Reformed Baptist Family Worship and the 1689 Confession

Reformed Baptist family worship is the daily worship of God in the home, done in the way the Bible teaches and the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith describes. The Confession says that God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and truth, and it says this includes the home and the private life of each person, “in private families daily, and in secret each one by himself.”

This guide explains what the Confession says about family worship and how an ordinary home can follow it, whether you belong to a Reformed Baptist church or are curious about what we believe. Family worship is a short daily time in the presence of the Lord, who welcomes sinners through His Son.

What the 1689 Confession says about the home

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith was first published by Baptists in London in 1677 and is used by Reformed Baptist churches today. Chapter 22, “Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day,” names three settings for worship. In paragraph 6 it says worship under the gospel is not tied to any one place, and then it names the private family, the secret place of each person and the public assembly. Worship in the home is one part of a larger whole, and the Confession says it is to happen daily.

This teaching comes from Scripture. In Acts 10:2, Cornelius is described as “a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God.” And Jesus Himself says, “But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6).

Worship the way God has appointed

Reformed Baptists hold that God Himself has told us how He is to be worshipped, and that we should not add to it by our own invention. That is why family worship is plain. We read God's Word, we pray and we sing, because Scripture asks these things of us. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

So family worship stays plain. A Bible, a family and a willingness to listen to the Lord are what it takes. Paul gives the shape of it when he writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

The home and the church work together

The same paragraph of the Confession speaks of the public assembly, which is not to be neglected, whether carelessly or on purpose. Reformed Baptists do not treat family worship as a replacement for the church. The home is where the children hear God's Word every day, and the church is where the whole body meets under its elders, with baptism and the Lord's Supper. The writer to the Hebrews says, “not forsaking our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25).

Parents are responsible for their children, and the church comes alongside them. A family that worships at home every day arrives at church on Sunday with an open Bible and a heart ready to sing and hear.

Who leads, and what about the new birth

Paul gives fathers this charge, “nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), and the father is to take the lead in the home. The mother is his partner in the work. A Reformed Baptist family also holds firmly that the new birth is the work of God alone. We do not believe our children are saved because we raised them in a Christian home or because they have joined in family worship every night. So we teach them the gospel, we call each of them to repent and believe, and we ask the Lord to give them new hearts.

A simple pattern for Reformed Baptist family worship

1. Begin with a short prayer, asking the Lord to open His Word to your family.
2. Sing a hymn or a psalm together.
3. Read a chapter or part of one, and ask what it says and what it shows us of Christ.
4. Pray together, thanking God for His mercy and asking for what you need.

Each session on this site follows that order, with the chapter and its main truth already prepared. You can try it with the session on Titus chapter 3, where Paul writes about the kindness of God our Saviour.

Why Christ is the centre of it all

We worship in spirit and truth because we have a Mediator. We cannot come to God on the strength of our own goodness, and we do not have to. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Christ died for sinners and rose again, and it is in His name that a home can worship the Father.

Common questions

Is family worship required by the Confession?

The Confession teaches that God is to be worshipped in private families daily. It does not set a length or a format, so each family decides the details with wisdom.

Can a mother lead if the father is not a believer?

Yes. She can read the Bible, pray and sing with her children, gently and faithfully. Her husband may come to listen in time, and she should never stop praying for him.

Do we have to use a catechism?

No, but many Baptist families do. It gives children short, clear answers to the great questions of the faith.

My friend, you can begin tonight. Pick a book and chapter and the whole session is ready. The Family Worship App is free, as a ministry of Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church, and if it helps your family you can give here so other families can use it too. May the Lord be honoured in your home every day.