What is Family Worship?

This is the first of a series of articles dedicated to family worship. All Bible verses that appear were taken from the King James Version.

Have you heard of family worship? This article will define what it is, explain our duty to it as outlined in Scripture, and reveal the necessity of it in our children’s lives. For those already dedicated to family worship, I hope that it will serve as an encouragement.

Dr. Joel Beeke once said, “As goes the home, so goes the church, so goes the nation. Family worship is the most decisive factor in how the home goes.”

The definition of family worship

So what is family worship? Family worship is a dedicated and structured time for a family to come together to worship God. This time of worship often includes prayer, Scripture reading, Scripture explanation, Scripture memorization, catechesis (instruction using a biblically-based catechism), and singing.

The duty of family worship

Scripture commands parents, especially fathers, to diligently teach God’s commands to their children. We should have focused conversations about God, His demands, and His grace as we engage with our children throughout the day, from the time we get up in the morning to when we go to bed at night.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (emphasis added)

God commands us to talk with our children about Him and His commandments. A structured time of family worship is dedicated to focusing on the Lord, glorifying Him, and learning all that He has commanded.

It should be noted that parents must look for creative ways to connect with their children and bring them Biblical truth outside of formal family worship. We all should speak with our children about their various interests and learnings, but we must also remember to ground our conversations in Christ.

Family worship times and Christ-driven conversations show your child that you value (as should they) time spent with and worshiping God.

The daily necessity of family worship

The majority of your child’s instruction in Scriptural truth should take place in your home. While it is wise and necessary to be an active member of a local church congregation, we must bring our families before the Lord every day as well.

A number of years ago, I worked with a man who loved football. My colleague was really excited when his son began watching football with him and became more interested in the game. This father was discipling his son in the way of football; he was actively coaching his son to devote his time, thought, and emotions to enjoying the sport.

We can enjoy sports and wholesome entertainment in moderation; indeed, God has given us all good things to enjoy, so there is nothing wrong with certain sports and entertainment. But moderation is key; when these things dominate our time, our priorities are misaligned. For the Christian, God must be chief in every area of our public and domestic lives. Imagine if every believing household devoted themselves with the same passion to the Word of God as that father did with his son toward football! What a different nation this would be.

If your child were born today, excluding leap years, you would have 6,570 days or 157,680 hours until they turned 18 years old. (This includes sleeping hours.) If we consume media or enjoy any sort of daily recreation, we have time to dedicate 20 to 45 minutes to our great God with our family.

The Puritan John Flavel stated, “If you neglect to instruct children in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No; if you will not teach them to pray, he will to curse, swear, and lie; if ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring.” For hours every day, week after week, we and our families are bombarded by the pressures of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Psalm 1 instructs us that we are to meditate upon the law of the LORD day and night. Fathers, we must lead our families to the altar of God every day within our homes. Mothers, if you do not have a believing or spiritually faithful husband, lead your children to the altar of God daily. We are to raise our children unto the Lord from birth.

All people are sinners, including our children (Genesis 8:2; Job 15:14; Psalm 14:2-3, 51:5; Proverbs 22:15; Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:1–3). With this in view, there should be a sense of urgency to lead our families to the throne of grace while being encouraged that our Lord blesses the means that He has ordained (including prayer, scripture reading, singing, preaching, the Lord’s Supper, baptism, and Christian fellowship).

What does your family and my family need? Among the many needs in their lives, the foremost is a leader who knows their Bible and who loves God. Above all, my children need more sanctified parents who show them Christ.

Maybe you have never led your children in family worship. There is no time like the present to start! Matthew Henry said, “Brothers, dedicate your houses to God, and beg Him to come and take possession of them. If you never did it, do it tonight with all possible seriousness and sincerity.” Abundant blessing will follow as you seek to honor God through family worship.

Be encouraged that you can do this; God has chosen you before the foundation of the world to lead your children. What a call, what a duty, and what a blessing this is. Know that God made you for exactly this job.