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One of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture comes from the book of Joshua, chapter 24, and verse 15. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

How strange these words of Joshua must seem to many in the Christian church today whose only conception of the body of Christ is a bunch of individuals coming together for worship and service activities. As the covenant head of his household, Joshua declared that he would serve and worship the Lord not only as an individual, but also in league with all who were connected to his household. Like the Philippian jailer mentioned in Acts 16, Joshua understood that God delights to see family men taking the effort to bring their entire household together for worship and consecration.

As one who has had the privilege of being a Christian pastor for many years, I can tell you that I am fully persuaded that the whole family should worship together as often as possible. This conviction is old fashioned, I know, but it is still what the Word of God sets before His church as the ideal pattern to follow. The Lord knows how often the modern Christian church tolerates family members to be separated from one another during the week by way of special youth activities, church school education programs, as well as on the Lord’s Day for Sunday school. The time is past due for more church leaders to recognize that Sunday worship should be structured so as to encourage the whole family to worship together.

Now there are times, of course, when infants and younger children need special nursery attention. Perhaps sleep is necessary. A child who continues to cry surely requires help, and that often means a diaper change! For this reason, our church provides members and visitors with a nursery. As a pastor, however, I still believe it is profitable for the whole family to worship together --- babies and all. If the little ones make a little noise from time to time, so be it. Covenant families are worshipping together in the Lord’s presence, and they are lifting up their hearts and voices as one before the face of God.

Family members today spend so little time together, particularly if they are not engaged in home schooling. The churches of our land have greatly contributed to this problem over the past forty years. Church calendars are filled with too many activities that separate the family all during the week. On Sunday mornings, that separation continues with children’s church, junior church, teen church, etc. No wonder our families are having problems!

In C.S. Dobbin’s book entitled, The Church Book, the author states, “A mark of the decadence of our civilization is the decline of family worship. Its revival would be one of the most significant signs of spiritual recovery.” Yes, how very important it is to have family worship --- at home and at church. The church down through the ages realized this, including America’s founding fathers, and it is only within recent years that the worship service has been “compartmentalized.” As a young child I sat with mom and dad in church, and although there were many things that I did not understand at that early age, the impressions received and lessons learned will never be forgotten. I am convinced that these important lessons could not have been duplicated in any other way.

In 1923, Dr. Newton Hall stated, “On Sunday let the entire family unite. A finer home atmosphere will be found where this custom is kept.” Today, as our communities and culture become increasingly secularized, parents are commonly pressured to divide their families on the Lord’s Day. In many areas of our country, Sunday is now assumed to be the best day to hold that little league game, or perhaps a golf outing, or boy scout activity. For this reason, Christian parents must now take a pro-active and deliberate stand in order to keep the family together for Sunday worship. The good news, however, is that parents who do take the effort to keep their families together will be blessed with a finer home atmosphere. This is particularly true if these same parents take the time to discuss the worship service, songs, and messages with their children on Sunday afternoon, or during the week.

A Baker Book House publication (1960), The Minister In Christian Education, has these words by its author, Peter Person: “The fact that three generations sleep under the same roof and eat at the same table does not mean that they constitute a homogenous group. Grandparents and grandchildren may be at the opposite ground of coexistence. Modern Christian education has often been guilty of dividing and subdividing our churches and our families until we have become strangers to one another.” Such is truly the case, and churches as well as Christian schools must begin to establish policies that are designed to bring the family together again.

Our Church Plans For Children is the title of a manual on administration by Lois Blankenship, printed by the Judson Press of Valley Forge. She says, “There also are common needs and interests of children, youth and adults, which should be shared in experiences of corporate worship. It is good for children to experience the fellowship of the entire church family at worship, of sitting as a family in the church sanctuary, of standing with heads bowed in prayer beside the men and women of the congregation.” Yes, this is an experience of immense value, for like adults, children are naturally self-centered, and corporate worship enables them to participate in something that is bigger and more important than themselves.

Lois E. LeBar, a professor of Christian education, has written as follows in her book, Children In The Bible School:

“ There is one scene that shall never be erased from my memory. It is as vivid today as it was in the days when I sat in the little country church by my grandmother’s side. For a brief period of two years during my childhood, I lived near my grandmother and attended the same church. For the most part, it was a community of devout Christians.

There seemed to be nothing short of death that could keep grandmother from attending services on Sunday. Not only was she there, but always among the very first to arrive. She had her pew, as was the custom, and immediately upon entering she went to her accustomed place. No, she did not sit down and look around, or visit with others who had also come early. She sat quietly with her head bowed, and with two little old wrinkled hands over her eyes. I can see her yet. There she sat pouring out her heart to God and preparing herself for the message that was to follow. It seemed so long as I waited for her to raise her head, that I might talk to her. But even then, somehow, without words she made me understand that church was a place to worship in quietness and not to converse.

From the hymns of the church, even as a little child, I caught a sense of the wonder and majesty of worship. The church of my childhood used the stately old psalms and hymns, many of them with words and doctrinal concepts that I could not understand. As time passed, however, I learned to love the familiar melodies and began to grasp the spiritual truths that they were designed to convey. From a group of worshipping people that are committed to seeking God’s presence, the sensitive soul of a child catches something important to their spiritual development.”

There is a time and a place, as already noted, for using the church nursery. I still agree, however, with the remarks of Colleen Dedrick, as found in The Little Book of Christian Character and Manners :

“ Church nurseries are a detriment to training little children. Let’s face it, babies and children are put in nurseries because they are noisy and do not sit still. How will a child ever learn if he is not made to learn quietness and practice it in public? Teach your babies to observe periods of quietness during the week, train them to respond to your commands to be still and quiet, and they will be able to sit in the worship service with you on Sunday. Also, the courtesy of quietness is needed in many everyday situations, whether at the grocery store, Aunt Sally’s house, or the doctor’s office. Sooner or later all children must learn to show respect for other people, and parents are better off starting to train their children in this regard when they are very young.”

All those who desire children to gain an increasing knowledge of God, would do well to heed the advice previously mentioned. I sincerely believe that “united” worship in the Body of Christ will be used of God to bring boys and girls to an early entrance into a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ by His amazing grace. It will also greatly strengthen the Covenant community in general, as well as the Christian family unit in particular. Yes, the promises of God are to us, and to our children. May church leaders and parents alike take full advantage of every opportunity to keep children connected with their family during Sunday worship services.

Copyright 2000 Rev. Paul D. Lindstrom (1939-2002)

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