For singer/songwriter Tom Frye, ministry isn’t just about leading worship and performing concerts, ministry starts at home.  Tom believes that our first ministry is to our families; serving our spouses and our children.  It is this understanding that led Tom and his wife Lisa to start Family First, a ministry which focuses on equipping families to effectively minister to one another and to those in their circle of influence.

“When Lisa and I were starting our family I made many mistakes.  I was so focused on commitments outside my home, including serving on boards with civic organizations, assuming many responsibilities at church, and spending long hours at work that I was neglecting the most important people in my life, my family.

Additionally, during those early years of our marriage we were committed to giving in home care to my elderly grandmother and Lisa was serving as director of a newly formed Pregnancy Care Center, two ministries to which I believe we were genuinely called.” Tom related.  He adds “All of my outside obligations were genuinely for good causes, but with the combination of our jobs, my grandmother and the other commitments it was impossible to give my wife and children the time they needed or deserved.”  It was during this period when a friend challenged Tom with this simple statement “Your family is your first ministry.”

Tom and Lisa took that advice to heart and began to work themselves out of many of their commitments in an effort to focus on the ministries to which they felt genuinely called.   In the fall of 2000, a year after his grandmothers passing, doors began to open for Tom to share his music.  At the same time, with their oldest daughter Kaylyn entering Kindergarten, the Frye’s began home schooling.

Now, years later, with his children thoroughly entrenched in the band (Kaylyn vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, upright bass,  Maggie vocals, keyboard, hammer dulcimer, lap dulcimer, ukelele and Jonathon vocals, drums and bass guitar, keys, recorder, ukelele) and Lisa assisting with Compassion International Child Sponsorship, and some occasional percussion, the Fryes have learned the importance of having a family ministry focus. Through their failures and victories they have learned the importance of deliberateness, perseverance and faith.  It is this understanding that has helped them not only to serve their family, but now serve together with their family to minister through music, mentoring and service.

The Frye’s are available for concerts, church services, home school and family conventions, as well as Family to Family events. Click here to visit the Frye Family Band website.