Family Worship Defined

Family worship takes place when a Christian household gathers to enjoy and teach the Word of God, pray with and for one another, and praise the Lord together. Family Worship includes family devotions, faith talks, sharing testimonies, worship through music, confessing sins, modeling grace, and other practical approaches to discipleship in the home.

Family Worship is a response to biblical passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4-9 that calls parents to teach the Word of God to their children in their home. In these homes, parents seek to cultivate regular rhythms of prayer, praise, and devotion longing to see their children set their hope in God (Psalm 78:7) and walk in the truth (3 John 4).

Family worship is a spiritual discipline modeled throughout Scripture and yet, in our busy, distracted culture today, it is far too often a lost discipline. We offer this booklet as a short encouragement for families to RENEW their passion for family worship, RECAST a vision for family worship, RESTART these rhythms, and REDISCOVER the joy of Family Worship.

Jonathan Williams, Ph.D. (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the founder and executive director of Gospel Family Ministries. This ministry focuses on strengthening family ministry in the local church and cultivating family worship in the Christian home. Jonathan is the author of “A Practical Theology of Family Worship” and “Gospel Family.” He also teaches as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, and is the managing editor of the Southwestern D6 Family Ministry Journal. Previously, Jonathan served for 10 years as the senior pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church, a multi-ethnic church of more than 50 nations. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.