Effective Management of Children during Church Service
Effective management of children during a church service is very important and it should be carried out by individuals assigned that responsibility by the church but more specifically by the parents. Every worshipping day, the worshippers in the church experience a lot of disruption from the children who move around continuously besides making noises. Disruption from children was the reason behind the establishment of a nursery and toddler classroom with necessary materials at Branch Chapel Church. Unfortunately, these facilities are underutilized since some of the parents enter the sanctuary of worship with their children. The presence of toddlers and babies in the church often results in a lot of noise as the majority of them cry during the church service.
Disruption from Children and Its Impact
Silence in the worship sanctuary is highly expected because every person is aware of its need and would prefer parents to take their children out when they become disruptive. Joel Schorn in his article “For crying out loud, let’s keep kids from disrupting mass” explains on how disruption from children is devastating to other members of the church. He notes that some couples are fond of taking their disruptive children to the church, making “those sitting near them not to hear what is going on at the front of the church.” He further notes that such disruption lowers the possibility of praying or hearing prayers. Moreover, he argues that children who have started crawling are the most disruptive as they attract more attention by crawling under the pews.
The Importance of Parental Responsibility
The call for the reduction of children’s disruption of the church service is not aimed at restricting children from entering the church. It is aimed at informing the parents the importance of being responsible. They need to understand is that it is completely wrong for some of them to hold the whole congregation hostage. Matthew Branaugh in “5 Church Administration Issues You Need to Know- But Didn’t Learn in Seminary” indicates that child protection is one of the responsibilities bestowed on church pastors. According to Branaugh, the church under the leadership of the pastor is obliged to provide a safe environment to the worshipers. Management of children thus is among the administration issues that frustrate pastors in their ministerial work. Parents should protect pastors from such frustrations by taking good care of their children. They should demonstrate their parental responsibility by managing their children to minimize attraction of wrong attention by their children.
Utilization of Facilities and Reduction of Disruptions
If parents embrace their responsibility of managing their children, the facilities designed for provision of quality care to children will be utilized effectively. The disturbance caused by the children in the worship sanctuary will also reduce.
Conclusion
This report will expound on the positive contributions of managing children while promoting the use of facilities and resources for management of children in church.
Works Cited
Branaugh, Matthew. 5 Church Administration Issues You Need to Know- But Didn’s Learn in Seminary. Christianity Today, 2016. http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2016/july-web-exclusives/5-church- administration-issues-you-need-to-know-but-didnt-l.html
Schorn, Joel. For crying out loud, let’s keep kids from disrupting mass. U.S. Catholic, 2008.
http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2008/07/for-crying-out-loud-lets-keep-kids-disrupting- mass
