Tuesday, February 12, 2008

family integrated worship

I am curious about FIW. At our church, we take the little ones out so that people can listen up and pay attention. Those who advocate FIW say that you must train your children to sit through a service. That's all good and well, but what about immature Christians in your church who have no idea about child training? What about visitors? It takes one fussy child to take people's attention off the preaching and onto the baby.
I am curious to see FIW in practice rather than read about it in theory. Anybody see it work?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes we have children's church. Some of our kiddies are very lively, I've often wondered how integrated churches manage with children that have 'ants in their pants' or haven't yet learned what a whisper is for, lol.

Cherish the Home said...

Hi Rhonda,

I e-mailed you a few days ago and wanted to make sure you had received it. I didn't know if you have the same e-mail address or not so I thought I'd leave you a comment and check. (o:

Concerning your post....I asked someone this question on a blog once and they said that they don't really seek visitors for church because church is to equip and spiritually feed it's members not evangelize the lost.

Our church believes in doing both, so on Sunday a.m. we have children's church. On Sunday p.m. because it's mostly church people, all the kids are in the service except for babies and toddlers.

I will be interested to read what people who practice FIW have to say to your question.

Blessings,
~Mrs.B

Pfingston said...

NO, and saddly I haven't even heard of FIW - not sure what it is. But this I do know - my kids are rotten at sitting still, and I have been convicted to change that. But I relaize that I need to work with one at a time. Trying to retrain a 4 year old (who has a lot of energy anyway) and her accomplice who is 2 years old at the same time as juggling a baby isn't working. So one kid stays with us durring service at a time. I'm working on it. . . still . . . we are still struggling NOT to be a disturbance to the service. *sigh*

Pfingston said...

*DUH me!* There is FIW! In the title . . .sorry for that mommy brain going on . . .

Carrie said...

At our church we have Children's Church. All the kids start off in the auditorim with the adults for song service and announcments and then are dismissed for children's church. It is a preaching service geared for the kids not just storytime and coloring pages.
We have a very small church that runs a bus route, if there is not very many kids that come in on the bus than all the kids stay in regular church service . This has happened for the past 3 Sundays and the kids have been wonderful. I believe the training they have received in children's church has help with being good in regular church because they are so similar. On Sunday nights and Wed nights all kids stay in services.
So I guess we are a little of both.
Carrie

Tori Leslie said...

Hey Rhonda,
While on deputation we had a preacher friend who was very into FIW and didn't believe in nurseries or children's churches. His services were so disrupting and on the Sunday morning we were there a visitor lady came with a little 4 year old boy. Obviously they weren't church folks. After the boy ranted for a while she left without knowing Jesus as her savior. I think the pastor taught his people so much on the importance of home churches that now they are down to one service a week. I think it's a very impractical practice and a tool the devil is using to pull folks away from His house.
Oh well that's my 2 cents.

Anonymous said...

Yes I've often wondered about that, it is all very well training children to sit still in church forthe purpose of FIW butwhat about the unsaved who haven't trained their children. Good point tori.

Rhonda in Chile said...

Hi, Y'all!
That about sums it up for me, too. If there is something that we should be doing, then I want to do it. But with this, well, I can't see the benefits outweighing the negatives.

Thanks all for the imput.

Mrs. B, I got your note, but my email account is on the fritz. Sorry I wasn't ale to respond.

Whatsoever is Pure said...

What a great topic! I wanted to give you another side of the FIW ideal. (this in response to one of the comments regarding: the modern day practice of segregation of people by ages for the purpose of evangelizing the unbelievers who visit the church.

For approximately the first 1900 years of church history, church gatherings were considered to be times for discipling and equipping believers for the work of evangelism in their homes and communities. As unbelievers come into the church, it is the Holy Spirit that has drawn them and will keep them. Yes, FIW services are different b/c we include all ages- and we know that babies do cry and children can get wiggly-wormy. (so do adults... *grin*)

This early church time was also when children were a part of the service and parents used that time to teach their children the value of self-discipline. Easy? Not at first, but absolutely worth it in the end.

I would desire that my children, both boys- both very lively- both very much disobedient at times in their young ages- to learn the value of authority, love, respect and obedience as we worship together- as many parents would.

As much as a great children's church leader might do (my dad has done it for 42 years), God has placed this duty on the parent to do best. And only through Him, can it be done in fullness! Again, it is hard, but worth every minute of time spent. :)

Enjoy your day and thanks for provoking a great discussion! (even if I am a few months behind!)


**congratulations on your pregnancy as well!