The Dangers of Children's Church
by Dr. Ken Matto
The greatest disservice we have done to our young children in the organized church was the establishment of "Children's Church." It has a serious effect on a child's ability to cope with the world and all its sinful traps. There is no biblical precedent for removing children from the worship service, in fact just the opposite exists and I will give some biblical evidences that children should worship with the family through the entire service. I have no idea how this heinous practice started but it should be abolished immediately. Why? Let me explain what I meant about the child's inability to cope with the world.
Children's Church is normally for those between the ages of 5-13, which are the most critical years of spiritual formation. When we take a child out of the worship service just before God's Word is preached and put them in a classroom to draw pictures of Noah's Ark or David and Goliath and others, we eliminate our children's defenses against the world. They are never exposed to different teachings of the Bible on a decent spiritual level. They remain spiritual dwarfs as all they learn about are the narratives like Samson, David and Goliath but never get into the spiritual and practical lessons behind these stories.
So what happens when you pluck a child from the worship service? While that child's spiritual learning is cut off or greatly diminished, simultaneously in the public schools they are being bombarded with all kinds of secular and satanic trash. They are soaking up the secular garbage, because they have no spiritual roots or foundations to defend against these teachings, they will eventually fall prey to them. Then when a young girl comes home pregnant or a boy comes home and says "I got a girl pregnant," we wonder how can this happen in an evangelical family? Very simple, your children were given nothing to combat these teachings except Children's church cartoon videos or flannelgraphs. Their whole spiritual training was relegated to the crayon instead of the Bible where it belongs. The sermon is what should be the catalyst for spiritual discussions at home. God is the one who gives understanding in spiritual matters. Where did we ever get the ridiculous notion that children can't understand spiritual things? Have you ever seen some children with computers? There are some who can program at 8 years old. Children are much smarter than we give them credit for. They are a sponge, will we allow them to soak up the world's filth or the Word of God to combat those teachings? After all, how can they put on the Full Armor of God? The Full armor is not found in Focus on the Family Videos!
Then when a child hits their teens and wants to leave church because they are bored with it, we throw our hands up in the air and ask why? Here's why!! Because for almost 10 years you trained that child that the worship service is not for them and now they are only doing what you trained them to do. TO LEAVE THE SERVICE!!
Let's see if God has anything to say about keeping children with parents:
(Ezra 8:35 KJV) Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.
Here we see the children even participating in the worship service.
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(Ezra 10:1 KJV) Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
The children stood weeping with their parents for their sin.
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(Neh 12:43 KJV) Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.
The children were part of this worship service.
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(Psa 132:12 KJV) If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
How can the children keep the covenant if they are sequestered like a jury and never hear it.
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(Psa 148:7-12 KJV) Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: {8} Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word: {9} Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: {10} Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: {11} Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: {12} Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Here children are also commanded to worship the Lord.
Do you see how we rob them when we eliminate them from the morning worship service? So now what are you going to do? Are you going to keep your children in the desert or bring them into the land? The choice is yours but the consequences are theirs!!