Worship by Design

1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 5:13-14

Here are five planning practices that can prevent worship from falling into dullness and routine:

1. Find the focal point. I prefer to center worship on a theme. Sometimes the theme is supplied by the season: Advent or Lent or Easter or Thanksgiving. Other times a special emphasis like Missions Month or Family Sunday suggests a worship theme. The sermon topic is a natural focal point. If the topic happens to be God’s faithfulness, or the love of God, or God’s sovereignty, it is not difficult to blend the hymns, anthem, and spoken word with the sermon.
2. List resources. After determining the focal point, I list resources for that theme. First, I turn to four or five hymnbooks by my desk and check the topical index and Scripture reference index. Then I list appropriate worship choruses. Next, I read the Scripture text in several translations. A topical Bible and concordance help me locate related passages that can be used in prayer or during transitions in worship. Finally, I review the means we have of presenting these items: the spoken word, people who can read interpretively, various musical expressions, and the congregation.
3. Explore the possibilities. One principle to remember: The higher the predictability, the lower the impact. So I look at each element of worship from different angles, to see how it might be approached freshly or arranged in creative combinations and yet with dignity.
4. Remember content and flow. As the service develops, I look for logical content and emotional flow. We want the content of the songs, readings, and prayers to contribute to the theme. There should be connections—at times overt, at other times subtle—between the different elements of the service. The service should not be an emotional monotone. I also want to avoid jarring emotional shifts. Worship should flow from one part to another.
5. Encourage authentic participation. We need to guard against mere performance. One way is to use our worship space better. Sometimes I lead worship from the floor of the sanctuary. Or we’ll have people come from the pews to lead a portion of the service. Or we’ll engage the congregation in some way. We counter “spectatorism” by giving people plenty of opportunities to participate—songs, readings, and prayers. If a person stands from the pews to read a proclamation, in a sense, everyone does it.

To Discuss

1. What aspects of our worship planning process are going well?
2. What can we learn about worship from Revelation 5:13-14?

From Building Church Leaders, published by Leadership Resources © 2000 Christianity Today.

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