Understanding the different parts of a worship service can be confusing for any young child. One minute everyone is singing loudly, the next everyone is sitting and listening quietly. Sometimes the adults know something that should be said out loud, like, “Thanks be to God!” How did they know what to say? What is communion all about? And why does the pastor raise his hands and pray at the end of the service?

The movements of worship have been formational for me, and I want kids to love and look forward to gathering with the church in the way that I did as a kid and do now as an adult. I believe part of looking forward to worship is understanding how all of the parts of worship fit together and tell the story of the gospel.

Following the vision of Isaiah 6, God Made Me for Worship focuses on teaching kids about the key movements in a worship gathering, including the call to worship, praise and adoration, confession, assurance, passing the peace, ministry of the Word and sacraments, and the benediction and sending.

My prayer is that it will equip parents to help their kids understand why we’re intentional about worship. I want to encourage parents to engage their kids—not just manage their behavior during a worship gathering—but to invite children to respond to God along with the whole church body.

God Made Me for Worship is part of the God Made Me series which equips parents to have important, impactful conversations with their children, helping them to grow in understanding of God, themselves, and others. Each book in the series contains a special section just for parents and caregivers that provides biblical guidance and offers additional information and resources for talking about the topic addressed in the story. You can pre-order God Made Me for Worship now from 10ofthose.com

“Parents and grandparents who want to help children understand and enjoy corporate worship will be very grateful to Jared Kennedy for producing this book. In a delightfully simple and engaging way it answers hard questions about what we do when we gather together as God’s people. You could read and discuss this book together many times to unpack the biblical and pastoral wisdom it contains.”
David G. Peterson, Moore College, Sydney, Australia; author of Engaging with God and Encountering God Together

“This book is a creative way for parents to talk with their children about what we do when we gather in worship. Reading this book together in the family room or at the bedside can help prompt a child to ask, and answer, on Sunday, ‘Why are we here?’ and ‘What are we doing?’ as well as, most importantly, ‘Whose are we?’”
Russell Moore, President, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

New Book: God Made Me for Worship