Grace Kids Worship

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  

By Tina Houser (churchleaders.com)

"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!"