We arrive and lend a hand setting up the main hall (we meet in a drama studio in a school) with chairs, tables, flowers, literature, whilst other more technically minded people set up the sound and recording system and musicians start practicing. The faithful tea makers set up urns and cups for refreshments after the service. Sunday school teachers prepare their teaching spaces with crafts and bible stories. People start filtering in and offer warm greetings. The elders and deacons depart from the main hall to have a time of prayer and on their return we all take our seats ready for the worship service to begin. There's prayer and singing, children's talk and bible readings and then the children are asked to leave for their own classes and the sermon begins. I never questioned the routine of the service, I used to teach in Sunday school myself before I had children but when we had Mr Social, through reading vast amounts of literature we started to question the routine of life and church and started to ask questions of why we do things, what value do our traditions have, and how could our children benefit from our decisions amongst other questions. One such area we felt we were being challenged in was Sunday school.
We were first challenged in this area when we read a book by Voddie Baucham called Family Driven Faith and our brain cogs started turning and we asked ourselves many questions on why we should send our children into the Sunday school and why we should keep the children in the worship service. We came to a personal family decision that it would benefit our family greatly if our children remained in the worship service so when the children are asked to leave the main hall for their own classes our children swim against the tide and remain seated next to us as we open God's Word together and listen as one to the Word being preached. We sometimes get raised eyebrows, and yes we do sometimes need to take toddlers out so as not to be a distraction, we've had to answer our children's questions of why they don't go out to the children's classes and we have stood against criticism that we are causing our children to miss out. However most people don't ask us why, and we in turn don't try and convince families to change their minds for every family is different and should be left to make their own minds up on the issue. But if someone did ask us why we have the children remain with us I think I now would direct them to these articles I recently found, they are more articulately written than I think I could explain and also it's a strange thing but reading about issues that concern family decisions from a separate third party causes less tension and stimulates a more productive discussion.
The first article is titled "Should Children Sit Through "Big Church"?" and can either be read or press play and listen to it over a cuppa.
The second article is titled "The Family: Together in God's Prescence" can only be read but has the added benefit of some helpful practical advice from the wife of John Piper.
Take some time out and have a read. The articles aren't too long and are thought provoking. If you feel challenged show them to your spouse and prayerfully consider what you think is best for your family.
