Starting a family is a little like starting a tiny church.
Discipleship, including raising children, is one of the ways God has chosen to preserve and spread the gospel. If you are a father, you are stewarding some of God’s tiny image-reflecting creations.
No pressure.
Family worship is one of the primary tools we can use at home to teach our children. It is not the church’s job to replace what children should already be learning at home. Rather, the church should reinforce it.
If that sounds overwhelming, you’re not alone.
I did not grow up doing family worship. This has been a journey from doing nothing at all toward becoming the pastor of my house and learning to teach and lead my family.
To be clear, it is still a work in progress.
I continue looking to Scripture and to people farther along than I am for encouragement and wisdom. These are some of the books that have helped me get started.
The Family Worship Book |
 Terry L. Johnson |
The Family Worship Book is a great starting point for the father wondering what family worship is and, furthermore, whether he should be doing it.
I agree with the case Johnson makes for family worship. However, I think the picture he paints may overwhelm or discourage some beginners. People like me who did not grow up in a decidedly Christian household may read it and think family worship is a cool idea for “other” families. The same can happen if you are getting a late start with your own children. Every family has its own hurdles. So learn the reasoning behind family worship here, but then move to the next book on my list. Its author comes from a more colorful background and offers a practical approach that accounts for some of those hurdles. |
Family Driven Faith |
 Voddie Baucham Jr. |
Family Driven Faith takes the more down-to-earth approach I was talking about.
This may be difficult for some of my covenantal brethren who have had a pretty smooth path to understand. But when you grew up the way I did, are starting for the first time with older children or attend a congregation that does not understand or promote family worship, the task can feel daunting. Sometimes it seems almost impossible. Baucham speaks into that reality in a way I appreciate. My wife still brings up things she read in this book years ago. Praise God. |
My ABC Bible Verses |
 Susan Hunt |
My ABC Bible Verses uses something children already learn early, the alphabet, to help them memorize Scripture.
One verse corresponds with each letter. Connecting the alphabet to the Bible early is a good way to establish that God is the primary subject of all subjects. I do have some criticisms. Sometimes a verse feels butchered or awkwardly placed simply to make it fit a letter. At other times, the lesson can seem to lean toward a performance-based gospel. With a little preparation and study from the parent, however, those problems can be avoided. That turns the book into a fun and engaging starting point for younger children. I have especially appreciated being able to refer back to verses we learned during later moments of teaching and discipline. |
God’s Names |
 Sally Michael |
God’s Names is amazing.
Want to know God? Get to know His names. Watching a 4-year-old learn God’s names and what they mean caused his prayers to become more sincere, personal and doctrinally sound. That challenges me. |
Long Story Short |
 Marty Machowski |
Long Story Short gives parents quick family devotions that can lead into much bigger conversations.
The format makes it approachable when you are trying to establish a rhythm without turning family worship into another giant item on the calendar. It teaches principles and theological truths simply enough for a child to understand, yet deeply enough to rock your own world while you teach them. That is one of the unexpected benefits of family worship: Sometimes the person leading it ends up learning as much as everyone else. |
Mighty Acts of God |
 Starr Meade |
Mighty Acts of God can be a little wordy at times.
I would recommend it for kids who are able to focus and sit still for a few minutes. I learned a lot from this book myself, and I have met other adults who feel the same way. It is one of my favorites, and I plan to revisit it as my girls get older. |
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith |
 R.C. Sproul |
Full disclosure: I have not gone through Essential Truths of the Christian Faith with my kids yet because they are too young.
However, I have gone through it with adults. We agree that it should be a great resource for our kids in the future and for future kids. Each lesson begins with a short summary of theology, directs you to related biblical passages and finishes with a simple point-by-point summary. Many lessons also include simple but helpful diagrams. I imagine this book will be a great way to liven up the dinner-table discussion. I look forward to testing that hypothesis. |
Don’t Try to Figure Out Family Worship Alone
Finally, find some other men who are, can be or should be on the same page as you when it comes to worshiping God at home.
This can be difficult to do by yourself.
No matter how many books you read or try with your family, nothing replaces being connected to godly men. Ideally, that group includes both current and future dads.
I suggest “practicing” family worship together by going through some of these children’s books as a group.
That helps you learn the material before using it at home. More importantly, it allows other men to help you think through your own family’s approach.
First, of course, you have to get past the giggles that come from a room full of grown men reading children’s books aloud to each other.
Don’t front.