Kids & Youth
At Servants, we encourage families to have their children in worship as soon as they are able.
We have a well-equipped infant room and fun, supervised spaces for children under five years old and up to 3rd grade, as parents may deem it appropriate. In addition, we are sensitive to visiting families and those that just aren’t convinced that children belong in corporate worship. We believe children should experience corporate worship sooner rather than later. Even if our children cannot understand all that is happening, struggle to sit still, and perhaps are bored at times during the service, they are still benefiting from being in the midst of this divine meeting between God and His people (Mark 10:13-16).
Why should children attend the worship service?
Our children are members of the covenant community (the Church).
Corporate worship on Sunday morning is the primary activity the covenant community engages in together (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25). Therefore, our children, as members of this community, should be included in this crucial aspect of covenantal life.
Our children will be present in the midst of the means of grace.
Our children benefit by being where the Word is preached (Romans 10:14), where the sacraments are administered (Matthew 28:19-20), and where corporate prayer is practiced (Acts 2:42-47). These are the chief means by which God pours out grace upon His people.
Our children will be present in the midst of the entire congregation.
Our children benefit greatly by being in the presence of Christians of various ages. They are able to see that the faith of their parents is not a faith that they own alone, but is a faith that is important to all of the people who are gathered around them on Sunday morning. This reinforces what parents are modeling and teaching. They see this incredible gathering of people reading the Word together, praying together, confessing and singing together (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). They need to see the body in action.
Our children will be present with their parents/guardians and witness their worship.
Worshiping together as a family helps to counter the current trend in our society of fragmenting our families. If our children join us in worship from ages four to eighteen, they will worship with their parents in 780 Sunday worship services! Along the way, children will witness their parents singing with conviction, praying in reverence, listening intently to teaching, and receiving the Lord’s Supper in joy! There are few greater encouragements to a child’s faith than seeing their parents worship God with reverence and joy. (Exodus 12:1-28; Joel 2:12-17; Acts 16:33).
Our children will learn the rhythms of church life.
Teenagers in our culture often balk at attending corporate worship. But perhaps we as the Church have set them up for this reaction because we have not consistently included them in worship until they were teenagers. If attending church for years has always meant doing crafts, playing games, and singing kid-oriented songs – then we should not be surprised that our young people find worship to be uncomfortable and even boring. They must see and learn that singing the great hymns of the faith, hearing the Word preached, confessing and praying together, etc. is what gives our faith life. It is our weekly rhythm; this is what we want them to know, because we want them to know and worship Him.