I have included an article about child - led worship since children will be helping to lead this coming Sunday, March 24th.
We have created a leadership contract for our Grace Kids Leaders (currently Sean and Larson) to memorize. Three of the things we ask the kids to memorize are:
“It’s not
about me, it’s about God.”
“The greatest among
you will be your servant.” – Matthew 23:11
“Not to us, O Lord,
not to us but to your name be the glory” – Psalm 115:1
We have talked with the children the past two weeks during Grace Kids worship about these verses.
The Impact of Child-Led
Worship
"There are some key elements to keep
in mind, though, which keep children’s leadership from having a “show and tell”
performance characteristic and move it toward actually getting all ages to
focus their hearts and minds on worshipping God.
First of all, monitor the
vocabulary you use. Drop the words performance, show, recital,
and act from anything you might say to the children when referring to
the part they will play in the worship service. It is critical to teach a
humble attitude of offering yourself to the Lord, an attitude that is expected
of anyone who leads in worship. This attitude has to be the focal point of
everything you do with the kids as they prepare. If the children approach what
they are doing in the worship service the same as they would their part in a
PTA program, then there’s no reason to do it. It might as well be a school
play. Their mindset must be to bring God glory, not to get any kind of applause
themselves. Waving to parents and bowing for applause have no place, because
they don’t fit into the purpose of pointing others to God.
By watching adults, children may
get locked into thinking that leading worship means singing. Singing is a great
way, but kids can introduce adults to other ways. Individually or in small
groups, kids can share memorized passages of scripture, be included on the
worship team, share an offertory on the instrument they play, learn sign
language to a song, ring bells, be included in a skit, or make a video
representing the theme of the service. You might just find the adults swiping a
few ideas for themselves.
Leading in worship is the perfect
place to teach children to serve the Lord with excellence. God deserves the
best we have to give. He doesn’t ask us to be perfect, but He does ask for our
best. We can do that by being totally prepared. As the children work toward the
day when they will share in worship, help them understand that if they’re not
completely ready, then their part will have to take place at a later time. Our
serving should never be half-hearted or make do. It’s not uncommon for children
to work for months preparing for one service. What a great example!"
