Many in children’s ministry contend that Sunday school is becoming obsolete. However, children’s faith formation is still a priority for churches. Let the Children Lead: Models for Worship with All Generations provides thoughtful and practical models for meeting this challenge. The book’s author is Nelson Cowan, and it is published by Abingdon Press, which provided a copy of the book for this review.

Cowan states that it’s important for children to be involved in and even lead in worship; however, the reason for this must be to empower them to “learn and grow as disciples in the context of corporate worship,” rather than for transactional reasons, such as the benefit to the church of increased attendance, participation, or commitment.

Chapter One suggests that this change in focus requires “Unlearning and Reframing” our perspective by prioritizing introducing children to Jesus rather than to the church. Instead of focusing on numbers, Cowan emphasizes ministering faithfully to the children present, trusting that God’s work may not be immediately visible. He also argues that children’s faith formation occurs throughout the week, not solely on Sunday mornings.

Each of the next five chapters explores different ways of empowering children in worship, approaches that may require some readers to expand their understanding of what worship can be. These chapters are extremely helpful for those who agree with Cowan’s arguments for change. After a description of each option, there are then case studies of churches which implemented them. There are lists of benefits and challenges, as well as a description of the next steps a church needs to take to implement them. At the end of each of the five chapters, there are “Resources to Engage” which direct readers to a website with links, articles to read, webinars to watch, items to purchase, helpful websites, and more.

The five models are: pray-grounds, sensory sensitive worship, intergenerational outreach, church-school partnerships, and children in contemporary worship. In the chapter about contemporary worship, Cowan suggests that we may need to look at worship, especially contemporary worship, differently. While excellence in worship is often emphasized, because “God’s very nature is excellent, and God deserves our best,” Cowan challenges the assumption that children are obstacles to such excellence. When we exclude children, worship becomes the work of professionals, rather than the work of the people.

Chapter 7 challenges readers to make the transition from the old way of doing worship with children to possible new ways. Cowan encourages us to think of worship as not only serious but also playful and to accept that sometimes children (and adults) will be bored in worship. He contends that children should be leaders in worship and not just observers and that the church needs to equip families with practical tools to develop their faith.

The final chapter of Let the Children Lead offers encouragement to those pursuing different ways to encourage children to be involved in worship, as well as a short summary of each of the five models for doing this which are explored in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the why and how of involving children in worship. The links to resources for each of the five models are a very valuable asset to anyone exploring this topic. This book will be especially useful for pastors, worship leaders, and children’s ministry professionals seeking practical, adaptable models rather than abstract theory.