A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home
By Jason Helopoulos

I’ve been aware of this book for years but only recently picked it up. I am so glad that I did! Here, we have another example of a seemingly one-stop-shop resources for families wanting to learn about family worship.

The book is short, practical, challenging, and realistic. The author doesn’t shy away from calling families to new rhythms founded in Church history and Scripture while also revealing his sense of humor along the way.

As always, choosing only five quotes was a tall order. However, here are five quotes that stuck out to me as I walked through this helpful book:

  • “When I think of my responsibility to care for my wife and children spiritually, I am not primarily concerned about passing on my subjective experiences. I am not concerned with passing on some fables or moral lessons. I am concerned with passing on the truth of our God–who He is and what He has done.” (33)
  • “As Christian parents, our goal in raising our children is not to prepare them for going out into the world as fully functioning adults. Our goal, as Christian parents, is to prepare our children for eternity!” (43)
  • “We too often underestimate the power of the Word of God. And we too often underestimate our children.” (54)
  • “There are undercurrents in the evangelical world right now that place too much emphasis upon the family. We can worship the family just as easily as we can worship wealth or Buddha. And they are equally idolatrous.” (74)
  • “It is important that we serve in the church and enter into dynamic fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if my family and I are engaged in church activities four nights a week, then we aren’t home together consistently. We may be doing good things. Our family and others may benefit, but we can’t be so involved in the activities of the church that we neglect the ministry we are called to in our family.” (85)

Church leaders that are interested in equipping their people in family worship may consider buying this resource in bulk and giving it away to church members. This would be a great gift to give to a new married couple or to every family in the church that goes through the process of baby dedication. This resource could also be easily utilized as training material for fathers and grandfathers. .

Regardless of how you use this book, I believe you’ll be blessed by it. The author doesn’t demand unreachable perfection, but provides real solutions for willing and teachable parents.

Frank Trimble
Director of Training and Consulting
Family Time Training