I keep up with postings from DesiringGod.org via an rss feed and one from today kind of caught me off guard. In the Church there seems to be this trend as of late to not allow children into main worship service, but instead place them in a “kid-centric” area that is more appropriate for them. I generally do not have a big problem with the practice, as this practice tends to take place in services that are more outreach focused. So it would make sense to remove as many distractions as possible–including unruly children that parents cannot control so that the unchurched might hear the gospel without distraction right?
Still I don’t know though, because if God is who he says he is in his Word, I really doubt that a kid screaming is going to stop the Holy Spirit from speaking to someone and redeeming that person through the blood of Christ. So, if God isn’t distracted by kids in church who is?
Often times in my experience, the main motivations for removing such distractions (ie. children) seem to come from the speakers. I have seen plenty of pastors/speakers get very irritated at such distractions to the point where they “lose their train of thought”. So, they then search for a “biblical justification” (if the church is so lucky) for creating “kid-centric” environments for children and decide not to allow them in “big church” instead of possibly learning how to to speak without getting distracted.
That’s why I found this article on Desiring God written over 10 years ago now so refreshing. It was refreshing because it acknowledged that there can be distractions, but instead of placing the value on a distraction free environment, they chose to place the value on the ultimate Goal of the Church gathering together to worship and Glorify God. The problem with kids in service is not that kids behave like kids, but instead that their “parents do not cherish the time” and “do not love to worship God”. That’s a tough sell though for churches searching for an easier way and/or looking for a way to avoid such irritations.