Don Whitney has written a book we truly need. . . . This book belongs in every Christian home and in the hands of every Christian parent.
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Family Worship by Don Whitney is a priceless little volume. Whitney makes a compelling case from the Bible for the practice and illustrates it richly with historical examples. He even answers the frequently asked questions and responds to common objections. This book is persuasive, practical, and most of all, doable.
—Dr. Tedd Tripp, Pastor and author of Shepherding a Child's Heart

Review in September/October 2007 issue of Modern Reformation

I am always looking for solid, substantial, gospel-centered, God-glorifying resources to recommend to families to help them either begin or to strengthen their family worship. What a treat it will be to give this new title to members of First Presbyterian Church as they aim to honor and glorify God in their homes.
—Dr. Ligon Duncan, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS

I liked your book so well that we bought a large number and mailed them out to all the men in our church who have children living at home.
—Dr. Andrew Davis, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Durham, NC

I devoured Family Worship . . . . Our family worship times have improved dramatically in the past couple of weeks as a result of your book. What a joy it is to hear our children praying with more content, focus and even conviction as our time has become more frequent and consistent.
—Pastor Chris Oliveri, Hope Bible Church, Eagle Rock, CA

We are encouraging all our members to stay home from Sunday School for the four Sundays in June and launch family worship in their homes. . . . [Whitney's Family Worship book] was one of the catalysts for this adventure.
—Pastor Phil Nelson, Lakeland Baptist Church, Carbondale, IL

Donald Whitney has uttered the unspeakable. Family Worship addresses the most crucial issue facing the American church and the American family. Unfortunately, it is an issue that has been largely ignored for centuries. As a result, we have removed the worship of almighty God from the home and we are reaping the whirlwind. Family Worship is a biblical, accessible and indispensable call to arms. Family Worship is perfect for the scores of Christian parents who want to impact their families, but have no idea where to start. Praise God for men like Donald Whitney who love the Lord and the Church enough to speak such truth without apology.
—Dr. Voddie Baucham, President of Voddie Baucham Ministries and Pastor of Preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church, Spring, TX

This is a magnificent achievement and so very needful.
—Dr. Derek Thomas, Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS and Minister of Teaching, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS

I appreciate your contribution to this important area, and it is my prayer that God will use this widely to strengthen families in the area of home worship.
—Dr. Daniel Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC.

Don Whitney, a dear friend of Missouri Baptists, has written a new booklet about family worship.

Why family worship? Whitney notes recent North American Mission Board research indicating that 88% of churched youth in the United States leave the church once they finish high school. He says, “Most of these young people have no lifelong, sweet memories of family worship. If they had them, such memories might prevent their departure from the faith in the first place. Or if they do walk away, the memories might be the means to return them to the faith later.”

That is where Family Worship comes in, providing both an explanation of and an exhortation to fathers to lead their families in the worship of God.

In the first section Whitney takes us through the Biblical record of fathers leading their family in worship. From the earliest pages of the Bible, we see that the pattern of family worship is established as a practice of believing households.

Next, Whitney shows us examples from church history where the priority of family worship was a means of multi-generational faithfulness. For Christianity to be passed down from generation to generation, fathers should imitate the example of Christians like Luther, Spurgeon, and the Puritans who preached and practiced the necessity of daily worship within the family.

But what should take place in family worship? Whitney keeps it plain and simple by laying out three basic practices – read the Bible, pray, and sing.

Complexity may kill the desire for family worship, but brevity, regularity, and flexibility will lead to success. He says, “Try to have a regular time each day for family worship. …Whatever time you choose, consider the wisdom of adapting a time when the family is already accustomed to being together, rather than trying to create another routine during the day.”

Whitney deals with some unique situations that may pose difficulties to family worship, and then closes the book by answering the exhortative question, “Isn’t this what you really want to do?”

He says, “Having your family in a good, Bible—teaching local church is crucial to Christian parenting. But this is not enough for conveying to your children all you want to teach them about God and your beliefs. Moreover, it is unlikely that exposure to the church once or twice a week will impress your children enough with the greatness and glory of God that they will want to pursue Him once they leave home. That is why family worship is so important. But even more importantly, God deserves to be worshipped daily in our homes by our families.”

To get a copy of this book go to Whitney’s web site. The price is $5.50, and multiple copies can be ordered for a substantial discount. Giving a copy to each family in your church would be an excellent way to jumpstart discussion about this important spiritual priority. Also, beginning in February there will be an audio CD of the book that includes a printable discussion guide taken from the book.

—From the Wisdom of the Pages website http://gilford.textdrive.com/~winston/?p=258

Matthew Henry once wrote regarding family worship, "Here the Reformation must begin." If we are to experience the fullness of God's blessings and are to be as faithful to Him as we can be, we must begin with the family, the very building block of God's kingdom. This is something that was understood by the first and second generation Dutch-Canadian Christians among whom I grew up. Every meal was begun with prayer and every meal ended in a time of family worship. I do not recall any exceptions. This was the expectation of all families, and I am quite sure that nothing short of natural disaster would interfere with this family worship. It impacted myself and my family deeply.

Outside of those Dutch circles it seems that family worship is far less common. I find it strange that at a time when there is such a great deal of discussion about the priority and nature of worship, so little attention has been given to family worship. Don Whitney seeks to remedy that in his new booklet entitled Family Worship: In the Bible, in History & in Your Home.

While at 32 pages this book is merely an introduction to family worship, it is at once valuable and convicting. Dr. Whitney takes a logical approach to the topic. He begins with proving from Scripture that family worship is an expectation God has for all believers and then shows how believers through the centuries have understood the importance of this discipline. One chapter is dedicated to the elements of family worship, which he identifies as reading Scripture, prayer and singing. After answering several "what if" situations, a final chapter encourages familes to begin worshipping together today. A small discussion guide wraps up the book.

As in all of his books, Dr. Whitney depends primarily on Scripture and secondarily on the consensus of great Christians of the past to support his arguments. And as with his previous books, what he writes is both convincing and convicting. I was convicted that I need to increase the priority of family worship and to seek to make it not something that we do most of the time, but something we do all the time. In this small way I can show my children just how important it is that we give priority to the time we spend hearing from and crying out to God.

In truth, I had but two minor complaints about this book. The first was the length. This cannot be helped, for the booklet is intended to serve as only an introduction to this topic, but I would love the opportunity to read more on this topic (and especially from the pen of Dr. Whitney). The second, related to the first, was that Dr. Whitney did not include a "recommended resources" section at the close of the book. Still, by referring to the footnotes I found a few other resources that looked promising.

Family Worship is a great introduction to a topic of great importance. I recommend it for any and all Christian families. It is available for order through BiblicalSpirituality.com and costs only a few dollars. Volume discounts are available, so why not buy several? There is not a family that cannot benefit from this book.

—Tim Challies
http://www.challies.com/archives/001931.php

Whitney, Donald S. — Family Worship: In the Bible, In History & In Your Home

I would like to recommend Donald S. Whitney's Family Worship: In The Bible, In History & In Your Home. In this short work, Whitney paints a bleak picture of home life within Evangelicalism and supports the picture with compelling and convicting statistical data. The picture is of Christian families who have neglected the family altar to such an extent that the church eventually loses an alarming percentage of the children of these families when they leave home. In reaction to this dilemma, Whitney provides a clear exegetical foundation for the family altar, showing that Christian instruction in the home is time and time again called for in Scripture. He uses a number of compelling illustrations of Christian heroes who practiced family worship even in the midst of busy Christian ministries. Spurgeon's example is notable here, and Whitney uses it to great effect. The book is extremely practical and Whitney addresses a number of questions that readers who have neglected the family altar might have. He has also produced an audio reading cd that can likewise be purchased through "The Center for Biblical Spirituality." This work would be ideal to give as a gift to the families of your church and is priced affordably enough (especially the bulk rates) that this could be done without tremendous financial stress. Check out Don Whitney's Family Worship. Highly recommended.

—Wyman Richardson