Preaching and Children Religious Education: Some Remarks and Reflections

Preaching and Children Religious Education: Some Remarks and Reflections

Poling J. SUN

Preaching and children religious education are understandably linked by the practice of children's sermons in Sunday worship. Preaching to children during Sunday worship, however, is a recent development in North American churches and has since become a matter of contention. Although there is no evidence that this practice is emerging as an issue among Chinese churches, a preliminary exploration of the issue is still of worth. In fact, this article suggests that an investigation into the issue demands further reflections on the ministries of preaching and religious education.

This article examines the pros and cons of the place of children's sermons in worship. It further clarifies the significance and content of children religious education. Granting the important place of children's sermons in worship, this article proceeds to a discussion of the content and framework of children's sermons and offers some suggestions to preaching to children. Following on the observations that children's sermons, sermons, and religious education have lacked a vision of cultivating theological and biblical literacy among congregations, this article offers, from the perspectives of religious education and theology, some remarks on preaching.