Church and Family Life Podcast Church & Family Life

Preparing one’s children’s heart for weekly worship starts with the parents preparing their own. Dad and mom must set the tone, first, to please God, but second, because kids normally have an accurate radar that can detect if their parents are focused, or not, in worshipping Him. Going through the motions at church is a real danger we must guard against—preparing for worship must begin in the heart. 

 

In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guests Danny and Megan Craig, discuss this priority. With four children eight and under, the Craigs explain that the goal for their kids on Sundays is not simply to sit still in church, but to love God as they worship. To get in the right frame of mind, their practice is to devote time on Saturday night to tune their hearts as a family for the next day’s service. Other advice they give: communicate clear expectations to your children ahead of time and then lovingly hold them to those expectations during the worship service. 

The Bible’s witness is clear: When the people of God gather for corporate worship, their children are to be with them in the service. That’s the unmistakable record found throughout Scripture. Yet in the 20th century, many congregations abandoned this established biblical norm, starting Children’s Churches and other youth-centered ministries that separated families during weekly worship. 

 

In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Sam Waldron, discuss the resurgence of family-integrated worship that has come as Christians have set aside pragmatic and worldly practices for the simple truths of Scripture. This move to follow God’s prescriptions for worship and church life, rather than man’s inventions, has transformed churches and families for the better. While there’s still room for growth, those committed to the Word will find blessing as they obey God from the heart. 

 

Additional Resources 

 

A Weed in the Church: How a Culture of Age Segregation is Harming the Next Generation, Fragmenting the Family, and Dividing the Church 

 

A Declaration of the Complementary Roles of Church and Family 

 

The Family at Church: How Parents Are Tour Guides of Joy 

As the cost of living skyrockets, what are young men desiring to establish themselves financially to do? Rather than shrink in fear, they should make the most of whatever tools God has put in their hands—in hopeful pursuit of the Dominion Mandate, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28). 

 

In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Isaac Botkin, discuss exciting opportunities that exist in practical fields such as hand-on trades and manufacturing. Drawing from his personal experience with T.Rex Arms, Isaac notes that Christians who know how to bring order out of disorder and create an increase from the assets they have will be in demand—whether they own their own company or work for others. His message: Don’t lose heart as a young man trying to make it. Trust God and take dominion with hope! 

Contrary to what some allege, Scripture’s clear witness is that children are to be present when God’s people gather for worship. Yet how do you train your kids to sit quietly at church as God’s Word is preached and to actively sing songs of praise during the service? What practical steps can you take during the week to prepare them for Sunday? And how do you manage the service itself as wise parents? 

 

In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guests Isaac and Heidi Botkin, tackle these questions head on. With four children, eight and under, the Botkins are still learning how to direct their young ones in worship, yet they offer practical counsel: Teach them obedience and self-government at home through regular family worship. Get your kids familiar with the songs your church sings by singing them together ahead of time. And, during the weekly service, work together as parents to manage your children’s oversight and discipline. 

 

Read these two articles as a supplement to today’s podcast: 

 

“Does Nehemiah 8:1-3 Teach Age Segregation?” by Scott Brown 

 

“Nehemiah's Nursery” by Voddie Baucham 

 

Does the younger generation know why you do what you do? In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm discuss (8) distinctives that have got Christians “in trouble” as they’ve embraced God’s Word rather than worldly trends: (1) the sufficiency of Scripture, not the sufficiency of culture; (2) the regulative principle as opposed to the normative principle of worship; (3) Sabbath-keeping vs. sabbath-breaking; (4) the continued applicability of God’s moral law, rather than antinomianism; (5) age-integrated, not age-segregated worship; (6) theologically-sound, rather than theologically unsound music; (7) biblical manhood and womanhood, instead of egalitarianism; (8) and a culture of modesty vs. immodesty in the church. 

Here’s the backdrop. For the last several decades, a growing number of families and churches have gone back to the Bible and reshaped how they live and worship. Throwing off compromises that dominated the 20th century, they’ve sought to conform their practices to age-old biblical standards. But if the foundational reasons for these changes aren’t reinforced through careful discipleship, the next generation can easily fall prey to error again.

To learn more about these (8) distinctives, check out the resources below or search our resource library here.  

1. The Sufficiency of Scripture, not the Sufficiency of Culture  Do Not Learn the Way of the Gentiles 

2. The Regulative Principle, as opposed to the Normative Principle of Worship  Only God Can Regulate Worship  

3. Sabbath-keeping vs. Sabbath-breaking  Confronting the Thieves of Sabbath Delight 

4. The Continued Applicability of God’s Moral Law, rather than Antinomianism The Harmony of Law and Gospel 

5. Age-integrated, not Age-segregated Worship A Biblical Case for Age-Integrated Discipleship   A Declaration of the Complementary Roles of Church and Family  

6. Theologically Sound rather than Theologically Unsound Music   Can I Use Any Form of Music to Worship God? 

7. Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, instead of Egalitarianism  The Sufficiency of Scripture for Manhood and Womanhood 

 8. A Culture of Modesty vs. Immodesty in the Church Beyond Modesty: The Supremacy of Christ in Clothing 

Why do we wear what we wear? The truth is, the clothes we put on communicate who we are and where our heart is. So here’s the question we must answer: Do we seek to flaunt ourselves, or do we portray humble modesty before God and our fellow man? Putting the matter simply—do we love God and our neighbor as ourselves in how we dress, or are we consumed with love of self instead?

In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Gavin Beers, explain how that our need for clothing points to our need for Christ. Fallen man seeks to cover the shame of his sin—as our first parents did in the Garden. Yet Adam and Eve’s paltry fig leaves were not enough. Only the perfect Lamb of God can truly cover our transgression with His robes of righteousness. Our physical clothing points to this spiritual reality and should inform how we dress as Christians today.