Home Worship: Here is How You Can Hold a Family Worship Service

Bibliaon Team

Created and reviewed by our editors

Family worship is an extremely important practice for fostering spiritual growth and strengthening the family's faith in Christ. Therefore, gather your household and set aside one day a week for everyone to come together for a time of prayer, worship, and Bible study.

Family meetings are usually less formal than church services and can be tailored to your family's style. They can follow a traditional format with:

Worship - Spiritual songs, hymns, psalms, praise songs
Prayer - Thanksgiving, dedication, and adoration
Word - Bible reading, exposition, study, joint reflection, application
Prayer - Intercession, thanksgiving, requests, family needs

But the most important thing is to get started, involving all family members.

Check out these twelve fantastic tips we’ve prepared for you and start worshiping God with your family today:

1. First Steps - Home Worship

Invite! If your family members have not yet adopted this valuable Christian practice, consider starting this important time in your home. Talk to your family and, even if they are not evangelical, invite them to participate.

2. Mark It on the Calendar!

Make family worship a special time when everyone at home can participate. So, mark it on the family calendar and find the best day and time so that everyone can be present.

3. Commit

Make this an unmissable commitment in your home. Over time, other activities, setbacks, and unforeseen events will arise. But pray and commit to this responsibility with God and your family. Make an effort to stick to the schedule, holding the meetings on the agreed day and time, without delays or cancelations. The important thing is to not give up on home worship, making it a meaningful time of fellowship and celebration to God.

4. Frequency of Home Meetings

Check your family's availability. Initially, you might start with once a week. Later, as possible, you can increase the frequency and adjust the format of the meetings throughout the week.

Daily: This is the ideal for family worship moments. Set aside a time of day (either early in the morning or late in the afternoon) for the family to gather and worship God. Daily devotionals are good options to use during these times.
Alternate Days: It may be difficult to gather the whole family every day. Therefore, alternate with days that already have commitments or church meetings, for example.
Weekly: This might be the best option for those just starting. Choose a day of the week and plan a special meeting with the family. Over time, you can increase to 2 or 3 days a week.

Check out our Daily Devotional every day.

5. Times of Prayer

Family prayer moments are very important for strengthening the faith of the entire family. Extend prayer throughout various times of the day: pray during meals, before going to bed and upon waking, pray with your spouse, children, parents, and siblings. During home worship, share moments of joint prayer:

Reasons to Ask
Reasons to Thank
Reasons to Intercede

Ask each person to share 1 reason for thanksgiving and 1 prayer request (personal or for others). Pray for one another. This should be an uplifting time without anyone feeling pressured to "have" to pray. Over time, people will become more comfortable participating in the meetings.

6. Time of Praise and Worship

Praise times can vary according to the family's musical tastes and abilities. If there are musicians at home, take advantage of their talents to praise God with voices and instruments. However, this should not be a limiting factor. There are several alternatives:

Voices - A cappella (praise God with just voices and hearts)
Playbacks - (many praise songs and hymns have available playbacks online)
Background Music - (play the chosen music on a phone or CD and sing along)
Instrumentals - (choose instrumental Christian songs and worship God through these sounds)
Reading Psalms - Psalms are songs, poems, and prayers that can express the heart's intention

Choose 1 or 2 songs that most people know and that are not lengthy:

Congregational Hymns and Songs
Children's Gospel Songs (if there are children in the family, don’t forget about the little ones!)
Ask another person to suggest or participate with a song (almost all families have musical talents)

7. Sequential Bible Reading

The Word of God is and should be the central focus of any worship. Read entire biblical books through sequential reading. Choose a book and start by reading 1-3 chapters each day. At the end, discuss what that passage taught you. Depending on the length of the chosen book, it is possible to read an entire book during the worship.

Start with the Gospels, for example. Always encourage Bible reading, even for young children.

8. Teaching Bible Stories

Choose a Biblical story and prepare to share it with your family. If you have children, seek visual materials (images, picture books, etc.) for better understanding. Read important biblical passages related to the story (study and prepare in advance!). Try to answer the following questions:

Who are the most important characters in the story? What do I learn about God and people?
What does the story teach me about God? How did He intervene?
How do the events point to Jesus?
What lessons do I learn from the story?
Personal Application - How can I practice what we learned?

9. Bible Studies

Studying the Bible remains an important way to better understand the Word of God. Know and continue to know (Hosea 6:3) each day. Encourage your household to learn precious principles through a more attentive look at the Scriptures. There are various models and methods for studying a text. Here are some options:

Inductive Bible Study: This type of study is quite interesting and easy to do with your family. It follows the OPA method, which includes 3 fundamental steps:
- Observe: What does the passage say? Pay attention to what is written and ask questions about the text.
- Perceive: What does it mean? Understand the interpretation of what the text says through guided discussion.
- Apply: How to live today according to what we learned from the text? Questions about how to practice what was learned.
Chronological Bible Study: Study the books of the Bible in the order that the events occurred in history. There are books or reading plans that allow for this format of study.
Directed Study: Create a guide that will help you better understand the passage being studied. Asking questions about the text is a good option.
Daily Reflection: Read and study the passage, trying to answer the following questions:
- Are there other related biblical texts?
- What commandments are described?
- What characteristics of God can be found?
- What does the text present about Jesus?
- What sin should be avoided?
- What lessons can I learn from the passage?
- What is the main lesson?
- Personal Application - How can I practice what we learned?
Sequential Book Study: You can choose to study all the books of the Bible in the order they appear. Choose a good Study Bible (such as Geneva or Thompson) and study the analysis related to the books, following the reading with outlines and comments.

Read How to Start Reading the Bible To Understand It Better

10. Personal Testimony

This can be a special moment for sharing personal testimonies with your family. Share an experience or moment when you experienced God's goodness, protection, and grace. Everyone can testify to what God has done in their lives.

11. Prayer and Intercession List

Prepare a prayer journal and record the main prayer requests of the day. Another option is to post the prayer requests in different areas (where you are gathered). Or write them on small papers and distribute them among the group. Set aside time in the meeting to pray:

For God’s work around the world
Global Church
For persecuted Christians
For missionaries, pastors, and workers
For leaders and rulers
Intercede for the salvation of relatives, neighbors, coworkers, or classmates
For the sick, known and unknown
For children and the elderly around the world
For the imprisoned
For the unemployed
For those who suffer
For families

12. Bible Games and Activities

Energize the home worship with some simple games and activities, which can make a difference in your family meeting. Here are some options:

Questions and Answers: Prepare questions about Bible passages, characters, or stories.
Thematic Charades or Drawings: Mini competition between teams – attempt to convey ideas about Bible passages, objects, or characters without words.
Order of the Bible Books: Encourage the family to memorize the sequence of the Bible books from Genesis to Revelation.
Memorized Verses: Encourage your family to memorize Bible verses each week.
Who Am I?: Write the names of biblical characters on slips of paper and tape them to everyone’s foreheads, without them seeing. Each person must guess their character with questions that can only be answered with YES or NO.

Note: Each family will find the best way to conduct their home worship. The important thing is to maintain this activity regularly and, preferably, with the participation of the whole family.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord - Joshua 24:15

And remember: even if there are only a few, God will be present with you. It is worth setting aside a moment of the day and opening your home to have fellowship with God!

Here are a few Ideas of Themes For Family Worship.