Brought Our Church Back from the Dead“, Pastor Martin Theilen offers some insight on why worship was an effective way to shift a dying congregation back to focus on the heart of God.

“Because worship, more than any other factor, has the power to revitalize a congregation, and revitalization was clearly our most pressing need.”

Are you sensing a need to revitalize your children’s ministry?  One of the most effective ways to get there is to prioritize worship.  Your attention to the right mix of music, the right leaders, the right dance moves, and the right environment will elevate your message.  If God designed us to worship Him, shouldn’t it be high on our priority list?

Let’s talk about it……

What do you think comes first:  The ability to engage in personal or corporate worship?

What do you think is the purpose of corporate worship?

Will eliminating worship from our Sunday experience hinder a future generation’s ability to connect relationally with God in the context of a corporate setting?

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  • http://twitter.com/jabberfrog ginamcclain

    I sat with a gentleman several years ago who spent a decade in a satanic cult. For a year, he visited my church and sat in the lobby. According to his account, he was physically incapable of stepping across the threshold of the auditorium during the worship segment of the experience. While a room full of people sang out to God, he said, “That is the one time during the experience that is solely focused on God. It isn’t teaching about Him or collecting anything for Him… it’s singing directly to Him. And for someone in the occult, that was completely debilitating.”

    We underestimate the power of singing praises to God. I’ve learned in my own journey with Christ that I sing out & raise my hands not because I believe wholeheartedly. I sing out & raise my hands so that I CAN believe wholeheartedly. Worship is an integral part of speaking out what may not be true in my life so that it might become true.

    • Anonymous

      Wow, that gives me “You are on Holy Ground” goose bumps. Great story Gina. Thank you for sharing.

  • Tim Shiels

    This is a great post. I’m a firm believer that worship is a response. I believe that if we can get our children to lift their hearts to God, lifting their hands to God becomes a natural reaction.

    • Anonymous

      Yes….! Kids often have to see authentic worship modeled before feeling like it’s “ok” to fully participate. There couldn’t be a “safer” place than Kid’s Ministry to fully express adoration to God. :) Thanks for sharing Tim!

  • David Wakerley

    This is great Joy, look forward to reading lots more!!!!!

    • Anonymous

      Thanks for stopping by David — I appreciate the encouragement! I’m so thankful for all your ministry does to re-engage the imagination and bind the hearts of kids to God.

  • Yancy

    OH Joy! So happy to read this. I think one of our biggest failures in American churches is using songs as an “icebreaker” or to fill time on a planning sheet as opposed to use worship as an opportunity to help kids talk to God. So many churches don’t teach kids the why and how and therefore they are missing the mark. Just like we teach kids to love others, to not fear, to have faith, to give in the offering. We can teach kids to show their love to God their Creator and Jesus their Savior through songs of worship. Through the surrender of lifting their hands to the One who is deserving of all praise. Kids naturally worship really well. They just need us to help guide them. I hope churches start working harder in this area!

    • Anonymous

      Beautifully said Yancy!

  • Brenda Z.

    Love this article :) I’m getting ready to embark on my first Kidmin journey in a church plant and this is one area that I’ve seen so many mixed methods. I grew up in church and I can honestly say that I didn’t know what worshipping God through song meant until I reached middle school or high school. It was never explained to me and I’m sure that it had something to do with the denomination I grew up in (Baptist) as there did not used to be such an emphasis on the emotions and connection during a song. I love seeing though how the churches I grew up in that were once very restrained are growing with age and learning what a beautiful thing expressive worship can be. I will admit though- because I did not “worship” as a child- for awhile it did not cross my mind to really introduce this concept to kids at all. I too felt that the music portion was the “song and dance” for fun and that kids were capable of no more. I still have yet to see or experience first hand what kids worship can really look like- but I agree that kids learn what they are taught and modeled and I will follow the Lord’s leading in what this looks like in our new church. I hope to be sensitive to developing every area of our kids’ Christian lives and this article was very helpful for sparking conversation in my own brain even! Thanks :)

    • Anonymous

      That is awesome Brenda! Thank you for taking the time to share your story! You would probably love a book called “Teaching Kids Authentic Worship” by Kathleen Chapman. Lots of great ideas in there about how to teach kids about what worship truly means. Keep fighting for it and reach out if you need any help. Blessings to you!

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