“As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged everyone one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NKJV
Family worship is the ancient Christian practice, rooted in biblical precedent, of a family regularly gathering together to worship the Lord, led by the husband and father as head of the home, through the characteristic disciplines of reading the Bible, singing hymns of praise, and lifting hearts in prayer to God. J. W. Alexander (1804-1859) was a godly and influential Presbyterian minister in New York whose book, Thoughts on Family Worship, is noted as one of the best treatments of the subject available (Whitney, 2016, p. 36). Therein, Alexander’s sections dealing with the influence of family worship on the church and posterity are considered most compelling which led him to the bluntly issued diagnosis of his generation in which he said, “Laying aside all flattering words, I may say plainly that I regard the neglect of family worship as springing from lukewarmness and worldliness in religion” (Alexander as cited in Whitney, 2016, p.37).
Whereas that may have been the case back then, it is not necessarily a reality in this generation as Dr. Donald Whitney, author of Family Worship: In the Bible, In History, and In Your Home, explains that the statement is not true if you have never learned about family worship (Whitney, 2016, p. 37). He recalls one of his ministry-training classes at a conservative, Bible-believing seminary that attracts some of the most devoted, gospel-zealous Christians on the planet where out of 115 students only seven had personal familiarity with family worship from their life experience (Whitney, 2016, p. 37). This confirms a fixed-principle of life which says that “you cannot give what you do not have” since every pastor, missionary, husband, and father can only minister out of the overflow of that which he has first received in his heart (Deut.6:6-7a). Included in this reality is the discipline of father-led family worship as part of the evening rhythm of life at home of which many Christian leaders and parents are simply unaware because they have never been taught yet endeavor to do the best they can with the tools they do have.
Several basic guidelines for meaningful family worship are offered by Hendricks (2003) which lend themselves to ensuring that it is not wasted time but an investment in eternity (p. 110). They include the following: 1. Make family worship age appropriate, 2. Timing is not important, but regularity is, 3. Be brief but not rushed, 4. Strive for variety, and 5. Keep it casual (Hendricks, 2003, pp. 110-111). A more comprehensive treatment is provided by Baucham (2007) who lists seven steps for families who are just starting out with this spiritual discipline: 1. Family worship must be a convictional priority, 2. Family worship starts with dad as the leader, 3. Family worship must be built into the schedule, 4. Family worship ought to be simple, 5. Family worship must be natural, 6. Family worship must be required for every member of the family, and 7. Family worship should be interactive (pp. 139-142).
Building this ancient Christian practice, that is rooted in the precedent of Holy Scripture, into the daily rhythm of family life makes a profound difference as evidenced by the following blessings which include the reality that family worship honors God, draws your family closer to the Lord and one another, lays a foundation for multigenerational faithfulness, exposes spiritual weaknesses in your home, serves as a training ground for smaller children, and finally makes corporate worship at church on Sundays more meaningful (Baucham, 2007, pp. 142-147). Enriching the household with the spiritual discipline of family worship intentionally prepares the home for more as Timothy Paul Jones has said that, “What you do for God beyond your home will typically never be greater than what you practice with God within your home” (Stinson, 2011, p. 14).
References
Baucham, Jr., V. (2007) Family driven faith: doing what it takes to raise sons and daughters who walk with God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Hendricks, H. & Hendricks, J. (2003) Heaven help the home today: successful parenting in challenging times. Colorado Springs, CO: Life Journey.
Stinson, R. & Jones, T. P., eds. (2016) Trained in the fear of God: family ministry in theological, historical, and practical perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
Whitney, D. S. (2019) Family worship: in the Bible, in history, and in your home. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
