Many Presbyterians ‘Avoid Full Diet’ Of Worship

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31028, 6 April 1966, Page 11

Many Presbyterians ‘Avoid Full Diet’ Of Worship

Many adult Presbyterians in iNew Zealand “are unable to | cope with a decent sermon, jbut love children’s addresses” (and attend family services in their thousands but “stay away from the full diet of public worship,” accoi ding to the Rev. D. Glenny, of ] Christchurch, in the April edition of “Outlook,” the (journal of the Presbyterian ' Church in New Zealand. It is the tragedy of the Presbyterian church that it I has given most of its people j little more than a religion of the Sunday school classroom. ■ Many New Zealanders have I been to Sunday school at some time in their childhood: [a few of these attend public | worship, he says. Mr Glenny says this is beI cause many parents think it it more important to send their children to Sunday I school rather than go to I church with them: and be-

i cause of organisation of sero vices so that children leave i, the public congregation after ” the first 20 minutes. i The infrequent family service is not a solution to the f problem, Mr Glenny says. “It 31 permits adults the luxury of fa children’s address, and it 1I trains children to come to ; public worship once a month, i Put another way. family services prevent adults from ei maturing, and confirm childt ren in the conviction that e public worship is an occaf sional requirement.” i. Commenting on his article, eMr Glenny said he bet lieved the problem existed :in other denominations, c People were ill-equipped in their faith because the system ■- of Christian education had let t them down. It was only when J faced with real trouble, such y as a marriage breakdown, a o death, or crime, that they wanted to go “below the sur- - face” of religion. Ineffectual teaching needed ito be faced and worked out | within the circumstances of each parish. Within his own I parish he had established a 'full church sei-vice for children between Standards two and six during which he conducted the worship, and t-i tuition was given by trained ‘-I lay teachers. The new apd proach had also had the uni- ] expected but welcome result d of bringing more adults to the services. n -