“I REALLY ENJOYED CHURCH today!” Jonjon smiled as his family climbed into their car to go home.
“What did you enjoy the most, Jonjon?” asked Mom.
“I liked how the youth group did the Scripture reading. They used the words from the Bible, but it came alive when they were all dressed up and acting out the story of the great feast.”
“What did you like best, Kyra?”
“I liked that we sang one of my favorite children’s songs straight after the children’s story,” said Kyra. “But most of all I liked looking around the church for objects that remind us of parties and feasts, like birthday candles, balloons, and napkins. And Pastor Filip even used them to illustrate his sermon!”
“Yes, that was fun!” Mom smiled. “I also liked getting this special invitation to heaven.” Mom took the beautiful card out of her purse. “What about you, Dad?”
“I really liked seeing you and Kyra enjoying the service. I’m so happy when we’re all enjoying worship together.”
“Mom, why does Pastor Filip make services that everyone can enjoy?” Jonjon was curious.
“Because he learned that people remember more of what he says when they’re involved in the service and when they enjoy it and understand it. He knows that churches that involve children in their services every week grow quicker than churches that don’t. The children like to come, they enjoy being involved, and they bring their friends and family members along too.”
“Oh, that’s cool!” Kyra smiled. “I’m glad he’s our pastor.”
WHAT IS INTERGENERATIONAL WORSHIP?
Intergenerational worship (IGW) is a worship service in which leaders intentionally involve people of all ages: children, teens, young adults, older adults, and seniors. The leader uses diverse worship activities—including good visual content, words and songs, and even some movement and interaction—to help children and adults learn and remember the important messages.
WHY MIGHT WE NEED TO RETHINK OUR WORSHIP SERVICES?
The pattern for most Christian worship services hasn’t changed much in several hundred years. But our world has changed. Throughout the Bible, worship changed many times to adapt to the context: in a garden, around an altar, in a tabernacle, in tents and homes, in the Temple, on a hillside, by a beach, in a market, in synagogues, and in house churches. God did not give us one fixed way to worship because worship needs to be adapted to the context. Also, the traditional services on which we base many of our church services were designed by theologians and priests who didn’t have children, so they didn’t consider youthful needs in the service.
Today most of our church service is verbal—announcements, prayers, hymns, Scripture reading, sermon, and benediction. The only part of the service that is interactive and nonverbal is putting money in the offering. Most adults, and nearly all children under 12, prefer visual, sensory, and active learning rather than sitting and listening to words.
God gave His people a beautiful model for a tabernacle and an interactive and multisensory sanctuary service, plus special instructions for regular intergenerational and interactive festivals. We can also learn from God’s pattern of worship as we plan meaningful worships today.
HOW DID JESUS TEACH?
Jesus was reaching diverse audiences. He told short parables that children understood. He asked questions, used lots of illustrations, and taught new and unexpected things that caught people’s attention. He taught outdoors where children could play on the ground, run around, and pick flowers. The outdoor meetings provided beautiful visuals for people to look at, and Jesus often referred to the flowers, birds, and sheep. Jesus
made sure everyone felt welcome to His teaching and preaching. And He blessed the children.
EVERY WEEK EVANGELISM
Intergenerational worship is “every week evangelism.” The unbaptized children and young people are still deciding whether to follow Jesus and be baptized, and the more they are involved and included in services that they enjoy, the easier it will be for them to choose Jesus. The big question that many IGW leaders ask is “How did this week’s service bring children and young people closer to God? Or did it push them further away?”
HOW CAN WE START INTERGENERATIONAL WORSHIP?
1. Make changes slowly. Ask everyone, including children, what they like best about the current worship services and build on that. Find out what the children don’t like about the service and cut back on those things or adapt them. Most children struggle to sit for more than an hour, and when the service goes past their usual lunchtime, they will start to feel hungry and unsettled.
2. Start by involving all ages in the service. Children can choose an appropriate song or hymn and introduce it or write an introduction for others to read. Teenagers can make video clips to illustrate a Scripture reading or the theme for the day, or they can video church members’ comments about a topic or what they are grateful for. Children can create artwork to accompany a service, play instruments, or sing in choirs. When children and young people are involved in the service, they feel special and learn that they belong to the church.
TRY THIS IDEA!
One church involves children and young people in the reading of the Scripture each week. These youngsters prepare several weeks ahead by meeting with a child-safe mentor, Sabbath School teacher, or parent. They read the Bible passage and discuss it together so each young person understands what they are reading. Then they work together to design an interesting way to present the Scripture. One child dressed up as a shepherd to read Psalm 23. Another drew pictures or took photos to illustrate each of the Bible verses, and these were photographed and projected onto the screen. A teenager found a piece of classical music to accompany their passage. This process helps them learn more about the Bible and adds simple creativity to the service.
Want to know more?
Karen Holford has written a book about intergenerational worship for the General Conference Children’s Ministries Department called Altogether Wonderful. It is available from Advent Source at this link: https://www.adventsource.org/store/childrens-ministries/leadership/altogether-wonderful-exploring-intergenerational-worship-38996.
It is also available as a pdf: https://ted.adventist.org/family/spirituality/igw/igw-book/
She has a simple web page with links to recordings of an online European training about involving children and young people in worship: https://ted.adventist.org/family/spirituality/igw/
https://ted.adventist.org/family/spirituality/igw/igwtraining-sessions/
You can also find links to some of her services in St.Alban’s Seventh-day Adventist Church in England:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-0084OigDo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHvnfaeQzvM
