Hur utformas en välfungerande kyrklig söndagsverksamhet för barn inom Svenska kyrkan?
(2012) TEOM55 20112Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
- Abstract
- How many times have you heard that if children are in church they should be quiet and still? It was common to hear when I was young that children should go out as soon as they started making any noise. It was and is always a pleasure for everyone to hear the cute children singing a pretty song in church but afterwards there should be silence again! What I want is for the congregation to accept the children as they are and allow them to be involved in the service. Maybe then we can learn from them and their innocence.
For eight years I worked with children in the Church of Sweden. What I found to be most rewarding was giving the children a welcoming and meaningful experience. The most common way of creating this atmosphere is through... (More) - How many times have you heard that if children are in church they should be quiet and still? It was common to hear when I was young that children should go out as soon as they started making any noise. It was and is always a pleasure for everyone to hear the cute children singing a pretty song in church but afterwards there should be silence again! What I want is for the congregation to accept the children as they are and allow them to be involved in the service. Maybe then we can learn from them and their innocence.
For eight years I worked with children in the Church of Sweden. What I found to be most rewarding was giving the children a welcoming and meaningful experience. The most common way of creating this atmosphere is through Sunday school and participation in the Sunday service. In addition to studying literature on this topic, I have visited and participated in Sunday activities for children in three different congregations, two of which have Sunday school in connection with the Sunday service and the third focuses on a special Sunday service for children. By interviewing children and staff I have compared the three congregations. My own observations and feelings played a key role in the process. On the basis of my research, I have tried to open a discussion concerning what is important when creating a children’s program in the church.
The main conclusions of my study are: (1) A well-functioning Sunday activity for children requires a committed and engaged leader who works together with a team. They should be people without prestige, willing to learn from the children. (2) The activity should take the point of view of the children, using a language and modes of expression that suit them. (3) Physical objects should be used as teaching aids. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/2254928
- author
- Färdig, Lis Ann-Sofie LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- TEOM55 20112
- year
- 2012
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Sunday school, Church of Sweden, children's worship
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 2254928
- date added to LUP
- 2012-01-18 22:14:55
- date last changed
- 2015-12-14 13:36:06
@misc{2254928,
abstract = {{How many times have you heard that if children are in church they should be quiet and still? It was common to hear when I was young that children should go out as soon as they started making any noise. It was and is always a pleasure for everyone to hear the cute children singing a pretty song in church but afterwards there should be silence again! What I want is for the congregation to accept the children as they are and allow them to be involved in the service. Maybe then we can learn from them and their innocence.
For eight years I worked with children in the Church of Sweden. What I found to be most rewarding was giving the children a welcoming and meaningful experience. The most common way of creating this atmosphere is through Sunday school and participation in the Sunday service. In addition to studying literature on this topic, I have visited and participated in Sunday activities for children in three different congregations, two of which have Sunday school in connection with the Sunday service and the third focuses on a special Sunday service for children. By interviewing children and staff I have compared the three congregations. My own observations and feelings played a key role in the process. On the basis of my research, I have tried to open a discussion concerning what is important when creating a children’s program in the church.
The main conclusions of my study are: (1) A well-functioning Sunday activity for children requires a committed and engaged leader who works together with a team. They should be people without prestige, willing to learn from the children. (2) The activity should take the point of view of the children, using a language and modes of expression that suit them. (3) Physical objects should be used as teaching aids.}},
author = {{Färdig, Lis Ann-Sofie}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Hur utformas en välfungerande kyrklig söndagsverksamhet för barn inom Svenska kyrkan?}},
year = {{2012}},
}