The Nursery of the Holy Spirit: Welcoming Children in Worship

Public worship is the nursery of the Holy Spirit. As you enter the sanctuary you notice them at once. Then as you take your seat next to a family they are right there beside you. Throughout the ensuing service you see them--and hear them. The presence of children in public worship is not only striking but also increasingly strange in modern American church life. In fact the idea of your children sitting or standing next to you during prayer singing or the pastors sermon can be downright scary. This book is based in the conviction that public worship is the nursery of the Holy Spirit and that bringing children in is both beneficial and a blessing. The Nursery of the Holy Spirit offers practical advice on how to make this ideal a reality in your childrens lives. This is a timely book. While statistics suggest that many young adults are leaving the church Danny Hyde contends that maybe we were unwelcoming to our children in the first place. He encourages parents to consider our childrens relationship with the church and questions the common practice of separating them from our worship service. This practical book challenges us to evaluate what children friendly really means with solid biblical exhortation. --Aimee Byrd author of Housewife Theologian We cannot take for granted anymore that churches both Reformed and evangelical keep their children in the sanctuary during the worship service. Danny Hyde has provided a thoughtful pastoral book that addresses this very issue. And for those already convinced that our covenant children should remain in the sanctuary worshiping the triune God this book will provide further food for thought on why this practice is so important and should continue if we are to be faithful to our children and Gods word. --Mark Jones pastor Faith Presbyterian Church Vancouver BC Danny Hydes love for children and his concern for their spiritual welfare shines through every page of this book. He combines rich biblical instruction with helpful practical advice in his passion to see the worship of God enriched by our children and our children enriched by Gods worship. --David Murray Professor of Old Testament and Pastoral Theology Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Grand Rapids MI In this slim volume Pastor Hyde gently calls upon Christian parents and churches to place their children in the nursery of the Holy Spirit. This helpful volume also offers practical ways in which moms and dads may parent in the pew. I am grateful for this book and plan to get it into the hands of the parents and ministry leaders in my church. --Todd Pruitt lead pastor Covenant Presbyterian Church Harrisonburg VA Many reasons are given for why children drift away from the church but perhaps the most important--and least discussed--is the fact that parents do not teach them that church is important. And basic to that is making sure children are in the worship service and understand what is happening. Dannys little book will be a great help to parents and pastors as they reflect on how better to encourage little children to come to Christ. --Carl R. Trueman pastor Cornerstone Presbyterian Church Ambler PA Daniel R. Hyde (ThM Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) is the pastor of the Oceanside United Reformed Church in Carlsbad-Oceanside CA. He is also the author of God in Our Midst Welcome to a Reformed Church Why Believe in God? and Jesus Loves the Little Children. In addition he serves as Adjunct Instructor of Systematic Theology and Missions at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and is a member of the Advisory Council to Word and Deed Ministries.