KIDS WORSHIP
EVERY VOLUNTEER ON YOUR TEAM IS A LEADER | Yancy
There are times when I ’ m on-stage leading kids in worship I wish I could roll tape and record what my eyes are seeing . You know the kind of technology we see in the movies when some spy goes undercover ? He has all sorts of gadgets to accomplish this task that remains wishful thinking on my part . If I could , I would playback the tape to show you boys worshiping the Lord . Eyes closed , hands raised and every ounce of sincerity you could wish for . It ’ s one of the things that so many struggle with yet , I ’ ve seen them participate willingly and whole heartedly again and again . One of the occasions I wish I could show you the tape of my mind ’ s eye , I remember it like yesterday .
A few summers back I was leading worship at a camp for preteens . Each session they shift the groups around , so everybody gets to sit up front and center in at least one of the sessions . This particular session , I ended up with a large church group of boys in the very front . Every row as far as I could see was filled with boys . A situation that had the potential to be a challenge . However much to my surprise as I led my song “ Super Wonderful ” these boys were ‘ all-in ’. Like the kind of ‘ all-in ’ that if I was recording something intentionally to show church leaders , it would be the picture-perfect level of participation you ’ d create for the camera if only you could . As I was leading , I was thinking how much I wished I could record what my eyes were seeing . Joy . Singing . Passion . Engagement . Literally everything that would be on the wish list .
I noticed one of the counselors recording the group with his phone and then had a new mission to get my hands on the video . I approached the church leader to get approval ( they actually had a strict policy about sharing videos of the kids ) but was granted access eventually . I remember celebrating with this leader the level of engagement of her kids . But I also asked her some questions about how they were accomplishing this with their kids weekly at her church . I remember she confidently highlighted the power of her volunteer team that served . She recognized the example was being set and being led by her volunteer team : “ For starters , at our church it starts from the top . Our men are modeled worship from the worship team every Sunday . Secondly , I cast vision about worship for the kids and the leaders . The leaders know that I expect them to worship alongside the boys during our ministry times . And thirdly , I think seeing fruit from it ( the boys starting to learn what worship is all about ) is what helps keep it going . Having committed male adult leaders worship alongside our boys has drastically changed the way worship happens in our kids spaces . They model what worship looks like for the boys to see . It ’ s not always perfect , and we definitely sometimes have some flossing during worship time , but having male leaders worship alongside the boys shows them that worship is not just for females and that it ’ s cool .”
Every adult leader in the room needs to realize they share responsibility in leading kids in worship . They may not be the “ worship leader ” by definition . They may not be on stage or have a microphone . But how they participate sets the pace for the whole group . How they follow instructions and take action in response to what the leader says speaks volumes . They may be standing on the side . They could be in the back of the class . They very well might be right in the middle of the group of kids . By their actions they are giving the rest of the group permission to check out or an invitation to be engaged by their actions .
Champion your team to understand how much power they carry in helping model what worship looks like to the rest of the group . Kids will follow what they see modeled . They will respond to correction when a student gets distracted and starts talking or doing something they shouldn ’ t . Encourage those adult leaders to remind them “ not right now Madison . Let ’ s sing this to
God .” Invite them to remind “ Taylor , don ’ t be a distraction to your friends . This is your time to spend with God . You don ’ t want to miss out on that .” Encourage them to guide the kids to what the time is about and what the leader on stage is leading them in .
I led worship for a traveling event for years and many times throughout the years during the last session of the weekend I ’ d encounter a group that was tired ( because they probably didn ’ t get enough sleep the night before .) I ’ d go out to lead the last session of worship , invite everyone to stand and sing but then be amazed as I watched some adult leaders follow the crowd aka their group of kids who didn ’ t stand and then sit back down . They could have leaned over and said something to encourage their kids to do what was being asked . But instead , they were led by their kids to actually be disobedient in that moment . I was always baffled by the missed opportunity of those volunteers . I get it , they were tired too but instead of allowing it to be a great teaching opportunity of giving a “ sacrifice of praise ” they gave their kids a “ get out of jail for free ” card .
Empower your team to model worship to the whole group . Encourage them that their example is preaching a sermon to the kids by backing up what the worship leader is inviting everyone to do . It ’ s just like dominos . It only takes the first few to make the whole row fall done . Every leader being engaged will inspire and encourage your kids to engage in worship like never before . Go lead well !
© 2022 Yancy Ministries , Inc .
Yancy Yancy is a worship leader and songwriter for kids that travels the globe doing family concerts and training worship leaders . Every week her songs are used in thousands of churches around the world . Her Dove Award winning music is all the things kids love and everything adults value . Her newest “ Little Praise Party ” album is “ Out of This World ”. Yancy has a passion to serve the Church which is why she created “ Heartbeat ”, a curriculum to teach kids the heart of worship . She recently authored the book “ Sweet Sound : The Power of Discipling Kids in Worship ”. She lives with her husband and sons in Nashville , TN .
YancyMinistries . com