KIDS WORSHIP
BOYS CAN AND WILL WORSHIP, I BELIEVE IT! | Yancy
It happened to me again. Yes, that’ s right. This summer while leading worship at a camp, once again I wished that I had some Tony Starkesque technology where I could roll tape and capture the video of what my eyes were seeing while I was on stage. I’ ve been in more worship sets than I can count where I wish I had the video footage to show you what I saw while leading kids to worship. I would want to be able to show you the ways I’ ve seen kids engage in worship. The purity and the level of passion I’ ve seen them sing to the Lord with. I wear inear monitors and during one of the sessions I pulled out my ear to hear the kids sing and it was louder than I expected. It was nothing short of a holy roar. Honestly, I ended up getting choked up at the sound of their praise as I continued trying to sing and lead them through the last couple choruses.
I often hear from leaders when they know something isn’ t working right. I’ ve heard the off the cuff comments made about the struggle that it is for some to get kids engaged. There’ s been times, whether it’ s online in a Facebook group or face to face, where I’ ve heard a leader comment negatively about boys in worship. I am here today to encourage you the opposite is true. No matter what participation currently looks like in the classrooms where you lead, I want you to hear me say today that,“ It IS possible to lead boys in worship!” And I will add it is possible to be effective at doing it. I believe this is an area where we have slowly conditioned ourselves to think wrongly about the issue. You might even tell me you’ re just facing the facts of what reality looks like in your classroom.
I’ ve noticed there’ s figures of speech we use in dialogue that if we really analyze what those phrases mean we would never speak such a thing. Let’ s renew our mind. Let’ s change our confession.
A couple of those videos I wish I had to show you would include a preteen boy worshiping with ALL of his heart, on the very back row of the morning chapel time at camp. This boy was locked in completely. He had both hands raised, his head was tilted back, but it was his gaze that truly got me. You know when you see someone truly taking delight in what has their attention? That’ s what this was. This boy had his eyes fixed on Jesus and he was delighting in giving thanks to the Lord that morning for the blessings he’ s experienced. It was beautiful. At the end of the morning, I went up to that boy and encouraged him to never stop worshiping Jesus like that. I told him he had encouraged me that day. He smiled back.
During one of the evening sessions there were a couple boys near the very front. They were not distracted by anything else around them. They were locked in. They were participating fully and their offering of worship was beautiful to witness. I wish I had the video footage to send you a link to watch but all I have is the memory. So, I will use my words today to remind you again and again and again: boys can worship. Boys will worship. Choose to sing songs they can enjoy. Choose to do movements that they are willing to do.( Need to know more about this one? I write about it for two chapters in my book“ Sweet Sound: The Power of Discipling Kids in Worship”.)
Sing songs that have messages that matter. Think about what your songs are helping them articulate. Earlier this morning I saw a lady wiping tears from her eyes during worship at an event I’ m at. Why? The lyrics in the song we were singing had weight. She was connecting with the prayer and the admission that the song was helping her to articulate to her heavenly Father.
How you lead matters.( Think the sound of the songs, the visuals you use, who you have helping you lead worship.)
What you lead matters.( Think about the things you are sharing to connect the dots and teach them to worship. The actions you’ re inviting them to do. The steps you’ re showing them to take to grow in worship. The words and messages that are in your songs.)
Believe it’ s possible. From this day forward, pray for those you lead. Ask God to show you changes to make, things to share / teach and ways to lead everyone in your class to worship in Spirit and in truth.
© 2025 Yancy Ministries, Inc.
Yancy Yancy is a worship leader and songwriter with a passion for kids worship. Every week her music is used in thousands of churches around the world. Her Dove Awards winning music helps kids fall in love with Jesus one song at a time. Yancy authored the book Sweet Sound: The Power of Discipling Kids in Worship to help your church raise every generation to be worshipers. Through her program CHORUS, she coaches worship leaders for Next Gen Ministry. Stained Glass Kids is a podcast she hosts for PK’ s and ministry kids. Yancy lives with her husband and sons in Nashville, TN.
YancyMinistries. com
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