February 2021
HOME-BASED FAITH: FORMING AND NURTURING FAITH AT HOME
Since COVID-19 emerged, the home has become the new center for fitness, schooling, work, shopping, entertainment, and church. In 2021, and beyond, homes will continue to emerge as the new center for all of these activities.
Home-Based faith is more important than ever as church attendance patterns are changing. According to Thom Rainer, “About 20 years ago, a church member was considered active in the church if he or she attended three times a week. Today, a church member is considered active in the church if he or she attends three times a month.” In some cases attending once a month is considered as attending church regularly. This is the current pattern for active church members.
Ask most Christians about their strongest faith memories, and they will speak of praying, singing, reading the Bible at home, holiday meals with families, and Christmas at home. This in no way minimizes the importance of the Church, but home remains the place where most people hear about God and encounter spiritual disciplines, and where much of their faith life takes place.
In the early church, the home was the center to grow and nurture faith. Believers first experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit at home. The word of God was taught and preached at home. Believers worshipped and broke the bread at home. People experienced salvation and they were baptized at home.
Divine worship involves having meals, saying a blessing before and after the meal, and transforming the eating of food from an ordinary activity into a faith experience.
The objectives of the “Home-Based Faith” Series are to:
- Nurture Home-Based Faith Formation
- Provide Home-Based Faith Direction
- Develop Home-Based Faith Disciplines
- Cultivate And Encourage Home-Based Faith Practices
The “Home-Based Faith” teaching series is designed to achieve the four objectives.
Here are the subjects of the four series:
- Spiritual Formation At Home
- Spiritual Direction At Home
- Spiritual Disciplines At Home
- Spiritual Gifts At Home
“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)