Children in Church
 

This subject was brought up in another thread, but I thought it deserved it's own thread.

Crying children or unruly children are a distraction in a church service.

As a grandfather, I'm torn between having the kids go to the nursery or children's church during services vs. having the children experience a family worship and preaching.

At my church, children never experience the main services until they're teenagers. When my own children started attending services, they were uncomfortable for awhile.

I grew up sleeping on top or under pews during preaching. My mom made me behave so I wouldn't be a distraction. At times she wasn't successful! :slaphappy Anyway, I grew up experiencing church!

Where should we draw the line when it comes to our children attending church services? What is the age when they should start experiencing the things that happen in our services?

I think they need to be in church services at least some right from the beginning. That's where they'll learn how to behave in church. If coming to church to them always only means playing in the nursery or whatever, then indeed until they are a lot older, they won't even understand anything about church services.

I believe they need to be trained to sit on a pew from the beginning. You are going to have to take them out from time to time for discipline, but that is all part of the training.

I have a sister in a Baptist church that doesn't advocate separating the families and thinks you shouldn't have SS or Children's Church.

As the Lord opened that door to teach both in my life I can' be against it. If God was against it, He wouldn't have opened the door, IMO.

I believe it gives any mother and father a break to listen to the preaching and not have to juggle their children.

As a mother, I did appreciate SS. JMHO.

We have usually had a night service on Sunday night and so the kids did get to experience the adult service. Lots of churches are doing away with that.

When I was a child, we had Sunday School for all, and then the Sunday Morning Service. I have always liked that, though is seems to be a thing of the past now. You were able to learn in Sunday School, and then worship to the singing and preaching during the regular service.

I notice, in my church anyway, that parents don't seem to discipline their children anymore. They are whiny, disruptive, and if they are taken out, nothing is done.

When my kids were toddlers, they got taken out. My son was one who just asked for it....LOL! He got his spankin, and we came back in and sat down. He only went to the nursery for SS, never for regular service.

I wasn't 'in church' at the time, but would attend with my mother. The pastor, who was mine the entire time I grew up there, admonished me from the pulpit to put him in the nursery, but I refused. My mother also didn't put him in the nursery when she brought him.

I think children should be taught, perhaps from about the age of two, how to behave in service. They can play, eat a snack, whatever, but they can be taught to do those things quietly.

Amen! Ours were taught that this is God's house and we need to respect that! Spankings ensued if they didn't mind.

My husband was covering our daughter's mouth and allllll the way down the aisle she was saying, "No, daddy. No. daddy."

Muffled, but you could hear her! lol

My former pastor's wife, Mother Dunlap, instructed that you don't wait until service time to teach your children to sit still in service. The teaching begins at home where you show them "this is prayer time and this is what we ," and "this is what we do when they read the Scriptures."

You give them their quiet times and teach them how to do and what to do in the house of God...you show them how to sit still at home first.

And SS is great...

That's a great idea. Never thought of that. We just whipped them if they didn't mind. lol My daughter got the most whippings being she is like me! :D

Churches should be equipped with "cry rooms". My grandmother attends a Roman Catholic church that has a soundproof room. It is a place to sit if you have crying and unruly children. There is large glass window so those conformed to the room can see what is going on in the service. It is equipped with speakers, so the people can hear the service. There is also a bathroom available.

We sure got whipped...