Kids School of Worship

January 26, 2015LaBreeska Ingles

We started a kids worship team, made up of kids 12 and under, in 2013. Our first kids band was 3 boys. They were good friends and their parents were on the adult worship team. We have grown to a large group of varying ages and experience ranging from 8 year olds to 16 year olds. How do you start a Kids Worship Band?

How do we do it?                        

We meet every Wednesday night for an hour. All kids in our children's church (8 and older) are welcome to come to our weekly meetings as long as they have an instrument and are willing to take private lessons or practice at home. We meet together in a large circle for announcements and instructions, then we divide the group into sectionals.

What are sectionals?

During sectionals, the youth band members mentor the younger kids how to play worship songs. We usually ask all of the instrument groups to focus on the same easy worship song. Some kids are still learning basic skills, like how to make a G chord or how to keep time with a shaker. The older kids benefit from mentoring because teaching helps you grow in your skill. Also, we encourage our worship team to be servants. We do not exist to be rock stars, but to serve the church body.

How do prepare the kids to lead worship?

Once a month, I will pull a few kids out of their sectionals to practice as a band together. One drummer, one bassist, a keyboard player, and a guitar player are usually chosen from the groups. They will practice the worship song we have been working on together and lead worship for the children's church that Sunday.

Every summer, we host a Kids Worship Band Camp that is a launching pad for the kids to join the kids worship team. However, this is the one band practice that we invite kids from other churches to join. We love hosting other children's churches from other states and helping them start their own kids worship bands.

This model is currently working for us, but as we continue to grow, we will have to continue to try out new ideas on how to train kids to lead worship. We never expected to grow a Kids Worship School, but it looks like we are accidently creating something awesome.