Family Worship

Worshipping God together as a family is a practice that goes back millennia. It is possibly the most effective means of discipleship and a good way to faithfully raise your children to follow Christ. Sadly, not many modern Christian families engage in this practice. If you have never done family worship before, you should! It is relatively simple. Here is some basic information and resources to help you lead your family.

What is Family Worship?

Gathering together as a family daily (often at the dinner table) to worship God together.

What Is Involved?

We recommend keeping it simple. We usually include 3-4 elements:

1. We teach or review a catechism question. The New City Catechism App is a free resource that is helpful for this.

2. We read and teach the Bible. This may be a verse or a few verses read and taught by dad (or by mom if dad is away). Let the kids ask questions. Answer them with Scripture.

3. We sing a doctrinally sound hymn or psalm.

4. We Pray. Often, we pray for our lost friends and family and give thanks for God’s good gifts.

What if it doesn’t go well?

Don’t expect it to go perfect. Keep it short at first (maybe 10 minutes) and push through. Part of the goal is to teach your family how to gather in order. Little kids will struggle. That’s ok. You are teaching them. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t go well at first. The work you put in now will pay in large dividends later as your children become accustomed to discussing God’s Word around the dinner table (or wherever you do family worship).

What if I don’t know much about the bible?

That’s ok. Let the Word of God teach. If all you do is read it, God can work. However, this should drive you to study. Ask your house church leader to help you. Signup for Underground Seminary if you want to learn more. Just get started. You can’t go wrong being in the Word of God with your family.

What are some helpful resources?

Here are a few resources we use in Family Worship:

• The Bible (ESV): You need a Bible. The ESV isn’t the only good translation, but it is accurately translated and relatively easy to Read. The ESV Study Bible is a really helpful resource when you come to difficult passages.

• The New City Catechism: Based on the Westminster Confession of Faith, this series of questions and answers are a great way to teach doctrine to your kids. While we would align a little more with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the Westminster gets it right on the essentials (you just might want to skip the question on baptizing babies).

• Faithful Hymns: One of our elders, Dan Beach put together a lyric sheet of trustworthy hymns. This is a great tool for leading your family in singing. Here is a link to download it.

• The Jesus Storybook Bible: While we wouldn’t recommend replacing Scripture reading with this biblical overview, it is a handy tool for explaining how every biblical account points to Christ.

• Pastors/Elders: We are literally commissioned by God to equip you to do this task (Ephesians 4:12). Don’t hesitate to talk to your house church leader/elder or to email us for some help.

Family worship doesn’t have to be perfect. Trust us; it won’t be perfect most of the time. However, it isn’t complicated. It is a simple practice of praying, reading Scripture, and singing together. Do it faithfully, and see how God proves Himself. The Word of God does not return void (Isaiah 55:11)!  

Helpful Books