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Parallel Worship (Children's
Church)
Some elderships with announced good intentions have introduced the practice
of excusing children and a few members from their congregation's Sunday evening
worship services for a special program called "children's church."
While the remainder of the church engages in a worship assembly wherein are
conducted the same worship activities as in the Sunday morning assembly, the
children and their teachers have parallel service or "children's church"
in a separate location. This practice is one which is without scriptural authorization
and which violates the injunction of Hebrews 10:25 "not to forsake the
assembling of ourselves together."
Before beginning the reasoning process, consider the following biblical account
to emphasize the seriousness of the departure involved in the innovation called
"children's church." Saul, the first human king of Israel, once contended
that he had obeyed God when in fact he had not done so. He had been charged
to "utterly destroy" Amalek, "man and woman, infant and suckling,
ox and sheep, camel and donkey" (I Samuel 15:3). Saul did indeed smite
the Amalekites, but he took king Agag alive and spared the best of the sheep
for a sacrifice to the Lord (I Samuel 15:9, 13). The good intentions Saul may
have had and the seemingly minor deviations from the Divine instructions which
were involved in his neglect apparently led Saul to the erroneous conclusion
which he declared to Samuel: "I have performed the commandment of the LORD"
(I Samuel 15:13)
Samuel set the record straight in this matter and his rebuke of Saul prompted
Saul's own admission, "I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment
of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice"
(I Samuel 15:24).
May we never be deceived by what merely seems to be right, but determine to
be governed by what is authorized (Proverbs 14:12; Colossians 3:17). It is,
of course, not the case that church members are forbidden to meet in every group
situation smaller than the local church. Elders have authority to call the saints
together for various specific purposes and to separate such gatherings by category
as is expedient for accomplishing their mandate of overseeing those for whom
they must give account (Acts 20:28; I Peter 5:1-2; Hebrews 13:17). Thus, a young
men's training class, Bible classes for different age groups, ladies' class,
etc., are expedient ways for elders and other members to be spiritually nourished,
corrected, and protected. These meetings which may be divided are distinguishable
from the assemblies of exhortation mentioned in Hebrews 10:25, which assemblies
must not be forsaken and therefore must not be divided by elders or anyone else
for a "children's church" or anything else.
Excluded from present consideration are a number of special meetings of members
(e.g., Bible class, young men's training class, ladies' class, elders/deacons'
meeting, etc.) which an eldership might rightly call into separate groups (Acts
20:28; I Peter 5:1-2; Hebrews 13:17).
Here we consider assemblies of exhortation which are not to be forsaken by anyone
(Hebrews 10:24-25). The passage just cited says, "let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching." The "us" of the passage
(every member of the local church — if not, why not?) are not to forsake
certain assemblies of themselves (all of "themselves" — if not,
why not?) together (can they be together in separate places? of course not!)
but rather to exhort one another (all of one "anothers" — if
not, why not?) in these assemblies. Therefore, there are mandated assemblies
of all of the saints together, the purpose of which is, at least in part, to
provide for the exhortation of all of the saints by all of the saints.
On a given Lord's day, all of the saints have been called together in a morning
service for worship through the five obligatory avenues, the only difference
being that those attending the morning assembly will not be partaking of the
Lord's Supper and giving their weekly contribution. The morning service was
an assembly of exhortation, an assembly not to be forsaken by anyone, for what
other than the five avenues of worship could rightly be done for an assembly
to qualify as an assembly of exhortation?
How then, could the identical evening assembly be something other than an assembly
of exhortation? Do the evening service attendees need to exhort all other members?
Yes! Do they deserve to be exhorted by all of the other members? Yes! How then
can anyone be rightly removed from this kind of assembly as an optional matter?
They cannot (Hebrews 10:25)!
To simply call an assembly of exhortation by another name in order to exempt
it from the obligation set out in Hebrews 10:25 is to reject a Divine mandate.
If God says a thing is required, it is rebellion to claim it is not. Remember
Saul (I Samuel 15)?
Though the American Christian Missionary Society was claimed to be an expedient
by many brethren, including so notable a man as Alexander Campbell, it was an
arrangement without Bible authority; therefore, it was without God's approval;
therefore, it was sin (Colossians 3:17). Some favoring a missionary society,
other than the missionary society (the Lord's church), embraced it for its promise
of favorable results. The proponents erred in failing to couple with good intentions
a thorough assessment of the scripturalness of all of the arrangement's constituent
elements. While the society's friends anticipated increase in conversions, a
Divinely-approved result, the accomplishment of this commendable end was to
employ a condemned means. It is never right to do a wrong thing and that "never"
covers even those situations in which good ends are intended (Romans 3:8).
The "children's church" arrangement is remarkably similar. Undoubtedly
some involved are well-intentioned and have in mind at least some anticipated
results which are Heaven-endorsed. However, divided assemblies of exhortation
are also a product of the "children's church" arrangement and such
division is lacking Bible authority. The unauthorized separation (i.e., forsaking)
of many, a few, or even one of the saints of a congregation from an assembly
of exhortation results in a clear-cut violation of explicit Bible teaching (Hebrews
10:25)."Oh, but it seems so harmless," and "Oh, it has such good
results," are but empty retorts.
Read again I Samuel 15 and compare Saul's pitiful excuses. Brethren, nothing
changes the need for Bible authority for all that we do (Colossians 3:17)!
"Oh, we've got so many more important things to think about," and
"Oh, you're just narrow-minded, negative, picky, radical, unbalanced, etc."
are equally vain. We ask, "Where is your Bible authority for the practice?"
and it is the children's church proponent's duty to answer (I Peter 3:15)! Ask
our God how serious it is to do what He has forbidden. His answer is found in
the report of Uzza's death (I Chronicles 13:9-10).
In connection with this issue and others our elders, preachers, and other members
urgently need to wake up and renew a personal search of the Scriptures to regain
an appreciation of the seriousness of the need for Bible authority and the severity
of the Almighty against those who disregard it (Romans 11:22; Hebrews 10:31).
Those who have instituted and continue to practice the unauthorized children's
church arrangement should repent and give it up. Those who have formerly endorsed
it should repent and renounce it in an effort to curb their continuing harmful
influence.
by Bob Berard
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