(By the way, we do not have heat or air conditioning either)
You mean, if there's a children's service and an adult service at the same time, that the Holy Spirit can't be in two places at once?
Yep (That's Texican for "ditto;" I think we need a "Yep" smillie)
The question to the folks who disagree: Would children under 10 learn more in an age appropriate class or by coloring during the sermon and watching mom and dad and older sibs receive the Lord's Supper? The message in the sermon can be presented to younger kids using language they understand and the kids will be more likely to listen and LEARN in that environment. No comment on HS vs Non HS: the variances depend on mom and dad. 
Once my children can write, they are not allowed to color during the sermon. They may take notes or just sit, but they may not color.calgal said:
I think you left out an important word here.
That would be the question if the Bible was neutral on the subject. However, the Bible seems to lean in favor of including children as demonstrated in some of the posts above. Never does the Bible teach that there are some who should be excluded from the preached word.
Neh 8:1 says that "all the people gathered themselves together as one man" to hear Ezra preach. Then in 8:2 it says that "Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding..."
I believe Ezra preached the law to "all the people". But of course, those who could not understand because of their age or their mental capacity did not 'hear' (shama) or 'hearken'. But if a special 'children's church' had been set up then the people who were 'babysitting' would not hear Ezra's preaching.
Once again, where did you come up with the age of '10'? To quote Kramer, "It seems capricious and arbitrary." Who gets to decide when a child can understand? When they make a credible profession of faith?
Look, if you want to argue that children's church is sometimes necessary, then fine, use your 'brotherly love' verses, but you cannot go so far as to say that it must be so. The Bible teaches that children are a blessing from the Lord and I could just as easily argue that to remove my children from the worship service would be 'unloving' to my brother.
Of course the preacher does have the responsibilty of including some bread of life for the children in the service as well. And what happens in my church (I can't speak to every church) is that those parts of the message that I make clear enough for children are the parts that the sheep as a whole remember most! In fact, Christ said we are to come to Him as babes! Maybe we can learn something from these children in our midst.
Once again, I am trying to bind anyone's conscience. If you pastors are compelled to establish a nursery or children's church then do so. But that does not make it the rule for every church.
Apology accepted.
Nope; not a conversation I'm looking to have with you since you want to put words in my mouth.
Where did I say EVERY Church MUST have kids church? It is an option not a mandate. It seems that your side of the argument is using EVERY. As for the issue of Paedo communion, that is an issue for Session, Presbytery and GA/Synod (or Consistory/Classis/Synod) to hash out. Under 10 generally would not have made a profession of faith.
Definately a can of worms, considering I know many that have professed before the age of 10yr, myself included as well as two of my children.Under 10 generally would not have made a profession of faith.
I agree the hyper Phillips folks are a bit much. But my former church has a cry room with a glass window and piped sound; there is a nursery for infants. The children are expected otherwise to be in the service, which has been the practice since the very early 1990s. I'm single but amongst those I've known the last twenty years which regularly practiced family worship, the children really were trained at an early age and could sit through a service; the morning one often ran 2 hours. The book I'd recommend on the subject is Revealed to Babes: Children in the Worship of God, By Richard Bacon. The pastor wanted to call it "No Nurseries" but went with the better title in my opinion.
