‘I tell you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it’ (Mark 10:15)

Jesus challenges us not only to welcome children wholeheartedly into the church, but also to cherish the way they belong to the Kingdom and to be like them.

There has been a long process, in The Church of England, to make it possible for children to receive Communion before confirmation. Guidelines from the House of Bishops were published in 1996 and welcomed by Synod in November of that year. The following year they were reprinted.

Diocese of Liverpool has produced green sheets, with specific guidelines. These need to be followed, in order to be granted permission by the Bishop.

Procedures include:

• A clear policy for work with children. This gives good opportunity to review attitudes to ministry with children in the church.
• Approval by the Incumbent and P.C.C. to support the application. All P.C.C. voting figures must be included in the initial application to the Bishop.
• Age of admission to Holy Communion to be 7 years and older.
• Preparatory Teaching: those admitted must be baptised, and regular members. A chosen appropriate course of preparation is to be approved by the Bishop.
• A programme of continuing Christian nurture is in place leading to confirmation in due course.

For information on Children and Holy Communion, contact:
Rev Clive Doran
Tel: 0151-489-1997
Email: revclivedoran@yahoo.co.uk

To view resources contact;
Jane Leadbetter 0151 705 2167 or visit The Ark Resources Room.

The church is being challenged to be as welcoming and accepting of children as Jesus was. Children’s need for spiritual nurture is often interpreted as a requirement to teach a body of knowledge or an explicit moral code; far more is required, however. Children grow up as members of communities, assimilating the values and habits of the adults around them as well as of their peer group. We can teach them whatever we like about being a Christian, but their experience of the Christian people around them will far outweigh what they have been told. Similarly their experience of the Christian life - the joy of fellowship with other Christians, the excitement of the great festivals, the support in time of need and the regular pattern of encounter with God in prayer and sacrament - will all become part of the fabric of their lives in a way that what they are just told about will not.

We all need to belong, and seldom stay in a place or group if we feel we don’t belong there. This is especially true for children, who increasingly have the experience of leaving groups that don’t meet their needs. Children in the seven to eleven year old age group have a great enjoyment of being part of a group, in particular one which contains adults too. At this time they need to be active participants in those activities which define the group.

From ‘Children and Holy Communion’ Steve Pearce and Diana Murrie
(The National Society ISBN 07151 4889 3)