I love it when I read a book that correlates with something that’s been on my heart for a while. I have felt for years that my children should be in the service worshiping and learning alongside me. This seems like a radical view nowadays, so it is refreshing to read a book supporting this idea.
Children in Church, nurturing hearts of worship by Curt and Sandra Lovelace encourages parents and churches to include children in their services. The Lovelaces not only share why this is important, but they give practical ideas on how this might look. They acknowledge the different stages of childhood, and how best to not only keep them occupied, but to teach them how to get the most from each part of the service including the sermon.
Curt and Sandra believe that training children for church services begins at home. They provide simple ideas on how to go about this in order to equip little ones for participating in the services. They are also realistic in the fact that children will sometimes balk, and may need to be taken out of the service, given correction, and brought back in.
I love how they encourage parents to seek God in child raising. Their ideas will help parent and child move closer to worshiping together as a family. Each step helps the child learn how to understand and retain more of what is being taught. I love how natural the process can be. Again, not without bumps along the way, but if you stay realistic in your expectations, you’ll better handle them as they come up.
Now, I don’t mean to sound like this is a formula or step by step plan. Rather, Curt and Sandra share their heart, encourage you to seek the Lord, come up with a plan as a couple, and give ideas you might like to try.
I came away from reading Children in Church with a renewed vision for my own family. One God had given me, but I never quite figured out the how. I’ll be sharing my heart with my husband, and evaluating each of my children, and where they are in attention spans. I know I’ll be utilizing some of the ideas as they apply to my crew.
Working Chapter Titles:
1. Bringing Them In
2. Understanding the Elements
3. Counting the Cost
4. Laying the Foundation
5. Getting Ready
6. Packing the Bag
7. Drawing the Word
8. Preparing a Plan
9. Facing the Challenges
10. Growing as Disciples
11. Note to Church Leaders
Curt and Sandra were discipled by Francis Schaeffer, served as missionaries, and homeschooled their own children. That is the short list. You can learn more about them on their website.
Children in Church is published by Hal and Melanie Young of Raising Real Men. You can also join in the discussion on the Children in Church Facebook page.
Disclosure: I received a free book to review. All information was correct to the best of my knowledge at the time this review was written. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. You can read my full disclosure policy here.