As a Church body grows it changes. Some changes are easier than others. One that has seemed to present a challenge to us is that of establishing a Nursery for the benefit of our members and guests. I am not sure why we have struggled to get this off the ground. I do believe it will serve us well.
The entire situation was brought to mind again today when I read an excellent article on this very topic.
Here is a paragraph from the article:
"While I believe that the Scriptures teach that children should be in
Public Worship, there are certain cultural realities which make pastoral
faithfulness in this area a complicated balancing act. If a church is
to be out-reaching, a worshiping community where believers are built up
in the Gospel and non--Christians can come to hear the Gospel, then we
must acknowledge that the Biblical ideal for children does not readily
mesh with our 21 Century American culture. First, there are very few
communities outside of the church which expect young children to sit
still and quietly for long periods of time. So when our unchurched
neighbors do accept that invitation to come to church, their children
have no practice or training for sitting still and being quiet. They
almost inevitably will become a distraction to many, including their own
parents. In turn, the visiting parents, out of fear or embarrassment,
spend their time tending to their children in their foreign setting
instead of sitting attentively under the means of grace. This dynamic
usually ends up extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing for the
visiting parents who then do not return. Would it not have been better
for all involved for the children to have been in a worship training
class outside of the service?"
I believe you will find the entire article to be insightful and helpful. Who knows, perhaps it will serve as a catalyst to launch our Nursery for the sake of those who would benefit from this important ministry to families and children. After you read the article, you may have some questions, comments, insights or suggestions that you may want to share with me - I wholeheartedly invite you to do so.
So click HERE to read the complete article.
For the sake of the younger children and their families,
Pastor Mike
