Kids are part of the Body — not a separate ministry running in parallel.

Kids are part of the Body

At Light House Church, children aren't a separate ministry that runs in parallel to the real church. They are members of the household and of the Body, and they belong with us.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127). We want our kids to grow up surrounded by the worshiping Body, hearing the Word taught, watching grown-ups confess sin and receive forgiveness, and learning by example what it looks like to follow Jesus in everyday life.

So our default is integration, not segregation. Kids participate. Parents lead. The Body helps.

How we integrate kids on Sundays

The first portion of our Sunday Gathering is designed to include all of our kids in a family-worship segment. After that, our youngest children move to a volunteer-led childcare space while older kids remain in the gathering with us.

Because our gatherings center on the movement of the Holy Spirit and require focus, we ask parents of young children to honestly assess where their child is right now:

Trained. Some kids are ready to participate on their own — singing, praying, listening, contributing as the Spirit leads. We love this. We treat them as members of the Body and welcome their gifts.

In training. Many kids are learning. During this season we ask the child to be paired one-on-one with one of his or her parents, and we ask that parent to make helping the child engage their first priority during the gathering. We aim for one in-training child per parent.

Pre-training. Some kids — usually the youngest — aren't ready yet, or their parents are busy training a sibling. For these little ones, childcare is a good temporary option during the teaching and building-up portions of our time. We rotate two volunteers from our members to care for them.

Parents are welcome to bring quiet activities for younger kids who stay in the gathering.

Kids Care (0–3 years)

During the teaching and building-up portions of the Sunday gathering, two volunteers from our Body care for the very youngest children in a rotating schedule. The hour is intentionally structured so the kids are loved, fed, prayed over, sung to, and tired out by the time their parents come back.

  • 10:15 – 10:25 · Nursery
    • Sing 2–3 little kid songs
    • Read in the children's Bible from the bookmark
    • Sing more songs
  • 10:25 – 10:45 · Dining table
    • Pass out snacks (raisins)
    • Pray aloud over each child by name
    • Ask a question that they can take turns answering
    • Older babies can color while younger babies roam and play
  • 10:45 – 10:55 · Living Room
    • Bible memory verse song (Seeds Family Worship: By Him, Colossians 1:16–17) — phone or Echo
    • Dance party — Seeds, Citizens & Saints, Judah, Leland, and the like
  • 10:55 – 11:05 · Living room & hallway
    • Group game (Ring Around the Rosie, Bubblegum in a Dish, high-fives, patty-cake, Down by the Banks, peek-a-boo, races, etc.)
  • 11:05 – End · Kids Room
    • Free play with toys, books, and the climber

Volunteer responsibilities: abide by the resource guide, clean up as you go, and text or notify parents directly for bathroom or diaper needs.

Kids Care Resource Guide — the full guidelines, expectations, and safety protocols for every volunteer on the rotation. Open the resource guide →

Kids ministry volunteers

Our church-wide rotation means every member shares in the joyful work of caring for the kids of our Body. We follow a written philosophy, schedule, and set of safety protocols that all volunteers are required to read and follow carefully. You can read the full Kids Care Resource Guide, or ask one of our pastors.

Discipleship at home

We believe the most important place a child is discipled is not the church gathering — it is the household.

Each father at Light House Church carries primary responsibility for:

  • Integrating his children into the Body and training them how to use their gifts when we gather
  • Encouraging the family to stick with our shared Bible Reading Plan and initiating discussions around it
  • Serving his family communion when he feels it is appropriate
  • Being his family's voice and representative as we test prophecies, make decisions, and keep commitments to one another

Mothers stand alongside fathers in this calling, with their own irreplaceable role in shaping and nurturing the next generation (Titus 2:3–5; Proverbs 31).

Our hope is that the rhythms of the Body — gathering, reading, feasting, fasting, praying, serving — would echo throughout the week in every home.

A word to parents thinking about visiting

If you're a parent and you're considering Light House Church, we want you to know what you're walking into. This is not a polished Sunday production with a separate kids program upstairs. It is a house full of people — including a lot of kids — gathering to worship Jesus together.

There will be noise. There will be wiggling. There will be moments when one of your kids says something out loud at exactly the wrong time. We've all been there. We are committed to making this a place where families feel welcomed and supported, not anxious or judged.

The best first step isn't usually to show up on Sunday. It's to reach out so we can hear your story, share more of ours, and figure out together what makes sense.

We'd love to meet your family.

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