I want the parents and children there. But lacking that I will gladly reach the kids. We are not "putting up with that" we are thankful for the opportunity.
Not sure I read some of the postings correctly, but it is the parent's job to teach their children about the Lord and Scripture.
It is the parent's job to be with the children in the local church.
Pastors and Sunday School are supplemental, not the parents.
Parents that use a local church as a baby sitting service should hang their heads in shame, and the local church should not allow it.
Tom ...I am not trying to be harsh with you,
however this is a pet peeved of mine. Ive observed 1st hand parents driving up to churches and dropping the kiddies off and then taking off only later to pick ihem up after service. My own soul was very wounded by this ...these kids have no supervision, no roll model, no family interaction, no spiritual bonding with the parents....my wife refers to it as "the dump & run ":BangHead:
You didnt answer my question & yes I would have a serious talk to these parents. Also if they were ignorant of the scriptures, then its the job of the Pastor to teach them (Both Parents & Children) and allow the parents to then reinforce it with the kids. IT IS NOT THE JOB OF THE CHURCH TO TEACH THE KIDS..... ITS THE PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY.
IMHO this discussion of who should be the "prime educators" of children is getting way off of the OP's topic.
OTOH, I will relate this much & then get off my soap box.
From about the mid 1970's to about the mid 1980's, I ran a SS bus route for the church of which I was a member in the city of Clarksville, TN.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Clarksville's location, it basically straddles the US Army's Fort Campbell.
During the period that I ran that bus route, I had untold numbers of Fort Campbell children ride that bus, but due to the very transient nature of military dependent families, most of those children never rode on the bus for more than 1 - 2 years at the most.
Granted, I'd venture to say that some of the parents who let their children ride the bus were just wanting to have a "baby sitting service," but we let them come any way. After all, these children were given the Word of God (which, BTW, does not return void!!) both in SS and in the childrens' church.
I tried to make it a point to visit most of the childrens' parents after their child visited the bus a time or two. Believe me, they were some of the both sweetest and heart-wrenching visits I ever had!! You see, even the most hardened adult will listen to you if he/she sees that you have a genuine interest in his/her child. I could write a book about the way God blessed me through that particular type of bus ministry!
Was each and every child saved who rode on that bus? I don't know---nor do I know whether or not any of those parents came to have a real saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But this much I do know - Jesus invited children to come to Him (Mt. 19:13-14); in fact, Matthew 18 talks much about the importance of reaching children.
Yes, ideally, the parents ought to be the prime educators of their children, but OTOH, if they do not teach them to love and serve Jesus, some one else needs to -- if not, the enemy will gladly teach them the exact opposite!!!!
If your bus route was geared mainly towards bringing to church unsaved children it could be categorized as part of evangelism.
That type of effort should be commended.
I am more concerned about the "Christian" parent that drops their children off at church or youth group and expects that to be the sum total of their biblical education.
what about those children and youths that come who have little to no christian influence apart from Sunday at church? We have many who have just one spouse saved, or neither saved yetwho allow their kids to come to our church!