Raising Worshippers: Cultivating a Life of Praise

In this segment, Jeremy Perigo and Angela Perigo, co-directors of the Children in Worship Initiative at Dordt University, sit down with Jennifer Vermeer to discuss the vital role children play in worship. This discussion has been edited for length and clarity.

Jennifer Vermeer: Can you share a little bit about your experience and passion for children in worship?

Angela Perigo: I've always been interested in children’s worship, even as a little girl. I think about my own faith formation and how I was drawn into participating in Sunday services. Sometimes that looked like doing nothing, and other times it meant asking my grandpa, who was a pastor, to read scripture or play my flute in the band.

As I moved into my doctoral research, I wanted to learn more about what the Bible says about the theology of children and how we can help them grow in their faith now, not just for the future. One project I worked on was leading a children's scripture reading team at church. They took it so seriously, arriving on time and staying late, and it struck me how excited they were to participate at that level.

I also worked with my own children and their friends to be engaged in church on Sunday mornings, whether through movement, writing notes during the sermon, or finding creative ways for them to think about participating, not just consuming worship.

Jeremy Perigo: I grew up in a church with a children’s choir and even an orchestra that played music at a level anyone could join if they had some musical skills. Church became a space where I could grow my musical and artistic gifts while also experiencing belonging and faith formation. I saw how all these elements formed me as a theologian, musician, disciple of Jesus, and a member of the community.

While many churches have segregated ministries, which is understandable, I also see the beauty of having children and adults of all ages worshiping together. This requires intentionality, and especially post-COVID, some shifts in children’s and youth ministries have not been for the better. The grant we’re working on, along with our skills and experiences, gives us an opportunity to think about how to help the next generation engage in the arts and worship in a meaningful way. We also want to support parents, pastors, and leaders in this process.

Jennifer Vermeer: Why is it important that we think about how children can be actively involved in worship?

Angela Perigo: Children are part of the covenant family of God, and 1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that all members of the Body have something to contribute. For children, it's important to begin recognizing their place in the Body and how they can contribute. Yes, they’re in church to listen and absorb the words and liturgical actions, but also to realize they have something to offer. I think it’s the responsibility of the more mature members of the body to help children identify their gifts. Not just to identify them, but to create space for the unique ways in which they are being formed—and how they, in turn, can form us.

Jeremy Perigo: That idea of the entire family and community coming together for worship is really important. Pastors, leaders, and parents are invited to create opportunities for children to be engaged, too. While each community may vary, the invitation remains: to have worship that welcomes all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

Angela Perigo: I think of the words of Jesus: “Whoever welcomes this little child welcomes me.” The Kingdom of God belongs to children. We often don’t reflect this in our corporate worship. We can become very serious, and it’s important to take worship seriously, but we should also be attentive to the unique way children experience the words in the Bible and the songs. There’s so much we can learn from them, and sometimes we overlook the Kingdom of God present in our midst when we dismiss children as “just children.” By not engaging with them, we might miss out on something the Holy Spirit wants to teach us.

Jennifer Vermeer: I have young kids, and there are times in church I find myself torn between taking worship seriously for myself and nurturing their curiosity. How can we create space for questions while still maintaining tradition?

Jeremy Perigo: It’s tricky. These are the questions we should be asking as worship planners. When planning a worship service, how do we honor tradition, liturgy, and the preaching of God’s word, without throwing those things out, while also creating space for questions? In our Reformed tradition, we value catechism—question and answer—and that’s a core part of our heritage. But how do we make room for that in the service? In some of the classes I teach, we explore worship in the first century, how early Christians came together, and we see the importance of table fellowship and communion. There was structure, but also space for curiosity and questions. Sometimes that meant whispering during the service, and as kids get older, they may write down questions to ask later.

Some families we’ve worked with have found that these moments might not happen during Sunday services, but at the dinner table once a week or every night. Small groups with other families can also be a great place for these conversations. Sunday morning worship with all ages is one of the best places, but there are other moments during the week—like family rhythms, community rhythms, and church rhythms—that can also help shape kids and their engagement with worship.

Jennifer Vermeer: That brings me to my next question. Can you share some examples or ideas about the role parents and families can play in helping children embrace worship?

Jeremy Perigo: Studies show that parents are some of the best models for their children. I look around at church sometimes and see members of the community aren’t singing and others are distracted. One of the best things we can do for children in worship is to model what it means to be a worshiping community—especially on Sunday mornings, but also in other areas of life.

Another key aspect is inviting kids into the process. For example, Angela mentioned the children’s scripture reading on Sunday. I’ve also done songwriting workshops with young kids—taking a psalm, reading it, understanding it, updating the language, connecting it to their lives, and then putting chords, harmony, and melody to it. It might not be something we sing or record, but giving them the skills to create lyrics, melody, and rhythm is valuable. So, identifying skills children need to participate and actually engaging in the process—whether that’s scripture reading, writing songs, or having a kids worship band or choir—are practical ways we’ve seen kids get involved.

Angela Perigo: Let’s be honest, one of the biggest challenges as parents is not having enough time. We feel that we don’t have time to open the Scriptures, ask our children questions, or even put down our phones to truly hear them. So, I think the simplicity is in things like praying with our kids, asking how we can pray for them, or reading a verse of Scripture together. Being present in the moment and discerning how God is at work in our children is key. Like you mentioned with your kids Jennifer and Jeremy mentioned earlier— as parents, being present and curious, asking questions, and helping our children engage rather than shutting their curiosities down is crucial.

That’s so hard to do, but faith formation within the family is foundational and vital.

Jennifer Vermeer: How can we help children see worship as a lifestyle and not just an event, and ensure that they carry a love of worship into their teenage and adult years?

Angela Perigo: Some of my doctoral research focused on the attrition rate of children as they grow into adults—whether they continue attending church or not. A lot of the research pointed to the fact that the more children felt like they participated and had ownership within the congregation—whether it was serving coffee, greeting, working with tech, or singing in the worship band—the higher the rates of them staying in church when they no longer had to go. So, I think the key is creating spaces where children can participate and feel ownership over their place in the Body of Christ. That goes a long way in discipleship. Engagement in worship significantly impacts long-term discipleship.

Jeremy Perigo: It’s a great question. I think a lot of what you said points to the importance of belonging. When children find a role and have an opportunity to use their gifts, they really begin to see worship as a lifestyle. Not every child wants to sing in the choir on Christmas Eve, but that’s a narrow view of worship. Some kids may feel more comfortable setting up or tearing down, working with lyrics, or preparing the hymnals. Our daughters, for instance, love serving in the nursery or children's ministry. Like adults, children should be shown how their gifts can contribute to the life of the church. We can start this process at a younger age, not just when they’re in college. Even younger kids have gifts to offer, and it’s important to nurture that. When it comes to everyday life, I think parents, caregivers, mentors, and teachers have a huge role in shaping that. Families, even without music degrees, can sing a prayer or read a verse together at the dinner table. Those daily rhythms—praying, reading Scripture, worshiping together outside of Sunday morning—become foundational, and kids will carry them into their teenage years, into college, and eventually into their own families. Those rhythms are often more impactful than the Sunday morning service itself.

Angela Perigo: We want to offer children the invitation to be fully themselves in Christ and in the Body, not feel like participation is forced. I think it’s essential for children to understand that their faith can fully flourish within the community. Drawing from Ephesians 4, we want to give them space to experience how their unique gifts contribute to the building up of the Body of Christ.

Jeremy Perigo: As part of this grant, we’re just getting started. The first year will be about consulting with churches and communities, asking pastors, children’s leaders, worship leaders, and parents what’s working. We’ve also asked those with older children or no children at all, as well as single adults, what challenges they face. But perhaps most importantly, we’re asking the kids themselves: What helps you connect with God? What makes you come alive? What’s boring in church? Asking those tough questions is important, and the data we gather will help us understand what’s possible.