The Children’s Address in the Context of Worship

It has become common for there to be a children’s address early in a service of worship. These tend towards the entertaining and are too often not a genuine presentation of the gospel to children. The starting point is baptism; it must be based on Scripture, and should be aimed at spiritual growth. It could relate to the content of the sermon of the day. There should be training in worship in every congregational agency. There should be consistent active preparation with children and young people feeding not just into worship but community service. Use can be made of the festivals of the Christian Year. The topic is developed under the headings of fundamentals, preparation, themes and methods. Many examples are given of an initiative in a rural parish.