Family worship should be a priority in your home because the home is the training ground for biblical formation in the lives of your children. It is the responsibility of parents, and primarily of fathers, to provide Christian instruction in the home for the purpose of raising your children to know and fear the Lord.
Family worship is simply taking time as a family to worship God at home in a family setting. When a family gathers together at home for prayer, Bible reading, and turning their hearts to the Lord - that is family worship. It is also called family devotions. Unfortunately, few Christian adults today grew up in homes that practiced family worship. You may not have had this modeled for you growing up, and if you are like most Christian families today this has not been a regular part of your life.
There is good news! It is never too late to begin family worship - with teenagers, or with grandchildren. It is OK to start slowly. “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.”
What should you do during Family Worship?
Keep it simple.
You don’t have to replicate a church service. Simple consistency is far better than trying something complicated which you will give up. Remember, you will fail and have times where family worship is a struggle. Don’t give up. Just ask God to help!
Family worship is simply taking time as a family to worship God at home in a family setting. When a family gathers together at home for prayer, Bible reading, and turning their hearts to the Lord - that is family worship. It is also called family devotions. Unfortunately, few Christian adults today grew up in homes that practiced family worship. You may not have had this modeled for you growing up, and if you are like most Christian families today this has not been a regular part of your life.
There is good news! It is never too late to begin family worship - with teenagers, or with grandchildren. It is OK to start slowly. “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.”
What should you do during Family Worship?
Keep it simple.
You don’t have to replicate a church service. Simple consistency is far better than trying something complicated which you will give up. Remember, you will fail and have times where family worship is a struggle. Don’t give up. Just ask God to help!
Consider including the following elements together during your family worship:
Read: Read a portion of the Bible together. If you have children who are old enough to read you can have them read aloud. Of course, you will want to help with any big words or concepts.
Discuss: After reading the Bible together, work through a simple process of examining what has been read. First, what did the passage say to the original readers? Second, what does the passage mean for all time? Third, how does this passage apply to us as individuals and as a family?
You will want to ask questions and get everyone to participate in the discussion.
Sing: Yikes! Did you say singing? One of the ways that God invites us to worship Him is by singing. If your children are younger, and you are enthusiastic about it, they will love it, and you will lay the groundwork for singing in your family for generations to come. If your kids are all teenagers, and you have never tried singing together as a family, you may want to try this in a few months - after family worship has taken root. It can be helpful to use worship CDs or DVDs. Youtube.com works as well. Here is a playlist of youtube videos with lyrics to sing along with.
Catechism: It’s a funny word but it just means question and answers. Christians throughout history have memorized catechism questions and answers to help learn the basics of the faith. In this guide we will include catechism questions for you to work on with your family. Every Sunday after the benediction the children of the church will come up to the front of the sanctuary to work on them together.
Pray: End your family worship time with prayer. Let prayer become an important part of your home. Pray for your neighbors, your community, the nation, and the world.
Read: Read a portion of the Bible together. If you have children who are old enough to read you can have them read aloud. Of course, you will want to help with any big words or concepts.
Discuss: After reading the Bible together, work through a simple process of examining what has been read. First, what did the passage say to the original readers? Second, what does the passage mean for all time? Third, how does this passage apply to us as individuals and as a family?
You will want to ask questions and get everyone to participate in the discussion.
Sing: Yikes! Did you say singing? One of the ways that God invites us to worship Him is by singing. If your children are younger, and you are enthusiastic about it, they will love it, and you will lay the groundwork for singing in your family for generations to come. If your kids are all teenagers, and you have never tried singing together as a family, you may want to try this in a few months - after family worship has taken root. It can be helpful to use worship CDs or DVDs. Youtube.com works as well. Here is a playlist of youtube videos with lyrics to sing along with.
Catechism: It’s a funny word but it just means question and answers. Christians throughout history have memorized catechism questions and answers to help learn the basics of the faith. In this guide we will include catechism questions for you to work on with your family. Every Sunday after the benediction the children of the church will come up to the front of the sanctuary to work on them together.
Pray: End your family worship time with prayer. Let prayer become an important part of your home. Pray for your neighbors, your community, the nation, and the world.