FAMILY WORSHIP

This article is a proposal for family worship, also called intergenerational or all-age worship.

1. Vision for Family Worship
* An intergenerational lifestyle in the church that facilitates interaction between all members
* Meaningful fellowship experiences into which all ages are meaningfully integrated
* Contemporary, relevant and lively worship that includes and attracts all
* Worship experiences that teach, nurture and stimulate the faith of those who attend

The worship service is a gathering of the whole church to worship together. It is not just a children's service, nor an adult service in which children are onlookers. Worship is for the whole congregation, old, young, single, married, adult and child. It is necessary to see all members as one group, while being conscious of a diversity of people. We must give children a place in worship - so they can feel they belong.

2. Aims of Family Worship
* To lead the whole congregation into a meaningful corporate worship experience - an environment for all generations to be together in worship, fellowship and learning.
* To encourage each person, young and old, to participate meaningfully and reverently in worship. The leader's role is to lead people into an encounter with God.
* To enable the congregation to experience a corporate expression of worship, so that each member, particularly the child, will enjoy a sense of belonging to the gathered people of God.
* To maintain the basic integrity of worship - there is no need to descent into triviality - where there is genuineness, wholeness, order and dignity.

3. Introduction of Family Worship
* Acceptance of intergenerational worship as a vision for the church - all must own this concept!
* Development of a facilitating team (multi-aged) of creative people to work on designing worship
* The team evaluates various aspects of the present worship service - Are they appropriate for all? Ie. welcoming people; singing and special music; announcements; offering; baptism; communion; scripture reading; prayer and the sermon.
* Guidelines for the service: keep it simple and short; develop a clear structure and order; ensure meaningful involvement of all age groups; make every aspect of the service communicate; keep the service lively and the action and involvement going; carefully select appropriate songs; and carefully explain what is happening.

4. Models for Family Worship
There is not just one way to do intergenerational worship. In fact, as a family-based, intergenerational approach is pursued, it may well be discovered that there are many options to consider. Two models are presented here for consideration:

Model 1: Fully-Integrated Service

A. Worshipping All Together
All ages participate in worship with a special emphasis on singing including both old and new songs.

B. Teaching Time
A serious attempt is made to address all groups with dignity. This is achieved through the use of overhead, drama and other creative methods of message projection. The Scriptures are also communicated in creative ways. The telling of the story plainly takes up two thirds of the teaching time and then the message is taught in a deeper way, although possible loosing the children here for a while, they are picked up in the next stage again.

C. Discussion Groups
These groups can be fully intergenerational or divided into sub-sections, ie. teenagers and adults, children and parents, etc. Discussion questions and material based on the teaching are provided for the groups.

D. Take-Home Material
This is to provide deeper teaching for adults, teaching input for the family during the week or memory aids for children.

E. Weekly Peer Group Activity
Each group actually needs some peer group activity during the week - the Friday night event provides for this.

Model 2: Parallel Learning
This model involves an all-age involvement in all aspects of worship except for the period of formal instruction. This model acknowledges that the various groups of people are on different levels of cognitive learning. This model insists that each group, though separate for the instruction process, must focus on the same learning topic at an appropriate level. Here effective learning takes place separately, but still ensures common links are maintained in the congregation.

The Structure:
* All ages meet for a carefully structure worship service for about 30 minutes
* For the instruction period people divide up into broad age-groups
* The 40 minute session is devoted to the learning process: presentation, discussion, feedback
* The message is presented to the whole group who are seated in their own
* The common themes are entrusted to the leader of each group who meet together regularly and design discussion sessions aimed at the level they are responsible for
* Discussion groups ensure that the message is applied to each individual on their own level
* Report back to the large group is facilitated with all groups joining together again
* The leader concludes the session with a brief summary of the message that has been presented

5. Including Children in Family Worship
* Tell children why it is important for them to attend worship services
* Get children to visit the bathroom before they go into the sanctuary
* Get the ushers to make a point of welcoming children
* Encourage the older folk to welcome children and "adopt" them if necessary
* Get children to sit up front so they feel more a part of what is happening
* Give children something to do to prepare for the service
* Encourage children to listen for something in the service to ask you a question about afterwards
* Share a song sheet or hymnal with the child
* Include at least one hymn or song that children can easily sing or learn
* Help the child locate the Scripture reading in their Bible
* Encourage their participation as much as possible: offering; hand out bulletins, assist in welcoming people, hold up a poster for announcements, read short passages, etc.
* Design worksheets that relate to the theme of the service for children to complete
* Include children's concerns during prayer times or the sermon
* Use responsive readings; props; catalysts to provoke reflection or group discussion, etc.
* Guiding times of silent prayer, writing a prayer letter to God, a graffiti wall for people to write thank items or prayer requests, one word prayers, etc.
* Scripture Reading: a play reading, mime, video, etc.

6. Environment for Family Worship
While children can worship in the same ways as adults, they need a less formal environment and a more varied format. The following are suggestions for the emotional and physical environment:

A. Emotional
* Educate people on what worship is and how they can participate
* Provide sensitive pastoral care and deal with people's complaints and suggestions directly
* Introduce practical programmes to build up fellowship among church members

B. Physical
* Freedom of expression on the part of children who are encouraged to participate
* Physical mobility and flexibility for congregational activities - circular seating, small circles for group discussions, carpets on the floor for children to sit on, a toy corner with soft/quiet toys
* Maximum participation of all members of the congregation - with a variety of worship postures