Covenant Family Connection-

It is a blessing to come alongside our covenant family members of every age to worship God, serve others, and love each other—especially as workers in children’s ministry! The children in our midst are the next generation of the visible and invisible Church. The invisible Church includes all souls who are redeemed since before the foundations of the world were spoken into existence by God, from the very first to the very last believer, spanning throughout the ages. The visible church refers to the people in the present who fill the church buildings from Sunday to Sunday, hearing the Word proclaimed, partaking in the sacraments, and worship together. They are present, but not all of them may be believers. There is a succinct explanation of these ideas on Barry Cooper’s podcast “Simply Put.”¹

This distinction between the visible and invisible Church is a driving force for Christian parents as well as those of us who are called to work in ministry with children. We want each child to be catechised, to turn from their sin and come to a saving faith in Christ. Paul opened his letter to the Corinthian church, with this beautiful greeting to those “called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:2-3). We believe that this greeting, the covenant promises of God, and the truths of Scripture are not only as true today as they were yesteryear but also are true for the children of believers in our churches. And yet, we know that until our children profess their own saving faith in the Savior King Jesus—and after they profess—our work is to pour into them the truths of the Bible, which is discipleship.

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This simple-to-understand verse is not always as easy to live out as we expect. Let’s say parents had never been to church until adulthood, when they received the good news of the gospel. Perhaps the liturgy is confusing, the Bible stories they read are coming to life, but they have no idea where to start in discipling their own children. The workers in the children’s ministry can come alongside them, sharing materials  such as books, podcasts, and, of course, praying with and for them. The PCA Bookstore has several resources including a Basics of the Faith collection of easy-to-read booklets on a variety of topics from P&R Publishing.

Perhaps another family consists of two parents who grew up in different denominations from one another. They’ve landed in your midst and are welcomed in, but you see their hesitation to dive into theological questions their children are bringing to them. We who are called to and have been trained in children’s ministry can bring experience and resources to these parents as they disciple their young ones.

A practical example of helping parents better understand how to teach their children might be to include a short explanation of each part of the liturgy in your church bulletin. Our church has done this, and it is a help even to my husband and me as we parent our young sons in the pew week to week. When our children began asking questions, I was grateful for these short lines of explanation that helped me share the reasons for the liturgical order of events and discuss them with our sons. Now they are growing to feel encouraged as they follow along and engage more deeply in worship.

The gift of the church coming together from various backgrounds and situations, which we find in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, is that we are not all the same. Verses 12 through 27 explain we are like a body with all the parts having varying functions and abilities and giftings unique to them but working together as a whole for the glory of God to make His glory known to the ends of the earth.

As we come alongside families week by week in Sunday School, at events, in services, and with conversation, we are called to encourage, train, and pray for them as together we watch their little ones grow.. The visible church body comes together to serve, encourage, teach, admonish, and love one another. It is our sincere hope and prayer that each one of the families and children we serve are also a part of the invisible Church. What a privilege to have a part in the Lord’s plan for His people!

1. Cooper, Barry, host. “Simply Put.” The Visible and Invisible Church, Ligonier Ministries, November 11, 2024. https://learn.ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-visible-and-invisible-church