Dear EN,
December EN’s editorial made the case for Sunday School during the sermon time. I want to gently question this common practise and the thinking behind it.
There is no hint in the New Testament that children were taught separately from their parents when the church gathered. In fact, Paul assumes the opposite (Colossians 3.20, Ephesians 6.1). The church is a ‘gathering’ which must cut across all the expected boundaries of society.
What about the common objections to ‘keeping children in’? 1. Children need tailored teaching (see 1 Corinthians 13.11). Indeed! God expects this in every Christian home (Deuteronomy 6.7) and the church can have a supporting role through Sunday School. But why should this trump the biblical picture of gathering, learning and praying together? 2. Some parts of Scripture are inappropriate for an all-age congregation (1 Samuel 18.25, Genesis 19 etc.). Indeed! But this is a tiny percentage of Scripture, and hardly justifies such a sweeping policy. 3. The most frequent objection to children in the sermon is that ‘unchurched families won’t cope’. This is a most commendable concern. But is it not the tail wagging the dog? Outsiders may be present, but the primary reason for the gathered church is to build up believers (1 Corinthians 14.24-26). We should be evangelising outside church.
Yours sincerely,
