Palm Sunday worship at our church was great! In addition to sharing special music, the children of our church served as worship leaders in other capacities. They led prayer, read scripture and invited us to pass the peace to one another. It was a meaningful worship service and I heard many people comment that the kids did a fantastic job (which they did). There was only one thing that bothered me…
Although I rejoiced at the worship leadership of the children, I was saddened that it was so unusual that a lot of people noticed. (I sometimes feel this way about our annual Youth Sunday service as well.) What would it take to include children and youth in worship leadership on a regular basis, not just on special occasions? Every church situation is different, but here are some steps that you might consider to make this dream a reality.
- Educate – Tell all who will listen (and keep trying to tell those who won’t!) about the value of including persons of all ages in worship. I recommend James Ritchie’s book, Always in Rehearsal: Practice of Worship and the Presence of Children as an excellent resource addressing this subject.
- Brainstorm – List all the possible ways that children and youth can serve as worship leaders in your congregation. Include traditional roles, such as acolyte. Challenge yourself to think up other possibilities. Can children serve as ushers or communion servers with their families or other adults? Could youth occasionally dramatize the scripture reading for the day? Truly, the possibilities are probably endless.
- Implement – Develop a specific plan to increase the involvement of children and youth in worship leadership. Designate a person (or persons) responsible for overseeing implementation. Implementation will obviously need to be customized to fit your ideas.
- Worship – Rejoice as persons of all ages help each other experience God’s presence.
- Persist – Repeat and refine steps as necessary!
Remember, no matter your age, worship is a participatory activity, not a spectator sport!
~Sally Hoelscher