Child Centred Church
A Child in the Midst
I?m having trouble developing worship which is child-centred. I would love to succeed but I am struggling on two fronts. Firstly, I fear I lack the spontaneity of children (I?ve found my inhibitions as I?ve grown older). Secondly, I deeply regret that some of my fellow adults don?t want children to be at the centre. How can we help them change their minds?
Alison Harris led a day on children and young people for some members of the parish. She drew our attention to Jesus? attitude to children. The adult disciples wanted to protect Jesus from children but he soon brushed aside their protests and centred his teaching on the Kingdom on a child. On one occasion there was a huge crowd who were going hungry. A small child naively offered Jesus five loaves and two fish. (John 6:8) ?This?ll do? the boy said. Instead of being all ?adult? about it Jesus accepted what the boy offered. The story is well known because the child was right. There was enough (plus twelve baskets of leftovers!)
Alison looked at different understandings of children in the Bible. There are six and they are:
1. Children, like orphans, neighbours and strangers are in need of justice and compassion. Children need protection because of their vulnerability. (eg Exodus 22:22)
2. Children are gifts of God and sources of joy. (eg Psalm 127:3)
3. Children are fully human and made in the image of God: (Psalm 139:13-14)
4. Children are actually models of faith and sources of revelation as when Jesus places a child in the middle of the adults and uses him/her as a model. (Matt 18)
5. Children are sinful creatures and moral agents. (eg Romans 3:9-10) While this has been part of practice it has often been forgotten that all people (not just children) are sinful and need help to become responsible.
6. Developing beings in need of instruction and guidance (eg Ephesians 6:4) Again it has often been forgotten that the whole church needs to be learning ? not just children.
Sadly only the last two of them have been prominent in practice, and as a consequence children have been shoved into corners. (It?s interesting how this is reflected in church architecture with many children having to go into sound proofed rooms or into the ?children?s corner? so they don?t disturb the worship of the real (adult) Christians. This is an argument for reordering our churches in itself!)
What do you get if you put a child in the midst? That?s a question being asked by many who are wanting the church to be child-centred. Those for whom children are central to their lives will be able to tell you what you get. You get a sense of wonder, a sense of trust. You get the chance to see the world through the eyes of a child and the opportunity of becoming a child yourself. This means you also enter the
So please help me. Help us to make church child (and those who are child-like) centred.