Pennsylvania church's viral policy welcoming 'loud' children prompts online debate

A Pennsylvania church went viral this week because of a new policy welcoming "loud" children, which sparked harsh online debate between people who believe noisy kids are a sign that the congregation is thriving and others who feel they’re an inappropriate distraction.

Mt. Washington United Brethren Church, located in York, Pa., enacted the policy with a memo that stated, "At Mt. Washington Church, we are committed to transparency and accountability in all matters of church life" before detailing "comprehensive procedures regarding loud children in worship." The church asked members to consider the memo their "official notice of policy clarification" before posting the new rules:

"Effective immediately, if a family is considering visiting Mt. Washington Church and they have a loud kid, the following options are available:

Option 1. The family should bring the kid.

Option 2. The family should make sure they bring the kid.

Option 3: The family is to see that the child is brought to church.

Option 4. The kid is absolutely welcome and expected. 

"We believe the sound of children in worship is not a distraction. It is evidence of life, growth, and the future of the church," the memo stated. 

"If your child makes noise, you are not bothering us," the church continued. "You are blessing us. Policy enacted. No exceptions."

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The memo, which was shared on various social media platforms, quickly went viral. Some declared, "Church is not a daycare," while many suggested their own parents would never have tolerated such a thing in a previous generation. But many celebrated the policy and professed admiration for its welcoming message.

Mt. Washington UB Church Pastor Alan Harbold told Fox News Digital that he’s ecstatic the policy has gained so much attention. 

"We were thrilled to see the idea of this post gaining so much traction not just from our posting, but the sharing and re-creations of the post, drawing the attention of many people to the idea of how important it is to have families worship together. Jesus Himself in the book of Matthew says to let the little children come to Him," Harbold told Fox News Digital. 

"Some of the detractors I saw commenting online said parents should be making sure their children are quiet, learning discipline and how to sit still, etc, and we would wholeheartedly agree that parents should be parenting their kids, helping them to learn and pay attention," Harbold continued. "But, the most important part is getting the kids to church in the first place and we want to have an atmosphere that welcomes families to come and worship without fear of being ‘annoying’ or ‘too much.’" 

Dr. Steve Grcevich, a retired child and adolescent psychiatrist, penned a "Child Psychiatry for Christians" Substack asking if the viral tweet could be a "catalyst for change in the church's approach with families of kids with big emotions and behaviors." He said posting the memo on his personal Facebook page received more "likes" and shares than anything he’s posted in 18 years.

"The church in Pennsylvania has clearly touched upon an issue that resonates for many families, and their invitation to families raising kids who may struggle managing big emotions and behaviors reflects the attitude most Christians would expect to see from their leaders," Grcevich wrote. 

"I'd argue families impacted by mental illness represent the largest underserved population by the church in North America. The traction this letter is getting on X and Facebook is indicative of the need for us to do better in welcoming them," he continued. "With that said, one of the most common objections we encounter from pastors and church leaders about outreach with families raising kids with significant emotional, behavioral, developmental disabilities or trauma is that their presence in worship may adversely impact the experience of others."

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Grcevich examined arguments from both sides and concluded by writing, "Let’s hope the sound of children in worship resounds throughout churches across North America, indicative of God’s blessings of life, growth and the future of the church."

New York Times columnist David French, who shared the memo on X, wrote, "I love this so much."

Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet wrote, "As a father of three little kids, there's a big difference between having a reasonable tolerance for the sound of children knowing they'll sometimes be loud or cry, and just embracing chaos and disruption out a misplaced sense of tolerance. Children should be taught to be respectful of mixed spaces like movies, restaurants, and church. It's called good parenting."

Another churchgoer called negative reaction to the policy "disgusting." 

"You think anyone in that church wants that child to be quiet more than their parent? This is why so many parents just give up trying to go [because] of every sideways glance they get from the righteous whenever their child speaks above a whisper," she posted on X. 

Jack Wilkie, who believed children should be taught how to behavior properly, also examined the policy on his "Church Reset" Substack. While he said young parents would get discouraged by people constantly judging unruly children, he found some flaws in the policy.

"It doesn’t say ‘we’ll work with you to train them.’ It says they’re not a distraction, implying that we will sacrifice all else just to make sure a noisy kids’ parents keep showing up," Wilkie wrote.

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"Quietness and sitting still do not come naturally to kids, so they have to learn. And learning these things takes months and months and months of reinforcement," he added. "If we had just let the kids go wild, we still wouldn’t have been able to worship properly, either."

Pro-life advocate Samuel Sey believes the issue is simpler than people are making it out to be. 

"Church leadership should always be patient with loud children. Parents, however, have a duty to discipline their child to be quiet during the service," Sey posted. 

Many others chimed in with thoughts on the polarizing policy:

Pastor Alan Harbold said the policy was not his original idea and credited First Baptist Church in Union, Miss., with the concept. 

"We created that post the other night because I know there are mothers that get really embarrassed when their children cry, and we wanted to let them know they are welcomed, and we love them," First Baptist Union Senior Pastor Bro. Michael Wilbanks told Fox News Digital. "The Bible tells us to consider the needs of others above yourself."