Ok, I think we can all agree that children have the capacity for worship. Look at the way a young boy idolizes an athlete, memorizes their stats and their accomplishments. They even emulated them. They offer these athletes their worship. Look at the way a young girl idolizes a pop star. They learn their likes, dislikes, memorize their songs and know their dance moves. They offer these pop stars their worship.
The thing I notice about this observation is that relationship isn’t required for their worship (think of idol worship, how do we have a relationship with an inanimate object). They don’t know the athlete or pop star personally; they merely know everything (or most everything) about them. So this makes me wonder if worship requires a relationship or does it only require knowledge of and acknowledgement of.
I know what this sounds like, but I’m not talking about salvation. I’m just talking about worship. If children don’t have the capacity to fully understand the dynamics of a relationship (age of accountability) and I don’t think that they really do at a really young age, then why do we spend so much of our energy on trying to get these children to establish a relationship with Jesus, when all they are capable of is an awareness. Should we then spend the bulk of our resources on teaching kids to worship, to give them knowledge of God and create opportunities to acknowledge him: to worship him. To create a connection that they may not understand, but that they can at least become aware of. I don’t think they can understand the dynamics of a relationship with the Alpha & Omega, but I do think they can begin to discover this relationship and their Father.
If this is true (and I’m still wrestling with this), this means a major paradigm shift in the way we approach children’s ministry.
Ideas, rebuttals, questions, criticisms & confirmations….anything to help me with the process
