8 Family Service Project Ideas: Making a Difference Together in Jesus’ Name

If you are a Christian parent, you probably hope to pass on your faith to your children. You pray that the faith in Jesus you share with them will impact their hearts so deeply that they follow Jesus for their entire lives and into eternity. Research has shown five key factors that can help create the best environment for that to happen. One of those factors is serving together as a family.

Why Should You Do Family Service Projects?

As Christians, we know we are supposed to serve others and share the love of Jesus with our neighbors. But did you know that serving your community in the Name of Jesus’ is also an important part of disciplining your children? Family Service Projects help us model obedience to Jesus while building our children’s faith.

Help Children’s Faith

Josh Denhart of KidminScience.com writes, “Children who serve WITH their families in a faith-based ministry seemed more likely to stay connected to Christ and the church.”

Ministry can be in or out of the church but tying it to your family’s faith is important.

Family Service Projects Teach Responsibility

Another one of those key factors to helping your children own their faith and continue to follow Jesus for their whole lives is trusting children with responsibility. This seems to go hand-in-hand with family service projects.

When we serve as families, we can give our children developmentally appropriate responsibilities while being there with them to support and encourage them.

Matthew 24:45 says, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.” Let’s use these service opportunities to nurture faithful, sensible servants.

Follow Jesus’s Teachings

In Matthew, Jesus tells a parable and says, “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'” (Matthew 25:40, NLT).

When we serve others with kindness, mercy, love, and compassion, we do these things as to Jesus himself. Service doesn’t have to be big or elaborate to be meaningful.

Family Service Project Ideas

You don’t have to travel around the world to serve together as a family in the name of Jesus. Serving together can look like picking up trash at a local park, donating to local charities, praying for your church’s missionaries, or volunteering with Christian non-profits.

It could also look like offering your family’s unique gifts in small but meaningful ways to those around you.

Here are eight ideas you might want to try:

• Cards for nursing homes. Decorate seasonal cards, whether Christmas, Spring, Grandparents Day, or just because and deliver them to a local nursing home. Depending on the regulations, you may be able to walk around and deliver them yourself.
• Prayer walks at local schools. Last year, my kids and I went to every school in our district to pray for them. I could see the impact this made on my children and the staff who knew we were there.
• Picking out books for teachers. Is there a book fair going on at your children’s school? Let them each pick out an extra book or two for their teachers.
• Knowing cashiers’ names. Sometimes, your family can make a difference simply by knowing and using the names of the cashiers at your local grocery store or fast-food restaurant. Jesus often called people by name, and it is powerful. My girls will ask people’s names in drive-thrus and then use it when saying good-bye and thank you. It always brings smiles to their faces.
• Packing stockings. At Christmas time, your family can pack a few extra stockings with warm socks, hats, hygiene items, verses, and goodies to pass out around your community, especially if there is a homeless population. You could also check in with shelters or food banks to see if you can distribute them there.
• ‘Thank you’ poster to local senior centers on Veteran’s Day. I live in a military town with lots of retirees who decide to stay after being stationed here. Veteran’s Day is a big deal. We have found joy and experienced people who feel seen, appreciated, and valued by making a thank you poster and leaving it at the senior center.
• Decorating sidewalks. If your home or church is located on a busy street with a sidewalk, decorating the sidewalk with Scripture, encouraging words, and fun pictures in chalk can brighten people’s days. You could even have a cooler of popsicles or water to pass out to those who walk by while you are out on the sidewalk.
• Building or Donating to a Little Library. Go through your family’s books together and pick out some gently used favorites to pass on to other families. Pray over the book, maybe write a little note on the inside cover, and drop it off at a local Little Library. If there aren’t any near you, build one and install it in your yard or at your church.

Service Projects For Impact on Your Kids

While these ideas can show love and compassion for those in your community in the Name of Jesus, the real impact on your kids happens in your conversations. In the way your family talks, laughs, and shares together.

As you decide how and where to serve, model inviting the Holy Spirit into your decision-making. As you prepare or create model intentionality and sacrifice. As you travel to your locations, model praying for God to receive the glory and His love to be made known. As you finish your work, model gratitude for the privilege of serving God and others.

Almost anything done with love, compassion, and prayer can serve your community and glorify God.