As a church, we want to help jumpstart and normalize Christian disciplines in Christian families. One of the key disciplines that we want to support is family-devotions or family-worship: parents, kids, or couples gathering together around the Word and in worship. Watch the video below to get a bit more in-depth background on family-worship.
So we are devoting the evening of 2/7 to jumpstart and normalize family worship. That’s what this edition of “Families on Mission” is all about. (There will be no kids or youth events on the night of 2/7 at the church building.)
What will you do? Have a family worship time! This can be with your whole life group (plus kids) or with just your family. More on that below. But first, here are the resources to help you have a great night (we'll be handing out some hard-copies at church on 2/4 as well):
1. A short intro to simple, family worship.
2. A simple plan for simple family worship.
3. A chart that will help you use the Bible with the New City Catechism if you’d like. (You are welcome to use another resource if you prefer, or just use the Bible — walk through Mark, Proverbs, etc. little by little)
4. A link to the NCC app. A link to the NCC Children’s Mode (with songs and shortened answers).
Here are three ideas for how you might structure the night:
Have your life-group meet with all the kids and youth. Eat together. Then split into a couple of groups (maybe one group in dining room, one in living room, etc.) with a few families together in each room. Do the devotional together. Then do something fun as a group… maybe a mini-movie with a resource from RightNowMedia, or some games, or outside time (if the weather is nice).
Decide that each family in your group should meet at their own homes on 2/7. Do a family-dinner and do the devotional time together at the table (or elsewhere). Then do something fun together as a family (like the options in # 1).
Get together with another family or two and do # 2.
Remember, the point is to help jumpstart and normalize Christian disciplines in Christian families. So doing this in a way that can be reproduced later is wise. Be creative. Have fun with it. I am excited about families hearing the Word and seeking God together!