With our church unable to gather for corporate worship, what should your family do on the Lord’s Day? Below is a brief guide to get you started. This can be implemented by single moms, families with young children, families with no children, empty nesters, singles, you name it!
Explain to your family ahead of time what you will be doing
This will be a big adjustment for everyone, so explain a few days ahead of time what Sunday morning will look like. Don’t wait for Sunday morning. Get everyone on the same page ahead of time. Explain that though we cannot meet for church, we still want to devote our time to worship the Lord as a family.
Sometime after breakfast, gather the family
Around the kitchen table, in the living room, everyone piled on your bed—wherever you all can comfortably gather together with your Bibles open.
Follow along the weekly worship guide
The elders will send out an order of service each week, so check your email or Facebook. Read through the Scripture that will be read, prayed, and preached on ahead of time. Encourage your family to do the same. Maybe read through some of the passages during your dinner time Friday or Saturday night.
Read the Call to Worship
Which will be in that week’s order of service email. This could be a great element to allow one of your children to participate in.
Sing together
This may feel strange if you are not musically inclined. But there are many options: you could look up songs on YouTube to sing; if someone in the house can play an instrument, ask them to play; or just sing a verse or two of a simple hymn or song, acapella. Sing as many or few songs as your family is capable of—but sing. Here are some.
Again, this would be a great chance to get different members of the family involved.
Tune in and focus
We will be recording our time of announcements, pastoral prayer, and sermon and posting them early Sunday morning. While it may be easier for families to get distracted while at home, set an example and encourage your family to honor this time. If you have a smart TV, consider streaming the video via Youtube on that so that it feels a little more demanding of everyone's attention.
Read the Benediction
Since this is to a final word of blessing and exhortation, this would be appropriate for the fathers at home to do.
Sing the doxology
Per our church’s tradition, close with singing the doxology.
If helpful, go through discussion questions
Maybe over lunch or dinner, walk through some of the discussion questions with your family to apply the sermon to your life.
Fight the imposter syndrome
Depending on your experience of practicing family worship at home, you might feel like an imposter conducting family worship. Just tell yourself that that feeling is normal. Whenever we try to take on a new role or responsibility there is always this feeling of fear and uncertainty. It will take time to get used to this. Keep it simple and don't stress out too much if it feels difficult to adjust to. Who knows! Maybe God was desiring all of us to become better spiritual leaders in our home by prohibiting us from gathering on Sunday!
And, of course, family worship need not be restricted to only Sunday morning. While worship as a family on Sunday morning may look a little longer and more robust, this is something that can take place every morning (or evening)! It is a practical way that parents (and especially dads) can be heeding the call to raise their children in "the discipline and instruction of the Lord," (Eph 6:4).
If you have any questions about how to do all of this well in your particular setting, please reach out to the elders or your community group leader for more advice.
This is a very short booklet (67 small pages) that is my go-to guide for family worship. It provides a biblical, historical argument for, and practical guide to lead family worship (read, pray, sing). Very simple and easy to access. (There is even a whole chapter on what to do if one parent isn't a Christian, there's no father in the home, the children are too young, and all sorts of other practical questions).
For a brief article from Whitney on this, read here.
Guidelines for Family Sunday Worship
With our church unable to gather for corporate worship, what should your family do on the Lord’s Day? Below is a brief guide to get you started. This can be implemented by single moms, families with young children, families with no children, empty nesters, singles, you name it!
Explain to your family ahead of time what you will be doing
This will be a big adjustment for everyone, so explain a few days ahead of time what Sunday morning will look like. Don’t wait for Sunday morning. Get everyone on the same page ahead of time. Explain that though we cannot meet for church, we still want to devote our time to worship the Lord as a family.
Sometime after breakfast, gather the family
Around the kitchen table, in the living room, everyone piled on your bed—wherever you all can comfortably gather together with your Bibles open.
Follow along the weekly worship guide
The elders will send out an order of service each week, so check your email or Facebook. Read through the Scripture that will be read, prayed, and preached on ahead of time. Encourage your family to do the same. Maybe read through some of the passages during your dinner time Friday or Saturday night.
Read the Call to Worship
Which will be in that week’s order of service email. This could be a great element to allow one of your children to participate in.
Sing together
This may feel strange if you are not musically inclined. But there are many options: you could look up songs on YouTube to sing; if someone in the house can play an instrument, ask them to play; or just sing a verse or two of a simple hymn or song, acapella. Sing as many or few songs as your family is capable of—but sing. Here are some.
Simple songs to sing acapella:
The Gospel Song
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Hallelujah, What a Savior!
Holy, Holy, Holy
Read the Scripture Reading
Again, this would be a great chance to get different members of the family involved.
Tune in and focus
We will be recording our time of announcements, pastoral prayer, and sermon and posting them early Sunday morning. While it may be easier for families to get distracted while at home, set an example and encourage your family to honor this time. If you have a smart TV, consider streaming the video via Youtube on that so that it feels a little more demanding of everyone's attention.
Read the Benediction
Since this is to a final word of blessing and exhortation, this would be appropriate for the fathers at home to do.
Sing the doxology
Per our church’s tradition, close with singing the doxology.
If helpful, go through discussion questions
Maybe over lunch or dinner, walk through some of the discussion questions with your family to apply the sermon to your life.
Fight the imposter syndrome
Depending on your experience of practicing family worship at home, you might feel like an imposter conducting family worship. Just tell yourself that that feeling is normal. Whenever we try to take on a new role or responsibility there is always this feeling of fear and uncertainty. It will take time to get used to this. Keep it simple and don't stress out too much if it feels difficult to adjust to. Who knows! Maybe God was desiring all of us to become better spiritual leaders in our home by prohibiting us from gathering on Sunday!
And, of course, family worship need not be restricted to only Sunday morning. While worship as a family on Sunday morning may look a little longer and more robust, this is something that can take place every morning (or evening)! It is a practical way that parents (and especially dads) can be heeding the call to raise their children in "the discipline and instruction of the Lord," (Eph 6:4).
If you have any questions about how to do all of this well in your particular setting, please reach out to the elders or your community group leader for more advice.
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Helpful resources on family worship:
Family Worship by Donald Whitney
This is a very short booklet (67 small pages) that is my go-to guide for family worship. It provides a biblical, historical argument for, and practical guide to lead family worship (read, pray, sing). Very simple and easy to access. (There is even a whole chapter on what to do if one parent isn't a Christian, there's no father in the home, the children are too young, and all sorts of other practical questions).
For a brief article from Whitney on this, read here.
TGC's List of Family Worship resources:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/melissa-kruger/today-the-perfect-time-to-start-family-devotions/
Scripture Type Coloring Pages
Something for the kiddos to do while listening. Download and print out their coloring pages for free.
Robert Murray M’Cheyene’s Family Worship plan
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bible-centered-family-worship-mcheyne/
Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening
These are short devotionals written by Spurgeon that could be read out loud to the family, one for each day of the year, morning and evening.
Joel Beeke’s message on the importance of family worship
From the 2011 Desiring God conference
10 Tips on Family Devotions from Tim Challies