http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6623-0509
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ABSTRACT
How children participate in worship practices is largely determined by adults. Adults set the stage; they shape the physical environment and determine the subject matter. Adults design the format for children’s participation in various forms of worship and the roles adults perform influence the interactions with children. Many different intentions inform these design choices and roles: Intentions revolving around faith, liturgy, community, and experience. The way adults shape worship with children points to the significance of spirituality. When adults perform directing roles, children’s spirituality can find a point of reference in stories and traditions while adults themselves gain from the process of translation this involves. When adults facilitate exploration, this nourishes both children’s and adults’ spirituality. Finally, when adults and children participate in worship practices together, it may contribute to a sense of community in which faith can be lived and shared.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. The first author conducted the research and wrote the article. The other authors were conversation partners and provided vital feedback throughout the process.
2. Congregation 2, participant observation and interview, 29 January 2017.
4. Congregation 9, interview, 7 May 2017.
5. Messy Church aims to be a form of church for all generations. It involves creativity, worship, and a meal.
6. Congregation 14, interview, 28 March 2017; focus group, 9 July 2017.
7. Congregation 1, focus group, 15 January 2017.
8. This charity strives to fulfil wishes of children who are very ill. See https://makeawishnederland.org/.
9. Congregation 15, participant observation, 2 June 2018.
10. Congregation 2, participant observation and interview, 29 January 2017.
11. Congregation 10, participant observation, 31 May 2017.
12. Congregation 1, interview, 15 January 2017.
13. Congregation 6, participant observation, 13 April 2017.
14. Congregation 14, participant observation, 9 July 2017.
15. Beforehand, he had said: ‘I don’t want to get in the spheres of: God created that tree and that one.’
16. Congregation 4, participant observation, 26 February 2017.
17. Congregation 9, participant observation, 7 May 2017.
18. Congregation 10, participant observation, 21 May 2017.
19. Congregation 13, interview, 25 June 2017.
20. Congregation 10, participant observation, 31 May 2017.
21. Congregation 3, interview, 16 February 2017; the minister cites a baptism prayer.
22. Congregation 4, interview, 26 February 2017.
23. Congregation 9, interview, 7 May 2017.
24. Congregation 7, interview, 28 May 2017.
25. Congregation 5, participant observation, 11 January 2017.
26. Congregation 8, interview, 15 April 2017.
27. Congregation 3, interview, 16 February 2017.
28. As in congregation 6, participant observation, 26 March 2017.
29. Congregation 1, interview, 15 January 2017.
30. Congregation 2, interview, 29 January 2017.
31. Congregation 11, interview, 13 June 2017.
32. Congregation 10, participant observation, 31 May 2017.
33. Congregation 2, interviews, 29 January 2017. Doing a personal Bible study is encouraged by the developers of the Sunday school method. Editorial office of the Bond van Hervormde Zondagscholen, personal communication, 22 August 2018.
34. Congregation 2, interviews, 29 January 2017.
35. Congregation 1, interview, 15 January 2017.
36. Congregation 14, participant observation and interviews, 9 July 2017.
37. Congregation 1, interview, 15 January 2017.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Lydia van Leersum-Bekebrede
Lydia van Leersum-Bekebrede researches Protestant liturgical rituals with children in the Netherlands as a PhD student. She studied cultural anthropology.
Ronelle Sonnenberg
Ronelle Sonnenberg is assistant professor in youth ministry at the Protestant Theological University and works at the Research Centre for Youth, Church, and Culture. She wrote her PhD thesis about Dutch Protestant youth worship.
Jos de Kock
Jos de Kock is a professor in practical theology at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Leuven, Belgium. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Youth and Theology and a member of the executive committee of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry.
Marcel Barnard
Marcel Barnard is a professor of practical theology at the Protestant Theological University and is also affiliated with Stellenbosch University and the Department of Liturgical Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is interested in the intersections of culture, art, ritual, religion, and liturgy.