On three Saturdays this past January—one of them memorably snowy—a small team from Concordia Publishing House (CPH) had the opportunity to meet with members and leaders of congregations to discuss children and worship. The meetings were held in central Missouri, northern Illinois, and the St. Louis area, with representative churches from urban, suburban, and rural communities, congregations large and small.
The seventy-seven total attendees included parents, teachers, pastors, musicians, and full-time staff and volunteers. We brought a lot of questions, and attendees eagerly brought their answers.
Before we started asking questions, we wanted to highlight some of the materials that CPH already has available for children and worship. In addition to Scripture, the traditional Lutheran books of catechism and hymnal—and their related resources—are foundational. But we also previewed some of the resources we’re planning as part of the Words of Worship initiative. Categorized under the locations of home, church, and that in-between area (wherever you and your family are), the types of resources we’re developing include the following:
We then asked a lot of questions and did a lot of listening. The answers were encouraging, practical, and optimistic. Two general themes emerged:
Attendees reminded us over and over again that family devotion or prayer time is sometimes organized and on schedule and sometimes disorganized and irregular. They encouraged us to make things easy for busy families to do at home and to make navigating, exploring, and using the hymnal easy for family members of all ages. They expressed a desire for recordings and videos of hymns since families often don’t have members with musical ability at home. Learning and singing these hymns can also happen at informal times, such as in the car.
Sometimes parents are scared or intimidated at the thought of teaching their children about the Bible, the catechism, and the hymnal. Kids asks questions, and parents may not know the answers. Attendees appreciated the resources available but asked us to partner with our churches in helping teach the families how to use them. When it comes to children, worship, and the faith, yes, we are teaching the children. But we are teaching the parents too. Are we approaching parents at their appropriate levels of faith? It’s important for people of all ages, children and parents alike, that we teach not just the “what” of worship but also the “why” and even the “how” of worship.
This January provided an excellent starting point for feedback with the Words of Worship program. Our questions have continued, and they will continue in the coming months. As we strive to help churches and families, we are grateful to churches and families for helping us.
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