Menu



Home
Barnabas Toolbox Overview
User Guide
Master Reference List
Developer Guide
Definitions
Documentation - General and 77007

Community Tools and Templates

Community Survey
Small Groups
Evangelism
Outreach
Mercy Ministries
[Servant Evangelism]

Church Visitor Guide
New Member Guide
Alpha Program

Church Program Guides
Children's Education
Youth Guide
Discipleship
Church Life

Pastoral Care

Leadership Tools and Templates
Leadership
Mission Vision Values

Church Planting Guide

Prayer

Administrative Guides
Stewardship
Personnel and Human Resources
Finance
Office Services
Technology
Facilities
Child Protection
Legal and Insurance

Worship Tools and Templates
Planning For Beginning Worship
Worship Plans
Music Plan

Spring Branch Church Plant PNC Information

 

Media

 

Beginning Worship How To Start


What is a worship service?

A worship service is a scheduled time set apart for the community of believers to seek God as a body. Worship services include coming together for:

  • prayer
  • reading of scripture
  • praise and "worship" through singing and the arts
  • giving of offerings
  • teaching
  • sharing of the sacraments.

Worship services are a shared experience, which is participatory, instructional, community building and life changing.

A worship service is not:

  • a performance                           
  • a lecture series
  • a Bible study
  • a social event
  • therapy

Why corporate worship is important to the new church.

Typically, much groundwork will  have been completed before the first worship services begin. Small groups may have been meeting in Bible studies or other types of gatherings. Teaching, bible study, singing, prayer and worship will often be included as a part of those gatherings. Initially, worship services for the entire body of believers provide opportunities for various cells to come together. For smaller startups, the worship service may be the only time believers assemble.

What are the expected results?

The body of believers grows in unity.

New believers will be drawn to the body of Christ.

The church will grow in maturity from the teaching, prayer, experience of shared praise and worship, the sacrifice of giving and from the sacraments of communion, baptism etc.

A worship service is not just

  • a performance                           
  • a lecture series
  • a Bible study
  • a social event
  • therapy

Iinitial planning for the first worship service/s

Begin planning in the community building stage as the leadership is developed and the contextual framework established. Identify a worship service team to work with the pastor to develop a vision for

  • what a service will look like
  • where it will be held
  • how long the service will be
  • when: day and time
  • how often
  • what type of publicity in any
  • Determine a schedule for planning leading up to the first service, delegating aspects of the planning, incorporating feedback.

Planning: The role of prayer

Prayer is crucial when approaching worship. It helps establish a clear vision and goals for the service/s All the members of the worship service development team should be committed to prayer for the service/s in addition to seeking prayer support from outside the committee, which in turn builds community as well as interest in the coming service/s. Prayer is also an integral component of the service. The committee needs to determine the placement of prayer in the service, who will lead it, and the style of the prayer. Smaller congregations may choose to allow time for "prayers of the people" and other participatory prayer times in some services.

Planning:  Music and the Arts

No other topic is as controversial as music in worship. It can enhance worship and just as easily inhibit true worship. For this reason, the decisions about style, and quantity of music as well as the selection of the musicians and music leader/s must be prayerfully made. Music should also fit the context of the community being served. While many congregations rely soley on music and singing, bringing the arts into worship may also encompass:

  • dramatic recition of scripture
  • movement such as gestures
  • dance
  • screens which can blend art and words and even video clips
  • paintings
  • scupture
  • drama

In addition, the entire room where the service is held can be considered an art form, incorporating

  • lighting
  • color
  • stations or centers
  • fragrance from candles

The pastor and the worship service development team

gather a committee of 3-5 people, determine the date and time of the sevice. 


Comments:

From mmarcotte@pbyofnewcovenant.org [66.196.238.2] - 6/24/05 10:21 AM

What fabulous content!  I hate to say anything picky - but to make this perfect there are a couple of editing glitches you might want to fix.

The word initially has a typo

and

your list of what worship is not appears twice

Blessings for this wonderfully useful site.  I plan to use it with PYCC!



Last Modified 12/4/04 11:10 AM

Hide Tools