Family Worship is an intentional time where a family chooses to worship God together, as a family. Family Worship is not intended to replace individual adult prayer and Bible study; rather, the focus is a time to bring the entire family together for worship every day. Having a regular family worship time will help every member of your family grow in their relationship with God and will equip and prepare all of you to handle the daily trials life brings.

Ideally a family worship time should be (1) practiced daily, (2) brief in length, (3) led by the father. The length should take into consideration the youngest members of the family but typically should be no more than 15 minutes in total duration. For example, a family consisting of a mom and two teenagers might have a family worship time of 15 minutes in length each day. On the other hand, a family consisting of a teenager, a dad, a mom, and a 2 year old, might have a 10 minute family worship time each day.

Consistency is more important than length. Having a daily family worship time instills in children the important of spending time with God and demonstrates to them, your own faith in God. Choose a time that works best for your family - whether it be right after dinner, while everyone is still at the table, or later in the evening, once everyone is winding down. Family worship time is a great way for the entire family to peacefully relax and wind down toward the end of the day.

Ideally a family needs a Bible, a Hymn Book, and a Notebook for their Family Worship time. The necessity and usage of each is detailed below where the components of a family worship time are discussed.

Family Worship time should begin with a time of reading God's Word, the Bible. Starting with one of the gospels may be a good idea because they contain stories which help keep the attention of children while at the same time revealing the life of Christ. Do not assume reading more is necessarily better. Instead, read a few verses out loud and then spend a few minutes discussing them afterwards. Small children may draw or color the story in the notebook (discussed below) while the passage is being read and discussed.

Prayer time is where the notebook is utilized. Any time of notebook will work but a journal or some type of bound hardcover book with blank pages is ideal since prayers from all members of your family will be recorded and they will be something the family grows to treasure over time. Go around asking each person for 1 or 2 prayer requests, taking time to write each one in the notebook. Then allow each person to pray for a request each night. Be sure and log the Bible passage read in the Bible time as well as the date.

A time of singing is a wonderful way to conclude family worship. May we suggest singing simple hymns from the Baptist Hymnal. Note that hymnals may be purchased at most Christian bookstores at a very reasonable price. Initially select maybe 3 hymns and rotate between them over a 3 to 4 month period so that everyone learns the hymns, just focusing on the first stanza. This is a great way to teach the entire family some of the great hymns of the faith.

Remember to keep the family worship time brief to encourage consistency. The entire time should last between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on the family. Of course, adult family members will have individual extended time with the Lord beyond this group time together.