Practices to Help the Church be Relevant, Righteous, and Real

Radical Ideas for Church Revitalization Part 1

As we turn the corner on a new year, I want to offer a radical idea for the revitalization of the church: Raise up men to preach in their homes once per month to help the church be real, righteous, and relevant.¹

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Believers have a Great Commission to make disciples. The priority of the church is to equip believers for that work of ministry. One of the most impactful ways to proliferate disciple-making in our community would be to facilitate men being disciple-makers in their homes. We want need men to own the spiritual vitality of their family’s ministry.

There is often a drastic disconnect between men’s spirituality and how their families see and experience men in the home. “80% of parents believe they should be the people most responsible for their children’s spiritual development. Yet, only 35% say their religious faith is one of the most important influences on their parenting.”² Pastors will preach from the pulpit and at men’s breakfasts, “Be the spiritual leader in your home!” In one-on-one counseling, men are forewarned to lead family devotionals. However, is the church showing men how to do this? Encouraging men to preach in their homes or small groups will be the significant boost men, women, pastors, and leaders are looking for to foster an environment of disciple-making.

Set a new tone in the new year for your family and church by leading your home through a worship service on a Sunday once/month. This includes pastors who need to be seen as spiritual leaders of their own homes as well, not just the church! The church will reap tenfold from actively engaged men who no longer sit passively in pews with low expectations of them. The family will start to see a father prioritizing and owning his own spiritual development as well as the home’s. Our families need to see that our spiritual development is not limited to the pastor’s preaching, church attendance, or small group.

When the body of believers raise the bar of expectation that a husband preaches once a month in his home, then you will see men step up to the occasion which will translate in all areas of life. Rob Rienow, author of Visionary Church, assesses our current state, “Here is an ugly truth. Many Christians in our churches today are passive because they can be. They don’t need to engage in the mission, because whether they engage or not, the church leaders will make it happen.”³

Instead of children defaulting to the youth pastor, the family will be equipped to look after each other. Instead of couples not entrusting themselves with each other until the pastor weighs in, they will first seek the Lord’s counsel in the Word together.

When the family-community, as I would like to deem it, starts to be the hub for biblical wisdom (in all aspects of life), men will feel the pressure and the necessity to spend more time in the word for themselves with newfound purposefulness. The father will of course not have all the answers. Nevertheless, he will discover out of duty and necessity, how to search and depend on God’s Word for himself. “Nearly all parents say they are at least somewhat concerned about this (83% all U.S. parents, 86% Christian parents, 80% non-Christian parents, 88% practicing Christian parents), with little difference by faith affiliation.”⁴ Now, fathers will be able to be the healthy filter and protector his family needs from the external influences that threaten to tear the family apart. Children can now imitate what they are actually seeing in the home.

In a post-covid world, we have no excuse for not equipping men to lead their homes in a worship service. Just think about how different COVID would have been if men were already equipped to lead worship service in their homes. Some people have not come back to church post-covid, and many still participate only virtually. What if they were all equipped to preach in their homes and small groups? When churches are no longer able to meet again or families go out of town for whatever reason (vacation, sports, etc)… no worries, dad can preach. The church cannot miss the importance of every husband who is a church member having the opportunity to show their spiritual leadership, which should include leading a worship service in the home.

This, of course, is not the only way husbands can show spiritual leadership. Yes, you can host more men’s breakfasts, conferences, Bible studies and continue to encourage them to lead family devotionals.

How is that going for the American church as is?

You can also encourage them to disciple their kids one on one, which I highly recommend. I see preaching on Sundays as the gateway to unlocking several helpful spiritual disciplines within the home.

This first article in the new year is just the tip of the iceberg regarding my convictions in this area. While we are processing new habits, I want to throw an idea out there for discussion.

There is much more to discuss such as:

• Jurisdictions between the church and family

• What do we do if the wife is more astute spiritually/theologically?

• Benefits for families and churches when men are equipped to preach in their homes

• Obstacles for churches to overcome when men are equipped to preach in their homes

• Addressing fears of the church when men are equipped to preach in their homes

• Addressing fears of the men to be equipped to preach in their homes

King & Co. Conversations

• Have you personally witnessed the positive impact of a man taking on a more active spiritual leadership role in his family?

• What are your own reservations or hesitations about the idea of men leading home worship services?

• How do you think your family would be different if the husband preached once/month in the home? How would the church or community be different?

1. Real, Righteous, and Relevant is a tag line from Christian Rapper Dee-1

2. Stinson, Randy and Jones, Timothy Paul. Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011. 86

3. Rienow, Rob. Visionary Church: How Your Church Can Strengthen Families. Nashville, TN: Randall House Publications, 2021. 99

4. https://www.barna.com/research/christian-parents-concerns/