Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship [Paperback]

Robbie F. Castleman (Author), Ruth Bell Graham (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2002

"Daddy, I'd like you to meet my children." That's Robbie Castleman's attitude about taking her children to church. She believes that Sunday morning isn't a success if she has only managed to keep the kids quiet. And she knows there's more to church for kids than trying out their new coloring books. Children are at church for the same reason as their parents: for the privilege of worshiping God. Worship, Castleman writes, is "the most important thing you can ever train your child to do." So with infectious passion, nitty-gritty advice and a touch of humor, she shows you how to help your children (from toddlers to teenagers) enter into worship. In this expanded edition Castleman includes two new appendixes on the important issues of hyperactive children in worship and children's church for seekers. She also provides a study guide for personal reflection or group discussion. More than ever, Parenting in the Pew is essential reading for parents and worship leaders who want to help children make joyful noises unto the Lord.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Compelling reading. . . . Filled with good ideas, straightforward challenges, and true-to-life examples. It's a passionate call to spiritual parenting that reminds adults to actively participate in church services themselves while leading little ones into God's presence." (Bookstore Journal )

"Robbie Castleman does wonders in this book! She actually does show how 'training children to pay attention to God . . . is one rare way to have your cake and eat it too.' Her biblically grounded theology and experientially tested practical ideas give us wonderful suggestions that deepen our own participation in worship, even while we help children truly worship instead of merely keeping quiet. This book is essential--for pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, parents and every other member of the congregation (since we all are responsible for forming the church's offspring). The Christian community could be changed by this book; read it avidly and give it to everyone you know." (Marva J. Dawn, author of Is It a Lost Cause? and Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down )

About the Author

Robbie Castleman, a mother of two sons, is assistant professor of biblical studies at John Brown University and the national director for the Religious & Theological Studies Fellowship with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She is the author of True Love in a World of False Hope and several Bible study guides. She and her husband live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books; Expanded edition (February 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830823409
• ISBN-13: 978-0830823406
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Youth Ministry
  • #93 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Ritual

More About the Author

Associate Professor of Theology
J.Vernon McGee Chair in Biblical Studies
John Brown University
Known to my students as "Dr. C."

Besides the books listed here, I have contributed chapters to sevral other works: For All The Saints (McGrath), My Heart, Christ's Home Devotional (IVP), and my husband and I wrote the study guide for Howard Synder's Community of the King. I also have contributed to the Baker Handbook of the Bible and have written for several journals.

My lastest work (to be published by IVPress) is focused on the biblical patterns that set the "guardrails" for Christian worship. I am passionate about God's pleasure (not our perks or preferences!) being the ultimate concern of faithful worship.

I am married once and only to a good man who loves me well, Breck Castleman. Our older son, Robert Dayton, is an art professor at Trinity Christian College near Chicago and our younger son is a pastor, like his dad, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Breck and I also have a beloved beagle named Chesterton and four wonderful grandchildren!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Parenting in the Pew, August 22, 2006

By 

Kristen Stewart (Midtown Memphis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship (Paperback)

Parenting in the Pew is part memoir and part practical theology as a pastor's wife grapples with issues regarding children and the public worship service. For individuals and churches who are questioning participating in children's ministry programs through elementary school, Parenting in the Pew will provide food for thought and conviction that it is good, right and worthwhile for children to worship with their parents.

For those who already worship as a family or have minimal children's programming, Parenting in the Pew provides encouragement and helpful reminders that the point of having children in worship is to worship, and not to have them sit perfectly still so everyone knows you are the best parent in the room. That can be very important to hear.

Castleman believes that children can be expected to sit through the whole worship service at about age four and everything but the sermon by about two and a half. She does not advocate having children color or look at other books during the worship service. So, if you are looking for practical advice on how to keep your toddler quiet and busy, this book will not meet that need!

I'm glad this book was written and I think it's helpful for the church as a whole. It may or may not be a must-read for your family. I enjoyed her personal style, but she delved into personal beliefs I don't share at a few points, so I would not commend all of her theology. I don't think it was a waste of my time, but I admit, I was looking for toddler tips!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable for teaching families how to worship together., November 30, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship (Children in Public Worship Series) (Paperback)

We are using Parenting in the Pew as the basis for a series of seminars for parents and children. Castleman rightly puts the focus on worshiping God and not "what we can get out of it" or "how to keep kids still." She says that while we often say "Bless my soul, O Lord," the Scripture says "Bless the Lord, O my soul." Rev. Cynthia O'Brien, Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church, Fairview, Portland, Oregon

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A novel approach to Parenting in the Pew, March 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship (Children in Public Worship Series) (Paperback)

The suggestions in this book are novel yet simple to apply. These tips have transformed our worship experience. Instead of finding tips to entertain or distract children, Castleman demonstrates how to engage children in the service and how this effort enhances the parent's worship, to boot! Thank you, Robbie Castleman. I recommend this book to parents of all denominations who wish to share their love of God with their children.