At Grace, we emphasize a family-integrated model of worship, which means we believe that it is best for parents and children to be present in the main church gathering for worship, teaching, and fellowship. This approach is rooted in the biblical vision of multi-generational discipleship, where children learn the faith not only from pastors and teachers but also by participating in worship alongside their parents and the broader congregation. Scripture often speaks of the importance of passing down the faith from one generation to the next (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Ephesians 6:4), and we believe that this happens most effectively when families worship and learn together.

We also understand that new families with young children may need a transition period as their children learn how to sit through a full service. For this reason, we provide limited nursery and childcare for infants and toddlers, but we encourage parents to begin acclimating their children to the main worship service as soon as possible. The goal is to familiarize young children to the rhythms of church life and teach them to be part of the church body. This family-integrated approach builds a strong sense of community, ensures that children grow up familiar with the church’s worship and teaching, and helps parents take primary responsibility for the spiritual discipleship of their children, as modeled in Scripture.

We Also recognize the profound impact that many disadvantaged young people have had by being part of the church through youth specific programs. While not discounting this fact, we will argue that their success had less to do with the programs, and more to do with the faithful men and women in the church who accepted that child into the family and rhythms of church life, and becoming something of an adopted parent who integrated that child into a Christ centered family.

Our church believes that the family-integrated model is superior to the traditional age-segregated model of worship because it encourages a unified experience of church life and promotes spiritual growth within the family and church body as a whole. In many age-segregated models, children and teenagers are placed in separate programs that often resemble youth-specific activities rather than the broader life of the church. While these programs may seem beneficial, they inadvertently create a disconnect between children and the larger church community, including their own families.

When children are raised in an age-segregated church model, they often experience church in a way that is very different from their parents' experience. Over time, they may begin to see their own participation in church as something detached from the faith and worship practices of their family. As they grow older and eventually "age out" of youth church, many young people find it difficult to transition into the main worship service—a model they are unfamiliar with and perhaps did not agree to join in the first place. This can lead to feelings of disconnection and disillusionment. It can almost seem like a bait and switch.

Sadly, this disorientation is often a contributing factor to the phenomenon of young people walking away from the church when they reach adulthood. By the time they turn 18, they may have never developed a personal connection to the main church gathering or the broader congregation, and as a result, they feel alienated from church life as a whole.

In contrast, the family-integrated model avoids these pitfalls by encouraging children to grow up as part of the church body from a young age. By worshiping alongside their parents, children are consistently exposed to the teaching, worship, and rhythms of church life, helping them develop a love for the church in a similar way that many children eventually develop a love for certain foods that they wouldn’t have were it not for a loving mother or father making them “clear their plate before leaving the table”. This approach not only reinforces the biblical model of discipleship—where parents take the primary role in nurturing their children's faith—but also ensures that children grow up with a natural, lifelong participation in the church that is not dependent on age-specific programming.

Ultimately, the family-integrated model aims to equip young people for a lifelong walk with Christ, providing a strong foundation in the context of family and church unity. This helps prevent the "age-out" crisis and nurtures a deeper, more lasting commitment to the faith.