Back to the Altar
Back to the Altar is a landmark global appeal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, calling all people into a daily personal worship time with God. Amid our busy, media-saturated lives, many of us are neglecting the essential communion with God that our hearts are desperately craving. We see it in mindless consumerism, in gaunt looks and hollowed stares, in restlessness and digital immersion, in quiet desperation and loud communication, in immorality and violence. Jesus, the very Son of God (Matthew 3:17), the Word of God in human flesh (John 1:1), prized personal moments of deep connection with His Father. When His disciples and others would go to bed, Jesus would go to pray (John 7:53-John 8:1; Mark 1:35). Back to the Altar is God’s call to emulate His son: To begin each day with Him, to walk each moment of the day with Him, and to end each day in Him. Wherever we answer this call, that place is our altar! To put it more simply, we must “Live at the altar” (Ellen G. White, 1T 169). Back to the Altar is for anyone who wants to know God, walk with Him, prepare for the soon return of His Son, and prepare others to do so as well! (Visit the Back to the Altar website)
- Back to the Altar (PPT PDF) - Pr Dwaine Edmonds
- Digital Hygiene for Individuals and Families (PPT PDF) - Pr Dwaine Edmonds
- Digital Hygiene for Busy Ministry Professionals (PPT PDF) - Pr Dwaine Edmonds
- Spiritual Digital Hygiene Guide
- Rebuilding the Family Altar - Family Worship Resource
- Keys to Healthy Minds - Family Worship Resource
- The Way Back to the Altar - Book by Don McLafferty
- God Still Lives - Book by Don McLafferty
- Prayer of the Lord's Messenger - E. G. White
- Back to the Altar Lifestyle Survey and Heart Challenges
Family Worship Resources
- Altogether Wonderful: Exploring Intergenerational Worship - By Karen Holford
This book explores both the “why” and the “how” of intergenerational worship. It provides a simple history of worship through the Bible, an exploration of Jesus’ theology of childhood, and his own approach to intergenerational worship. It also contains many practical and creative ideas on how to plan inspiring, multi-sensory intergenerational worship.
- Family Worship: Families Reaching Up - GC Powerpoint Presentation
- Family First Presentation (PPT) - J&R Arrias
- Simple Successful Worships for Busy Families - Karen Holford
- Fun & Easy Worship Leaflet - GC Family Ministries
- Passing on Your Faith to the Next Generation - Donna J. Habenicht
- Recommended Reading for Family Spirituality
Kids in Discipleship
Kids in Discipleship (KID) is a ministry designed for families which focuses on children. The goal of KID. is to affirm and strengthen families as the primary discipling unit for their children
KID equips, parents, and mentors to implement the model of discipleship described in Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Through this intentional discipleship focus, parents/mentors and children grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and with one another. Families are then empowered to use their gifts in worship, ministry, and mission.
Under the umbrella of the ministry ‘In Discipleship’, it is recognised that parents who are confident in mentoring and discipling their own children also become more confident to engage in the wider outreach efforts of the local church. KID resources may be downloaded from InDiscipleship
FOOTPRINTS FOR KIDS - (Click here for all 24 lessons)
- 01 - Disciples Wanted for a Lifetime Adventure!
- 02 - Jesus: A friend You Can Trust
- 03 - The Gift of Jesus Grace
- 04 - Spend Time Alone with God!
- 05 - Your Time, Talents and Treasure
- 06 - Honour God with Your Choices
- 07 - The Bible — It’s The Truth!
- 08 - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- 09 - Creation, Family and Sabbath
- 10 - God's Law
- 11 - The War Between Jesus and Satan
- 12 - Jesus – Your High Priest in Heaven
- 13 - The Gift of Prophecy
- 14 - God’s Faithful People
- 15 - What Happens When People Die?
- 16 - Jesus’ Second Coming and Your Future
- 17 - You and Your Church Family!
- 18 - Follow Jesus in Baptism and Communion
- 19 - Discover Jesus’ Vision for You
- 20 - Discover Your Special Design
- 21 - Make Friends for Jesus
- 22 - Lead Your Friends to Choose Jesus
- 23 - Study the Bible with Your Friend
- 24 - Dare to Stand for Jesus
Visit the InDiscipleship website for further free downloadable resources.
KIDS IN DISCIPLES FOR TEENS (Download lessons 1-32) - By Karen Holford
- 01 - Experiencing God's Love
- 02 - Experiencing God Love Through Jesus Life
- 03 - Staying Connected
- 04 - The Master Makeover
- 05 - Building Character
- 06 - Words Create Worlds
- 07 - The Big Picture
- 08 - Exploring Forgiveness
- 09 - Believing the Invisible
- 10 - Promises Promises
- 11 - Feasting on God
- 12 - The Sound of Silence
- 13 - Experiencing God's Closeness
- 14 - The Wow Factor
- 15 - Gifted
- 16 - God's Public Relations Team
- 17 - The Pursuit of Happiness
- 18 - Mone Money Money
- 19 - Decisions
- 20 - Mirror Mirror
- 21 - Consequences
- 22 - Brainwaves
- 23 - Invisible Friend
- 24 - Thinking About Feelings
- 25 - Alive
- 26 - Ouch
- 27 - Connections I
- 28 - Connections II
- 29 - Good News
- 30 - Save the World
- 31 - Delight
- 32 - Future World
Family-to-Family
Family to Family is an initiative of the General Conference Family Ministries Department that seeks to involve entire families in the mission of sharing the gospel with their neighbours, relatives and friends.
The Church Guide is designed to help pastors, elders, and Adventist Family Ministries leaders implement Family-to-Family in your local church. It provides the vision, training, and practical steps to help each family prepare and reach out to at least one other family in their neighborhood. (Click on the image to download the guide)
The Family Guide is designed with steps to help spiritually prepare your family to share Jesus with neighbors, relatives, and friends. It is used by each family in your church to prepare for being a powerful witness in the community. It contains the basic steps to spiritually prepare each family to share Christ with another family. Ideally, every family in your church should have their own booklet. (Click on the image to download the guide)
- Family-to-Family: An Introduction (PPT PDF) - by Les Ackie
- 101 Ideas for Family Worship
- 101 Ideas for Family Evangelism
- 101 Ideas for Involving Families in Global Mission
Messy Church
Messy Church is a church, not a craft club, that helps people encounter Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It is designed for adults and children to enjoy together by seeking to make every element relevant and accessible to all ages. Messy Church uses hands-on activities to explore Bible stories, taking into account different learning styles, to reflect a God of creativity and to give people a chance to play together.
Messy Church seeks to reflect a God of unconditional love and is a church for people outside church, providing an oasis of welcome and a safe space in which to thrive. Messy Church is about hospitality, expressed most evidently by eating together
What Messy Church Is (PDF) - for more information visit the Messy Church website.
Faith@Home
Faith@Home is not a program or a sermon series. Neither is it the latest church fad. Emphasising Deuteronomy 6:4-7 as its foundation, Faith@Home operates on the basis that the home should be the primary place for passing on spiritual values. It asserts that we should not so much have churches ‘with’ family ministries, but rather, churches ‘of’ family ministries and that churches need to invest more in supporting family spirituality. Visit the Faith@Home website for more information about the resources available.