Kid's Eat First?

There has been a lot of weighty topics floating around Notes in the past several weeks. I’ve cocked my head and said “hm..” more than once or twice. And in typical reflective fashion, my own brain has been the ‘lucky’ recipient of many brilliant replies! Without doubt, the neurons are firing. I thought I would tag into Ann’s recent post and tackle Dr. James Little’s thought-provoking question:

Are youth the only age group we are trying to attract?

The obvious answer is, No. But maybe yes? And is it OK to say yes? In the interest of stimulating great conversation, let me present a model that has influenced my own song-selection philosophy.

The Dinner Table Model

Ross Parsley serves as worship pastor at New Life Fellowship in Colorado Springs and is a dynamic worship leader, recording artist and teacher on worship. At IWI (International Worship Institute) several years ago he presented a model for cross-generational worship which equated our worship offerings and musical selections with the “family table.”

Think about a dinner table in a home with children. (Tragic, but for some families, it’s hard to draw a mental image! But that’s conversation for a WHOLE OTHER blog!!) Everyone is welcome! Everyone is fed! The generations are well-represented. But, without a doubt, the conversation revolves around the kids. Just this week in my home, we’ve talked planets (Mercury, in particular!) and dogs and why sweet potatoes are orange. We’ve cleaned spills and wiped faces and given stern admonitions to “finish ALL your food.” Truth be told, I’d rather talk about a lot of other topics. But as nurturers in our home, my husband and I comprehend the simple truth that dinner is all about the kids.

Pizza again?

We even simplify our meal choices! Healthy servings of green beans, salad, meat, and potatoes often find their way into our menu. Honestly, the kids just aren't going to appreciate Thai food like we will!

Ross Parsely suggests that the weekly worship service is to the church what the dinner table is to the family. In these moments, it is OK and in order for the mode of communication to be centered around the preferences of the kids. The older people understand and even delight in the simplistic, joyful expressions of their young. Out of a posture of maturity, they support the growth and learning that is taking place. It doesn’t dismiss the need for “intelligent” conversation, nor does it deny the need for maturing that will surely come to a healthy child. But it gives a platform or entry point where the young are celebrated.

This model really rocked my world. How beautiful to be part of a healthy church where the older embrace the younger, and the younger respect the older for their willingness to put personal preferences aside. It really does sound like… aha… the body of Christ!

I am a big proponent of cross-generational worship. I have never thrown out the hymns. In fact, just this past Wednesday we sang a “He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Needs” in honor of the great Dottie Rambo. (I attended her memorial service on Monday… whew! A whole topic for another post!) It was a moving song selection and ministered in a poignant way.

But I must take accountability, just as the pastor does, for the natural progress of babies from milk to meat. And, if our weekend worship services are defined as our entry point into church culture, then I should present music that is dynamic and meaningful to the young. And those who are mature in spirit will rejoice and understand that, like the dinner table, it really is “all about the kids.”