A Practical Theology of Family Worship: Richard Baxter's Timeless Encouragement for Today's Home

by Jonathan Williams

Baxter believed that family worship is God's will, a conviction that profoundly shaped and motivated his pastoral ministry in Kidderminster. It is said that at the beginning of his ministry, hardly one family to a street honored God in family worship; by the end of his ministry, there were streets on which every family upheld the practice. In A Practical Theology of Family Worship , Jonathan Williams examines Baxter's context, the encouragements he gave for family worship, and his family-equipping ministry among the congregation. This study develops our understanding of this vital spiritual discipline among the Puritans. Yet it also draws out implications for family ministry in churches today. Table of
1. The Blessings of Family Worship
2. Historical Examination of Baxter's Context as a Seventeenth-Century English Puritan
3. Baxter's Encouragement for Family Worship
4. Family Worship Brings Opportunities for Teaching the Word of God
5. Family Worship Fills the Home with Prayer and Praises
6. Baxter's Family-Equipping Ministry at Kidderminster
7. Implications for Today's Church and Family Ministry
Appendix 1: Further Encouragement for Family Worship
Appendix 2: A Sample Guide for Family Worship
Appendix 3: Opportunities for Discussion Questions

Genres: Family, Theology

152 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2021

Reviews

[John Boyne]

Excellent book on the theology of Puritan Richard Baxter on the importance of Family Worship. The author walks us through Baxter's teachings on Family Worship and all of the key aspects, such as family prayer, family discipleship, and family worship. Family needs to become more of a priority in our culture and we also need to be reminded that the threat against the family has always been there. Baxter is quoted with saying, "It is an evident truth that most of the mischiefs that now infest or seize upon mankind throughout the earth are caused by ill-governed families." That was written in the 17th century but easily translates to today. Don't neglect your families!

[Jay King]

I was pretty disappointed in this book. The first chapter on Baxter’s historical context, Puritan views of family worship, and a short bio of Baxter’s life was very interesting and encouraging. The rest of the book was not as well written. A lack of sentence structure diversity and a few duplicate quotes on the same page were a bit jarring. There were also many pages of comments and citations of contemporary authors and their views on family worship that had no direct connection to Baxter. I got the book to read a summary of Baxter’s encouragements. Not Beeke’s, Ptacek’s, Doolittle’s, Kostenberger’s, Spurgeon’s, Hamond’s, or some other author’s thoughts on family worship.

[Reader]

Good intro to family worship from a Puritan perspective. A little repetitive but good overall.