I believe one of the greatest crutches in the church is the nursery. Parents who have neglected to train their children have very little encouragement to do so when there is a place to hide them. The father who should be up in arms by the time he gets home from church because of the embarrassment to which his child subjected him ends up going home with a clear conscience while the nursery worker takes a handful of aspirin.
- Voddie Baucham
I totally agree.
The nursery is just a pre-cursor to “Jr. Church”, and children never learn to sit in church.
Another aspect is, they do not hear the testimonies of the saints, the singing of the hymns and the preaching of the Word.
Voddie puts it so much better than I ever did, but the Lord gave my wife and me the wisdom to have our small children with us in church – no nursery or children’s church. The church is aping the government school system, positing itself as the experts for children, taking a burden off the parents; and poisoning the family and helping dull the father toward his responsibilities.
This is so true…
Voddie is right on. Thanks for publishing this timely quote, Pilgrim.
When I was child we went to Sunday School, and it was aptly named. We memorized large portions of scripture and learned what the gospel really meant. There, we were also taught how to behave in the regular church service which followed, where we sat quietly with our parents through the entire thing. Even though I didn’t get much Bible training at home from my parents, we sure got it in church. Most of all, we were taught respect for the Lord.
Nowadays, too many churches have little more than a glorified baby sitting service to offer our young people. No wonder children don’t take Christ seriously any more when all they ever see or hear of Him are watered down stories in books, with Him illustrated as just another cartoon character.
Our church has started to change all that, thankfully. Children’s church must offer specific and structured Bible training, and the teachers must be accountable to the pastor. Youth group the same – no longer focused on pizza parties and Christian rock. The kids are expected to do some real service to the community now. I only hope other churches will begin to follow suit.
Care to share with us where you got this quote? I’d like to include it on my own blog. Was it on VB’s blog, or in a sermon?
Thanks!
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
-Joel 2:16
This quote was obtained from his book Family Driven Faith.
- Pilgrim
This is so true and it goes well beyond children’s church. Youth pastors/youth groups, college and career groups, singles groups, old-age ministries, young married groups, etc. All these groups do, which firstly you will find nowhere in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, are to break up the body of Christ and create cliques totally contrary to the NT pattern of ONE body. And in so doing myriad Scriptural commands are broken such as elders teaching the younger, no novices as elders, parents teaching children, etc.
The only “children’s church” should be at home where parents raise up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord as commanded in the Word. Yet the church today would rather follow the pattern learned from our wicked society and the governmental systems (as Manfred noted). And why not since most churches are governmental bodies themselves.
This pattern, as found in the government’s schools is to divide the family, keep the children from their parents, and totally subvert parental authority. So true is that which is learned from college where the young adults go out into the world with no accountability to sample all the sordid sin it has to offer. And it continues on into old age with retirement villages/nursing homes that remove the elderly from the young so their wisdom is never heard and death and dying are hidden from a vain society.
This and more the church does daily and says it is of God. What a travesty. May we repent of our following the world and return to the NT pattern.
I agree 100%. But what do you do when you church doesn’t agree? Is this an issue that should cause one to look for another church? What is such a church isn’t in your area.
I’m a mom to 3 – age 4 and down. The two older sit with me in church (at the moment my husband has to work on Sunday, so I do put the youngest who is 9 months in the nursery).
There are two moms in the church – both of whom have large families of 9 children – who often encourage me that I am doing what is best. However, many others make “suggestive” comments that the girls would be better off in the nursery. It is very frustrating and discouraging. They dont always sit perfectly quiet, but I do my best to limit the noise and movement, taking them out when necessary. Why is the solution offered by folks the nursery? Why isn’t anyone offering to help with my girls instead? Even saying, ‘if you have to step out with one of them, would it be helpful if the other one sat with me?’.
I so wish there was a FIC in my area, but there is not
Melissa,
Grow not weary in doing well – what you KNOW is right and honorable in the sight of God. We faced well intentioned people who wanted to lead us astray when our children were young – deacons’ wives. Nobody in the church has the primary responsibility for your children – you and your husband do and the Lord holds ya’ll accountable for raising them in the nurture of His law.
Stay in prayer and fellowship with those who encourage you and do not put stock in the nay-sayers.
There’s more information that may be helpful here: http://www.thealliancereformation.org/