Revision #11355
Family Worship
Localized for English-speaking readers (msgbatch_01GvFKF6zaroxwZ2RCatyoPp)
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Definition and Meaning
- Family worship is worship in which a family gathers at home rather than in a church building. It is usually led by a parent or the head of the household and proceeds through hymn singing, Scripture reading, a brief reflection on the Word, and prayer. It does not replace the public worship of the church; rather, it is understood as a means of sustaining faith within the home and teaching the faith to children.
+ Family worship is worship in which a family gathers at home rather than in a church building. It is usually led by a parent or the head of the household and proceeds through hymn singing, Scripture reading, a brief reflection on the Word, and prayer. It does not replace the public worship of the church; rather, it is understood as a means of sustaining faith within the home and of teaching the faith to children.
=
= ## Biblical and Historical Background
- Deuteronomy 6:6–7, which instructs parents to teach God's words diligently to their children, and Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD," are frequently cited as the basis for family worship. In the New Testament, the account of believers breaking bread from house to house (Acts 2:46) and the phrase "the church that is in their house" (Romans 16:5) are cited as background, pointing to the household gatherings of the early church.
+ Deuteronomy 6:6–7, which instructs parents to teach God's words diligently to their children, and Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD," are frequently cited as the basis for family worship. In the New Testament, the account of believers "breaking bread from house to house" (Acts 2:46) and the phrase "the church that is in their house" (Romans 16:5) are cited as background, pointing to the household gatherings of the early church.
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= After the Reformation, Protestantism emphasized the home as a center of faith education. Family worship was especially valued in the Puritan tradition, and chapter 21 of the Westminster Confession of Faith states that God is to be worshiped "in private families daily."
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= ## Practice in Korean Churches
- In Korean churches, the form and frequency of family worship vary from church to church and from household to household. Some families worship daily, while others do so once a week or only on special occasions. Families often use quiet time devotional materials or order-of-worship sheets distributed by their church.
+ Among Korean Protestant churches, the form and frequency of family worship vary from church to church and from household to household. Some families worship daily, while others do so once a week or only on special occasions. Families often use quiet time devotional materials or orders of worship distributed by their church.
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- - **Holidays and memorial services**: Family worship is widely held when families gather for Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok. On these occasions a memorial service remembering ancestors is often held as well; this practice is generally understood to have become established as the Korean church's response to the issue of ancestral rites. Many denominations and churches distribute orders of family worship for each holiday.
+ - **Holidays and memorial services**: Family worship is widely held when families gather for the Lunar New Year (Seollal) and the autumn harvest holiday of Chuseok. On these occasions a memorial service remembering ancestors is often held as well; this practice is generally understood to have become established as the Korean church's response to the question of ancestral rites. Many denominations and churches distribute orders of family worship for each holiday.
= - **Closing**: Because most denominations regard the benediction as reserved for ordained ministers, family worship led by laypeople usually closes with the Lord's Prayer.
- - **Pastoral visits**: Pastoral visitation, in which a minister visits a home and leads worship there, is distinguished from family worship conducted by the family itself. Family worship is also distinguished from cell group worship, in which neighboring households gather together.
- - **Denominational tendencies**: In Presbyterian churches, following the Westminster tradition, many sermons and materials emphasize family worship led by the head of the household. In churches with a liturgical tradition of prescribed forms of worship, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, the orders for morning and evening prayer in the prayer book are sometimes used at home. Family worship is not a sacrament, however, and most denominations do not strictly prescribe its form, leaving it to each household.
+ - **Pastoral visits**: Pastoral visitation, in which a minister visits a home and leads worship there, is distinguished from family worship conducted by the family itself. Family worship is also distinguished from district cell-group worship, in which neighboring households gather together.
+ - **Denominational tendencies**: In Presbyterian churches, following the Westminster tradition, many sermons and materials emphasize family worship led by the head of the household. In churches with a liturgical tradition, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, the orders for morning and evening prayer in the prayer book are sometimes used at home. Family worship is not a sacrament, however, and most denominations do not strictly prescribe its form, leaving it to each household.
=
= During the COVID-19 pandemic, when church gatherings were restricted, many churches encouraged family worship and provided orders of worship and videos.
Family worship is worship that a family offers together at home. It consists of hymn singing, Scripture reading, and prayer, and in Korean churches it is widely practiced as an occasion for memorial services during traditional holidays and for faith education.
Family worship is worship that a family offers together at home, typically consisting of hymn singing, Scripture reading, and prayer. In Korean Protestant churches it is widely practiced, including on traditional holidays in connection with memorial services, and serves as a setting for faith education.
Full revision
Family worship is worship that a family offers together at home, typically consisting of hymn singing, Scripture reading, and prayer. In Korean Protestant churches it is widely practiced, including on traditional holidays in connection with memorial services, and serves as a setting for faith education.
Definition and Meaning
Family worship is worship in which a family gathers at home rather than in a church building. It is usually led by a parent or the head of the household and proceeds through hymn singing, Scripture reading, a brief reflection on the Word, and prayer. It does not replace the public worship of the church; rather, it is understood as a means of sustaining faith within the home and of teaching the faith to children.
Biblical and Historical Background
Deuteronomy 6:6–7, which instructs parents to teach God's words diligently to their children, and Joshua 24:15, "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD," are frequently cited as the basis for family worship. In the New Testament, the account of believers "breaking bread from house to house" (Acts 2:46) and the phrase "the church that is in their house" (Romans 16:5) are cited as background, pointing to the household gatherings of the early church.
After the Reformation, Protestantism emphasized the home as a center of faith education. Family worship was especially valued in the Puritan tradition, and chapter 21 of the Westminster Confession of Faith states that God is to be worshiped "in private families daily."
Practice in Korean Churches
Among Korean Protestant churches, the form and frequency of family worship vary from church to church and from household to household. Some families worship daily, while others do so once a week or only on special occasions. Families often use quiet time devotional materials or orders of worship distributed by their church.
- Holidays and memorial services: Family worship is widely held when families gather for the Lunar New Year (Seollal) and the autumn harvest holiday of Chuseok. On these occasions a memorial service remembering ancestors is often held as well; this practice is generally understood to have become established as the Korean church's response to the question of ancestral rites. Many denominations and churches distribute orders of family worship for each holiday.
- Closing: Because most denominations regard the benediction as reserved for ordained ministers, family worship led by laypeople usually closes with the Lord's Prayer.
- Pastoral visits: Pastoral visitation, in which a minister visits a home and leads worship there, is distinguished from family worship conducted by the family itself. Family worship is also distinguished from district cell-group worship, in which neighboring households gather together.
- Denominational tendencies: In Presbyterian churches, following the Westminster tradition, many sermons and materials emphasize family worship led by the head of the household. In churches with a liturgical tradition, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, the orders for morning and evening prayer in the prayer book are sometimes used at home. Family worship is not a sacrament, however, and most denominations do not strictly prescribe its form, leaving it to each household.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when church gatherings were restricted, many churches encouraged family worship and provided orders of worship and videos.