A Christian Parents Duty…Wading in on the Sunday School Debate

There seems to be a lot of debate within my congregation on whether kids should go to Sunday school or sit in corporate worship with their families.

The arguments I typically hear is that it is the parents job to teach the children not Sunday school. On the flip side those who are for Sunday school argue that the worship service is not the time to discipline a child. Or that they parents and others are distracted by an unruly child.

First off I want to say that it IS the parents responsibility to teach the children about God – we are, after all, the Bible our young children read. And God does call us to worship as families.

I think the underlying issue that presents itself is how do we raise our children to know God? Is it JUST the parents responsibilty?  Or is it the entire congregation?  Let me first say that I am not fond of arguments. 🙂 When all is said and done, when all the debates are over, some of the most profound things we can repeatedly do to promote a heart for God in our children are also the simplest things we take for granted being in a Reformed congregation.

1. Go to church every Sunday, fifty-two weeks a year, year after year, and sit together as a family. The family should be in corporate worship faithfully and in it together. Children can visit with their friends after the services, but in service, the family should be first. Do not underestimate the power of the means of grace in the life of the family.
2. Work your butt off  to have a Day of rest. (Not taking the Sunday as a day of rest, devoted to the Lord to join with fellow believers in worship is, in my opinion, one of the most tragic losses of the “modern” Christian Church -but that is another blog!)  Live as if Sunday is the Lords, not yours. Don’t let the day become cluttered up with stressful and unnecessary things. Avoid unnecessary labour and travel. Anticipate Sunday and going to church with enthusiasm rather than dreading it. Make going to church the climax of the week. Let your children know you LOVE it. Because you have taught your children to KNOW God, and knowing God includes corporate worship every Sunday. Make Sunday special – eggs and bacon for breakfast, tuna melts for lunch – make the whole day special. After all it is the Lord day.
3. Attend the second worship service. I have been negligent in the past with this – it something we all must work on as well. Avoid the temptation to stay home because you are tired or the big game is on.  If we believe the whole day is the Lords day, then it should be framed with worship.
4. Memorize the catechisms/confessions of the church. Yes. I said that. An outsider!  Wait he is not Dutch…why would he say that?  Because It is content rich! It teaches our children the language of God, as well as the precious doctrines of the Bible. While these confessions may be human works – so is the sermon you hear every Sunday. God will use it for His purposes – so use them diligently and with the Bible. For without the Word of God they are utterly useless. you can find the creeds and confessions of our church here  http://www.canrc.org/?page=26
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY, worship together as a family at home. Sing, pray, and read the Bible together as a family at home. Why should we engage in family worship? Because we are stewards to God of our children, whom he has graciously given to us. Especially you men, you are the spiritual heads of your homes and you will be held accountable! God has commanded us to train our children up in the Lord in the home. In Deut 6:7, God says, “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Because we love the Lord and we want our Children to see that we have a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

With all that said, it is this blogger’s opinion that a child MUST be ready and able to sit in the worship service without being a <major> distraction to the parents and others around them. As the parent is to teach the child, so is the preaching to teach the parent. If the parents can not focus, they are not edified. If they are not edified, they do not learn. If we do not learn ABOUT God, then how do we KNOW God? If we do not know God then how do we teach our children about HIM? Knowing God is our greatest aim in life! To know and be known – what a wonderful God we have!

John Calvin stated,

“Wherever we find the Word of God surely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to the institution of Christ, there, it is not to be doubted, is a church of God.”

There is much emphasis on the preaching in our church and rightly so! However also note that Calvin clarified his statement with a resounding “and heard…” If a preacher stands on a street corner and preaches the pure gospel and no one is around to hear it that is not a church. Thus it is with preaching in a building to the believers. If we are present but distracted, we do not hear, thus we are not edified.  Do not take me wrongly! I firmly believe that  Children should join with their parents as soon as they are able, our daughter joined us at 3.   So while I affirm that our children should join with us in corporate worship as members of Christ’s body they have to be ready to do so.

In my time with my daughter being a distraction at the age of 3-4 – no one ever complained, in fact most people around us tried to help out and there was a lot of smiles.  So at the end of the day we have a decision to make as a congregation.  Is our Church going to join together as a congregation in support of each other to promote the unity of the family unit in the  worship service and over look the minor distractions, or are we going to be a church that doesn’t?  I bet I confused you with my “mixed” point of view on this!