Introductory Statement: The church, as the body of Christ, is called to be a family. This is not merely a metaphor; it’s a living, breathing reality (1 Timothy 3:14-16). And the gathered worship of God’s people is the heartbeat of this family, where the Word is faithfully preached, the ordinances are properly administered, and the people of God are progressively edified. (CLICK HERE to view a handout on the importance of corporate worship from one of my Sunday evening teachings.)

“Corporate worship is the most important thing we could ever do in this life.” Jonathan Cruse

“Corporate worship is the single most important means of grace and our greatest weapon in the fight for joy, because like no other means, corporate worship combines all three principles of God’s ongoing grace: his word, prayer, and fellowship.” David Mathis

The Context: Our church family offers age-segregated ministries during Sunday School, Sunday evening ministries, and Wednesday evening ministries. The only time our church does not offer age-segregated ministries is on Sunday morning during the corporate worship hour. (We do offer a nursery for 0-3-year-olds.)

The Concern: Recently, a handful of church members have voiced their desire to create a separate children’s church for children aged 4 to 5th grade, intending to provide a tailored worship experience for the younger ones in our church. While I recognize the well-meaning nature of this proposal, I must express my concern that such a separation would inadvertently remove our children from the central aspect of church life: corporate worship, the heartbeat of a local church.

The Thesis of this Blog: Since this topic has gained a little traction, I wanted to briefly explain why I oppose children’s church for 4-year-olds to 5th graders. Ultimately, I believe that children should actively participate in corporate worship, as their presence is both biblically encouraged and essential for the health of our local church.

The Biblical Precedence for Intergenerational Corporate Worship

Old Testament: In the Old Testament, the Lord our God directly spoke to children. When He addressed the people from Mount Sinai, He had a message for kids: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). Additionally, in ancient Israel, the people of God are shown gathering together—all men, women, and children—to hear His Word and to respond in praise. For example, in Deuteronomy 31:12-13, Moses instructed the Israelites to assemble “the people—men, women, and little ones” to hear the Law “that they may learn and fear the Lord your God.” The term “litte ones” refers to children who are not yet able to walk long distances on their own. This mention of “little ones” is significant because it emphasizes the important covenantal reality that the next generation must be present to hear God’s statutes and promises.

The Gospels: Similarly, during Jesus’s ministry, He rebuked His disciples for hindering children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). In the ancient world, “A child was a person of no importance in Jewish society, subject to the authority of his elders, not taken seriously except as a responsibility, one to be looked after, not one to be looked up to.”^[1] The disciples believed that the incarnate Son of God had more significant matters to attend to than being interrupted by children. However, this assumption was far from accurate. Contrary to the prevailing worldview of the time, the Lord Jesus welcomed and blessed children throughout His earthly ministry.

New Testament Epistles: Finally, as Paul wrote his letters to the early church, his pastoral concern extended to the youngest in the congregation. In his epistle to the Ephesians, he bent down on his apostolic knee and said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1-3). He taught a similar truth to the Colossians: “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Paul’s words not only convey biblical instruction, they also convey God’s heart for family units.

Corporate Worship is the Primary Context for Discipleship

The Primacy of Corporate Worship: Brothers and sisters, while we recognize that the Lord is omnipresent, it’s important to understand that His presence in corporate worship is both special and unique (Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 5:4). A Puritan theologian emphasizes this by stating that “the Lord is with His people in public ordinances in a manner that is more special—more effective, more constant, and more intimate.” Because of this, corporate worship is essential to the life and minsitry of a church, especially when it comes to discipleship. It is the place where the Lord Jesus Christ meets with His people in a special way through the ministry of the Word and the proper administration of the ordinances. Therefore, excluding children from corporate worship denies them the opportunity to experience this significant moment that the Lord Jesus Christ has ordained for His people each week.

Corporate Worship Builds Up Children: Corporate worship is important not just for adults but also for children. While kids may not grasp every theological concept, such as justification and sanctification, they can still learn from the elements of the service. They can appreciate the flow of prayers, the beauty of hymns, the seriousness of the ordinances, and the impact of God’s Word being read aloud. Over time, I believe the Holy Spirit uses these experiences in worship to teach and shape children. He impresses deep truths on their hearts and minds, helping them develop a reverence for God’s greatness and a clearer understanding of the church’s purpose and mission. Therefore, keeping children away from these meaningful aspects of worship can hinder their spiritual growth and doctrinal formation.

“The Lord is most there where He is most engaged to be, and He has engaged Himself to be most there where most of his people are. The Lord has engaged to be with every particular saint, but when the particulars are joined in public worship, there are all His engagements united.” David Clarkson

Children Bless the Gathered Congregation

We Need to See the Children: I believe the presence of children in worship blesses the entire congregation. In the wisdom of God, the church is not a collection of isolated individuals but a covenant community spanning multiple generations. When children are present, adults are reminded of their responsibility to model godliness and pass down the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints “to the next generation” (Psalm 78:4). The cries of an infant or the wiggling of a toddler are not distractions but signs of life—evidence that God is fulfilling His promise to build His church through the generations. In other words, we need to see the children. It’s good for us as a church. And a church that cannot tolerate the presence of children risks becoming a barren institution.

“God didn’t fashion us to enjoy him finally as solitary individuals, but as happy members of a countless large family.” David Mathis

“At home, in my own house, there is no warmth or vigor in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through.” Martin Luther

Corporate Worship Equips Parents to Fulfill Their God-Given Responsibility

Children Need To See Their Parents: Is it healthy for a child to rarely see their parents participating in corporate worship? Is it beneficial for a child to scarcely see their father and mother participate in corporate prayers, congregational singing, and fellowshipping with fellow members of the household of God? I don’t believe it is. I think it significantly hinders a parent’s ability to fully disciple their children in the Christian faith. Conversely, involving children in corporate worship enables and equips parents to better disciple their children.

Consider this: the home serves as the foundational school of faith for children, while the church’s gathered worship reinforces the important teachings taught in the home. When children observe their parents engaging in worship—singing zealously, praying sincerely, and listening attentively to the preached Word—they are learning valuable lessons. As kids see their parents glorifying and enjoying God, they begin to realize the central purpose of their existence as well: to glorify and enjoy God!

Parents Can Take Corporate Worship Home: Furthermore, including children in corporate worship creates an opportunity for parents to continue the conversation at home, whether by explaining key points from the sermon or unpacking the meaning behind an old hymn. This connection between home life and church life enriches the family’s spiritual life and helps root children in the Christian faith.

Corporate Worship Does More For Children Than You Think

Children Can Get It: Some may argue that children are too young to understand aspects of corporate worship or that their presence disrupts its solemnity. However, this perspective underestimates both children’s capacity for understanding and the nature of corporate worship itself. While a child may not be able to articulate complex doctrines like the incarnation, they can certainly comprehend that Jesus loves them and died for their sins. Moreover, corporate worship is not a performance that requires perfect solemnity and silence; it is a family gathering where everyone is welcome. (I do believe parents should be instructed on the appropriate time to take a disruptive and unhinged child out of the gathering.)

The Conclusion

I believe that children should actively participate in corporate worship. We should resist the cultural tendency to separate our children from the life of the congregation. Instead, let’s embrace the beautiful yet messy reality of intergenerational worship. By doing this, we obey scripture and showcase the transformative power of the gospel, uniting all generations—young and old—in glorifying our great God. This, church, is one reason why corporate worship reveals the wisdom and glory of God to a spiritually ignorant and dark world.

“Christ’s people ought to be more welcoming than anyone else to children. Our churches should not be places where the adults cannot wait to put the children away in order to get to the adult task of worship. One of the scandals of so much evangelicalism is that we send people to their rooms as soon as we get to church. . . You should see people sitting in pews whose feet cannot touch the floor. . . We should, in church, welcome the wiggling and the squirming.” Albert Mohler

A Few Applications

As a church, we can take some small steps to cultivate an environment that fosters meaningful corporate worship for families and children:

• Equip Families: We should provide good resources to help families train their children to participate in corporate worship in an age-appropriate manner. For instance, I recently came across a book titled “Parenting in the Pew,” which has been recommended as a guide for families seeking to shephered their children during corporate worship.
• Cultivate Patience: It’s important for our congregation to bear with one another, especially during corporate worship. We’re family, after all, and we are all trying to figure it out.
• Encourage Discipleship: We should encourage our seasoned, godly women to take on the important role of mentoring young mothers (Titus 2:4). They need to impart their wisdom and teach young mothers how to parent their children in the context of corporate worship.
• Sermons for All: It’s really helpful to preach sermons that connect with the kids in our congregation, just like Paul did in his letters. This way, we can get our younger members involved and show them we were thinking about them as we prepared our sermons.
• Singable Theology: We should ensure that the hymns and songs we choose are gospel-centered and singable. This way, people of all ages, from kids to grandparents, can join in and worship the Lord together through song!

If we work together to do this, we can foster a healthy church culture that honors God and supports the spiritual growth of future generations within the life of First Baptist Church of Jackson.

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^[1] R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 274.