3 Reasons Your Church Needs a Children’s Worship Choir

Over the course of my childhood, children’s choir was an important part of my introduction to singing, leading worship, and faith.

My debut performance in a church children’s musical was in No Fibbin’ Mephibosheth as the eponymous character, the biblical “Tiny Tim.” Then there was the somewhat insensitively titled Fat, Fat Jehoshaphat where I played the priest Jahaziel.

But this isn’t one of those grumpy “things should be the way they were when I was a kid” kind of blog posts. Methods change as our culture changes. The day of the programmatic graded choir and “pun-tastically” titled children’s musical seems to be fading away – and for many churches that’s okay.

But there is a need that a children’s choir is designed to meet, and that need still remains.

Every church has a deeply rooted responsibility to the next generation. It’s our mission to raise up the next generation of worshippers and worship leaders. Yet I hear many leaders worried about the state of the kids in their church: Why won’t they sing? They don’t seem interested in worship. It’s hard to get them involved. They know less and less about their faith.

That’s why at our church we have a children’s worship choir. It’s not exactly like the choir I grew up with. We usually meet over the summer. We don’t put on musicals or sing campfire songs. We learn modern worship songs, and then lead them in a special family worship service at the end of the summer.

Why do we hold on to this concept when other churches seem to have relegated it to the realm of history? Because our responsibility to the next generation will never be “dated.” Plus, there are three important benefits a children’s worship choir will bring to the kids in your church.

Kids Learn to Sing

The Bible is full of invitations – commands, even – to sing! Yet many leaders wonder why their kids don’t want to sing in worship.

The truth is that kids learn what they are taught, whether from parents, teachers, or peers. Yes, there will always be the kid that’s “too cool” to sing, but most kids love to sing when they feel comfortable.

A children’s worship choir gives a child the safety of the group to go ahead and try out those vocal chops. And some of them are going to discover a talent they never realized they had, or a joy they’ve never experienced.

Why is singing such an important part of worship? It helps us express our praise! How can we praise God and remain silent? But if we want our kids to be comfortable joining in, we’ve got to help them exercise that “singing muscle!”

Kids Learn to Lead Worship

Anything we want our kids to do in adulthood we start teaching them when they are young. It’s why kids will start sports or music lessons at four or five years-old, and why parents compete for the most prestigious preschool for their three year-olds.

Why, then, do we wait to start teaching people how to lead worship until they are teenagers or even adults? If we want to see a new generation of worship leaders, we need to start teaching children to lead worship.

Of course, not every one of those kids will end up leading on your stage as an adult, but some will. In fact, you might be surprised just how much talent and potential are hidden in your congregation just waiting to bloom before your eyes.

Leading worship also teaches kids to value worship. Even if they don’t end up leading musically when they grow up, they will never forget the value and importance of worship!

Kids Learn About Their Faith

We have songs for some of the most important things in life: the alphabet, birthdays, multiplication tables, how a bill becomes a law, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Why? Because songs help us learn things quickly and retain them for a long time.

Songs of faith are no different. They contain some of the most important truths in life, and for some reason God designed our brains to retain things through music in a unique way. We may or may not remember the key points of a Sunday School lesson but attach them to a catchy melody and we’ll never forget them!

If you want the kids in your church to grow in their knowledge of the Christian faith, teaching them great worship songs is one of the best things you can do. Modern hymns like “King of Kings,” “Living Hope,” and “This I Believe,” are great songs that are full of core doctrine. Or you can utilize some of the wonderful Scripture songs that are available now. That’s a big part of our mission at Doorpost Songs and you can find all the resources you need for your children’s worship choir on our website.

It’s Easier Than You Think

It’s not rocket science; in fact, starting a children’s worship choir is easier than you think. Get charts and tracks for your favorite Doorpost Song or modern worship song. (WorshipTogetherKids.com is a great resource for modern worship songs for kids.) Gather some kids who are interested. Rehearse a couple times, and then lead a song on a Sunday morning with your instrumental track or even with your worship team. I promise you won’t regret it!

In fact, as you watch the children in your church learn to sing, learn to lead worship, and learn about their faith, your only regret may be that you didn’t start a children’s worship choir sooner!