Journal: Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry
Volume: JDFM 04:2 (Fall 2014)
Article: What Works For Us (And Might Work For You) In Family Worship
Author: Brian Howard

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JDFM 4:2 (Fall 2014) p. 142

What Works For Us (And Might Work For You) In Family Worship1

Brian Howard

Brian Howard has twenty-two years of leadership experience as a leadership coach, non-profit executive, church planter, lead pastor, and business owner Brian spent two years serving on the board of the Acts 29 Network, where he directed church planter training, coaching, and networking for three west coast states. Brian also co-founded and led the Sojourn Network, a national church planting network. He currently leads Church Multiplication for Pacific Church Network. Brian has coached several hundred leaders around the world and is the Executive Director of Context Coaching Inc., a firm that specializes in coaching leaders. Brian holds a Master’s degree from Talbot School of Theology, has been married for twenty years to the love of his life, and has four children.

Are you a parent?

Then you need to know that your kids are going to learn primarily what you teach them.

You might sometimes wish that you could delegate the spiritual training of your kids, but you are the one who is responsible to teach, train, and disciple your kids. This is not something to be outsourced to Sunday School teachers or youth pastors as past generations have sometimes done.

Over my fifteen years of parenting, my wife and I have continuously attempted to teach our kids what is true and call them to live in light of the truth of who God is and what he has done. We have read the Psalms and Proverbs as a family several times. When we do this, we have each of our kids (who is old enough to read) read a verse until we are finished with a chapter. After reading a chapter we have a discussion about what we learn in the chapter about who God is, what He is done, and how He relates to us. Then we

JDFM 4:2 (Fall 2014) p. 143

finish by praying together.

We have read through The Jesus Storybook Bible several times. We have also had seasons where we felt like complete failures at family worship. But we have never given up. In light of what we have learned over the years, here are four words of advice to help you press forward in family worship:

1. You Are By Far The Primary Spiritual Influence In The Life Of Your Kids.

Consider how Moses instructs the Israelites in the book of Deuteronomy concerning God’s ways:

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ...

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