5 Ways to Practice Service as a Family

Service is a response to God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. We learn to live like Jesus by serving others through specific, tangible actions that contribute to the dignity and well-being of the people we serve. Here are some ways your family can grow in the practice of service together.

1. SERVE EACH OTHER 

Cultivating a servant heart starts at home, and even young children can learn to help and respect others. Provide ability-appropriate ways for each person to practice service within your family. For example, doing simple household chores teaches kids that service is part of living in community. Encouraging kids to look for random acts of kindness to do for family members helps them see service as an expression of love, not merely of obligation.

2. SERVE YOUR CHURCH FAMILY 

Notice and name the gifts you see in each other, and talk together about how to use those gifts to serve your church family. Some ideas: join a praise team, clean up after coffee time, befriend newcomers, lead a Sunday school class, set aside time once a month to create and send cards. 

3. SERVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD 

To serve your neighbors well, you need to know them. Be intentional about developing relationships, especially with those who seem different from you. Lending a hand, sharing tools and toys, offering a ride, watering plants, and helping with homework or childcare are just a few of the simple ways to involve your family in acts of kindness and generosity. 

4. SERVE YOUR CITY

Get to know the needs in your city, and seek opportunities to participate in good work already being done by community partners: a local library, refugee resettlement agency, or food bank might be a good place to start. Look for opportunities that allow you to serve long-term and build relationships.

5. SERVE YOUR WORLD 

Look for tangible ways to make changes that you would like to see in the world around you. Choose a global cause that’s close to your heart and plan a way to support it together. For example, be intentional about recycling, reducing, reusing, repairing, and repurposing and talk about how these simple actions serve God’s creation. Bookmark dojustice.crcna.org and visit it for ideas, information, and updates.

For more great ideas for family faith formation, check out the Dwell at Home resources at DwellCurriculum.org/home and the Faith Practices Project at crcna.org/FaithFormation/Practices.