Jesus Welcomed Children. Do We? By Pastor Nicole Schwalbe
Mar 02, 2026
I have always been a “kid person.” I babysat, I taught Sunday School, I worked as a speech-pathologist with young children. So, going into ministry, I thought I knew what we should “do” with children in church. And then I took a seminary class on Christian education that completely shifted my thinking. In this class we were reminded that in the Bible Jesus taught the adults and welcomed the children. And then our professor, Dr. Krych, pointed out that most of our churches have reversed this model. We teach children in our Sunday Schools (often things that they are not developmentally ready to understand) but don’t necessarily welcome them. Because our institution is set up to make adults feel comfortable, we silo children in separate rooms, banish them to the basement, shush them when they have developmentally appropriate trouble sitting still in worship, and make them feel-good props in children’s sermons without including them in worship in meaningful ways. But it does not have to be this way. Perhaps instead of thinking we can “take care” of the children by picking just the right curriculum for Sunday School or figuring out the perfect moment to shoo them out of the sanctuary for their own programming, we should be thinking of how we are best welcoming them. How are we building relationships across generations with the children in our church? How are we showing them they are loved by God and by the people in the church? How are we signaling to them that they are not a side-show but an important part of the congregation? How are we supporting stressed out parents so they can navigate a worship service with busy children?
In traveling through the synod, I have seen many ways that churches are figuring this out. In one church I watched as children with tambourines led a parade during the closing hymn. In another I saw a small table with coloring and soft toys in the front of the sanctuary so the children could see the altar while keeping their hands busy. In one church where children were welcomed to partake in communion, I had a child run up and ask me if he could have a bigger piece of communion bread because he loved getting Jesus. I have watched kids collect the offering, usher, hold hymnals for elderly neighbors, wave banners during processions and shout out the sending words of worship. My favorite morning was one in which a child raised his hand to ask me a question in the middle of my sermon. It was clear that he was not going to put his hand down until I called on him. It was also clear that he felt like he mattered in that place.
There is not any one-size-fits-all way to welcome children and show them they are a part of our community. There are many. It can be hard work. It can be chaotic and messy. But, who said following Jesus would be neat, orderly, or easy? It is time to invest in making relationships with our children, including them in the life of the church and loving them for who they are right now. We say we “want more children in church,” so let’s be ready to show them love, welcome, and belonging when they actually show up.