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A
Definition of Congregational Worship Congregational
worship is the common, intelligent and heartfelt expression of awe, gratitude,
and praise for who God is and what God has done, does, and will do for
us all as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Prayers, songs, the spoken, heard, and dramatized Word, as well as ceremony
and ritual appropriate to the occasion, should combine to speak to—and give voice
to—the common heart and mind of the congregation and
it's members. Top Preliminary
Thoughts on Congregational Worship Worship
leaders face special challenges in this age of diversity—helping our
people overcome the dividing influence of age, ethnicity, gender, and
religious tradition among ourselves and with our surrounding
communities.
Here are some preliminary and foundational considerations: -
Congregational
worship is a dialogue between God and the people.
It is a gathering together of many individual persons who must
speak, hear, see, and act in common as well as individually.
So there should be an established order of service, within
which divine and human spontaneity can then find their place.
Order and spontaneity are complementary, not antithetical.
Expect the Spirit to work, but not to rescue you from a lack of
adequate planning and preparation!
(Though the Spirit is gracious and often does, anyway...) -
Know
and appreciate your flock!
Meet them, spiritually, liturgically, and musically, where they
are, not where you wish they were.
If you do not accept them as they are, why should they follow you
anywhere else? Conversely—and
crucially—they
must accept the real you, too. In your desire to identify with
people, do not be false to the integrity of your own personality and
art. -
Especially
know your worship team and/or musicians!
Take into account their ages, abilities, experience, and
circumstances as you select music.
Gently challenge them, but do not overwhelm them with
expectations beyond them, or alien to them.
Overwhelm them only with appreciation!
Top -
Never
harangue your flock about external expressions of worship.
A reserved, even stiff manner does not indicate a lack of
heartfelt worship.
Remember that you are probably more into music than most in your
congregation, and some people are reluctant to sing out even in a crowd.
Focus on eternal and internal reality, and let your own joy be
evident.
Lead by example! -
Respect—never
ridicule—the liturgical and musical tastes of all.
Recognize that you are a creature of habit and individual taste, too.
We all are! But do seek to broaden your own and your
congregation's taste. Even though your congregation/region
has a distinct style, do not let this be considered the only option.
Be aware of, and learn from, the hymnody and liturgy of the whole
Church, ancient and modern.
Do not be seduced by either extreme—the way it's always been,
or what's happening now! Sing a new song about the old, old
story! Be aware that the atmosphere will soon be poisoned if you
model and encourage supercilious attitudes or unkind comments about this
or that approach to worship.
Read the thoughts of a leading songwriter and worship
leader.
Top Planning
Worship Lectionary
& Liturgy If
you serve in a tradition or congregation that uses a formal liturgy in
congregational worship and observes a lectionary calendar, then much
of the planning has been done for you.
Sermon and worship themes will have been provided, though you
may still need to select or confer with others on the choice of
particular hymns or choruses.
Lectionaries
and formal liturgies provide excellent structures around which to plan
worship.
A busy minister for a small congregation who preaches and leads
worship is well advised to consider using or borrowing from such
sources, depending on his or her congregation’s sensibilities.
Ministers from traditions with less formal liturgies (any
habitual order of service is a kind of liturgy, even if the people’s
participation is more passive than active) will find
lectionaries/liturgies to be valuable sources of refreshment and renewal
in worship. But do not let
reliance on liturgical formulae dull your creativity
in worship. Sermon-Based
Worship Planning In
the absence of lectionary guidance and/or formal liturgical structure,
worship in many Protestant churches, following a pattern developed and
made popular
in 19th and 20th century revivalism, is often planned around the theme
of the sermon and follows an order something like the following, with
substantial variation in title, content, and order:
Top
Call
to Worship
-
Greetings and perhaps a scripture reading
-
Hymn or song
-
Opening Prayer
Songs
of Praise & Worship
-
Perhaps a scripture reading
-
1 to 3 faster, more energetic hymns and songs
-
1 to 3 slower, more meditative hymns and songs
Communion
or Lord's Supper (occasional
in some traditions)
-
Meditation, bridging from sermon topic to table
-
Perhaps a Communion hymn or song
-
Blessing & serving of the Body & Blood
-
Background music
Offering
Top
-
Meditation on some aspect of giving
-
Thanksgiving & collection of offerings
-
Background music or song
Sermon
-
Perhaps preceded by special song, reading, or skit
-
Sermon
-
Perhaps an invitation song
Benediction
-
Blessing & prayer
-
Closing hymn or song
Top
Note
that in this paradigm, Communion (infrequently observed) is
sandwiched between the Song Service and the Sermon. This
is a departure from ancient tradition. Be
aware that many of the congregations that are setting the pace for
contemporary expressions and expectations of worship are not operating
under the constraints of a one-hour service that includes a meaningful
time of Communion. Their
services regularly run to an hour and a half or more, and many of them
do not observe Communion regularly.
You may be pushed to include everything you’d like to in your
Sunday morning worship hour.
Top
A
classic format for Christian congregational worship—one
that has served the Church with various modifications since the beginning—is
the four part structure of:
1.
Gathering,
often called the Call to Worship
2.
Teaching, often called the Service of the Word
3.
Communing, often called the Service of the Table
4.
Scattering, often called the Benediction
At
a time when the musical performances and concerts of an
individualistic age have come to shape our understanding and
expectations, it is good to hearken to the
ancient and time-honored pattern of congregational worship, so that we
do not lose touch with the vibrant and communal tradition of God's
people. Healthy congregations are neither rootless nor
rootbound. They draw from—and
renew—the
ancient tradition of the Church to revitalize their expressions of
worship to Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
To see some brief services that seek to accomplish this click
here.
Top
Hi-Tech
and Lo-Tech Aids in Worship Planning
Computers and
the Internet have greatly streamlined the process of worship planning.
The web can help you serve your congregation and keep your team informed,
aware, and prepared. To see an example of this click
here.
Christian
Copyright Licensing International provides a cheap and easy way to
gain copyright privileges to its huge database of hymns and
contemporary songs. A
Church Copyright License can be purchased at a reasonable price
according to the size of your congregation.
CCLI
also provides SongSelect® Lyric Service through its web
site. With this service
you can download and print or project any lyrics in their database.
The annual fee for this basic service in late 2003 was $39.00.
CCLI has added an advanced option that enables you to download lead
sheets, i.e. melody line and chords, for many songs. This adds
approximately $90.00 to the cost. These services are invaluable
for church musicians, and well worth the investment. For more
info on CCLI licenses and services go to the CCLI Site at: http://www.ccli.com/UnitedStates.cfm.
I
use Bible Reference software. There
are a number of good programs out there.
I use the Libronix Digital Library System®, used by
many individuals, churches and institutions. It comes in
various packages to suit your needs. For more info go to:
http://www.logos.com.
It
is also helpful to have music software to simplify, transpose, and
print arrangements of music and lyrics for your singers and musicians.
There are several excellent products on the market. I have used Finale®
software, from Coda Music Technology. Check out http://www.codamusic.com.
Top
With
these aids a worship leader can quickly arrange and enter song and
reading words into a bulletin order of service, or into Microsoft
PowerPoint® for projection.
If the church secretary puts together the bulletin, he or she
can cut and paste from a document provided by the worship leader, thus
ensuring that the congregation and musicians are singing the same
words on Sunday morning. I
have learned this the hard way! Anyone
who can use MS Word can soon learn how to put together a PowerPoint
Presentation. It only takes a little practice.
CCLI
SongSelect® provides lists, lyrics, and audio samples of
the worship songs most used by the churches it serves.
This is an excellent, helpful guide to good new and old songs.
Remember, though, all that glitters is not gold!
Look for musical and lyrical substance.
Keep
on hand, and regularly consult, several good hymnbooks.
They contain some timeless and well-known hymns, as well as
forgotten gems waiting to be dusted off, given a more contemporary
feel and taught to your congregation.
Hymnbooks also contain helpful features, especially to a busy
minister who is also the default worship leader.
If you need to hear the music for some older hymn tunes (find the name of the tune at
bottom right of the sheet music) you
may well find them at these helpful sites on the web:
http://www.ccel.org/cceh/
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/
http://www.ccel.org/s/southern_harmony/
Top
I
have several spiral bound collections of contemporary songs and
choruses.
The largest are from Maranatha Music® and Hosanna
Music®, but I have many others.
For the music to a great song, I’ll buy a whole book if I
have to.
If you hear a good song at an event, ask the musician or
worship leader for the title, writer, copyright information, and
source.
I
recommend Microsoft Office® or an equivalent.
With Word®, Outlook®, Excel®,
PowerPoint®, and Publisher®, I store,
maintain, expand, print, project and track private and congregational
databases of songs and readings, service schedules and song sheets.
If I could figure out how to use Access®,
I would use it, too.
Software helps me do my work efficiently and well in the time I
have to do it.
In our busy world time is at a premium!
Top
The
Process of Worship Planning
Though I may
know weekly sermon topics well ahead of time, I do not plan worship
more than a week ahead, usually on Monday for the following Sunday.
This way I can take into account current events and
circumstances as I plan worship.
I believe worship has a pastoral function, just like the
sermon.
There are individual and congregational needs to be addressed
through comments, scripture readings and songs.
Consult
your preacher (if that is someone other than you) as to his or her
thoughts on the message.
Then find some time alone.
Read Sunday’s scripture text and context, and with your
congregation in mind, ask the Spirit to help you recall or find songs
that are lyrically and musically appropriate to the theme and thrust
of the message, as well as to your people.
Of course some themes will be much easier to match with songs
than others.
If the topic is not amenable, find a corollary subject and
address it in your readings and song selections: e.g. for a sermon on
marriage, use songs about God’s/Christ’s faithful, sacrificial,
steadfast love for people.
Sometimes
your introductory and bridging comments will supply the connections
that bring the readings and songs to life for your congregation.
At other times they will speak for themselves without further
comment.
The
Call to Worship
Top
The call to
worship should be warm and personal, greeting regular attenders and
welcoming visitors, with an invitation to all to be mindful of the One
in whose name we are gathered.
The call is best extended through the words of Scripture,
perhaps a reading from one of the Psalms, the words of which lead
naturally into a rousing hymn or song.
The reading and song may or may not tie into the sermon theme.
An opening prayer may follow, if one has not been offered in
the welcome.
The
Reading of Scripture
The
scriptures should be read with expression.
Realistically speaking, you may not have many (or any) people
present in your congregation who do this naturally.
Find some who are willing and offer to train and coach them.
While it is laudable to involve as many people as possible in
congregational worship leading, there is no reason to acquiesce in
poor reading of God’s word.
If you are blessed with a worship team and enough microphones,
use several voices for a reading.
The interplay of different voice timbres and of male and female
voices can help to hold attention and interest, especially in longer
readings.
It is, of course, particularly appropriate when reading
narratives involving different characters.
Using
the Psalms in Worship
Top
The
Psalms give voice to the whole range of human emotions—happiness,
sadness, confusion, confidence, guilt, fear, and trust, among many
others. Possibly they are
one way that the Spirit helps us to articulate what we otherwise
cannot because of our weakness (Rm 8:26-27).
The Psalms not only help us to express ourselves to God, but
help people realize that God knows what we are feeling and going
through. If you have ever
benefited from the realization that another person understood and
empathized with your circumstances, you will understand how
significant this can be for someone’s relationship with God.
It is part of the pastoral dimension of worship.
We worship a God who is high above us, and yet gets down where
we live (Is 57:15).
Inclusive
Language
Be sensitive
to the use of gender inclusive or exclusive language in your readings
and in song lyrics. When
a reference is genuinely generic then try to replace masculine terms
with ones that draw female as well as male hearers into the text, but
beware of heavy-handedness that will jar the sensibilities of your
listeners or obscure the sense of the text.
Sincere Christians differ in their understanding of how gender
affects ministry, but God is surely not male, nor ever intended to
convey that femininity was less in God's image than masculinity.
Songs
of Praise & Worship
Top
This
is where you will seek to develop the sermon theme musically and
lyrically.
Several factors should be integrated here:
-
The
need for lyrics that reflect and/or enhance the flow of thought.
Remember, you may have to provide connecting thoughts in
comments or readings between songs.
-
The
need for music that flows.
Both the mood and the key of the song are important.
Songs in the same key, or keys compatible for simple changing,
or that build intensity as they change are ideal.
Again, if you stop to make bridging comments, you can sidestep
an awkward key change, but do not over interrupt the mood and flow.
I often try to combine songs of
compatible keys in the Praise & Worship section. I have a
chart of key change chord progressions for those songs that are not
compatible, and where I do not wish to interrupt the flow with
comments. If time allows and you have music notation software,
you can change the key of songs for your instrumentalists' sheet
music.
The
common pattern of worship is to begin with faster, exuberant songs,
and end with slower, more meditative songs.
This is a helpful rule of thumb, not an inviolable statute.
Don’t be afraid to experiment! Variety is the spice of
life!
Remember
that songs about God (third person) tend to be less personally charged
than songs addressed to God (second person).
If you want to draw people into intense personal worship, drop
some or all the instruments and sing a capella and in harmony.
Unadorned human voices lifted up in harmony to their Creator
are as close to heaven as I’ve ever been.
Top
The
average congregation has a limited repertoire of hymns or songs, so
you will probably have to be creative in finding connections between
songs and your topic.
Endeavor to sensitively combine traditional and contemporary
material.
Ancient and modern are not at all incompatible, as the recent
renaissance in Celtic music has demonstrated. We, too, should
draw on our past tradition to speak to the current generation.
Contemporary music is the voice of our culture.
Traditional hymns have endured because they are good!
There is no reason other than inexperience, and ultimately
bigotry, to exclude either from your congregational repertoire.
Resist
the temptation to recycle the same old favorites.
In spite of the inevitable opposition you must implement and
insist on a routine of regularly introducing new songs.
There are plenty of good new songs right under your
congregation’s nose—in its hymnbook, as well as a wealth of
expressive contemporary material to choose from.
Top
Introducing
New Hymns and Songs
It is
preferable to introduce new songs at some other time than your main
worship service if at all possible.
Sunday evening or midweek services provide an excellent forum
for learning a new song.
Having sung it once or twice at these times, you can work it
into a Sunday morning service and be confident that your core people
know it.
If
there is no other forum, you may ease one into circulation by first:
-
Playing the music as a prelude or offertory, live or off a disc.
-
Singing or having it sung as a special or offertory.
Reinforce
new songs by including them several more times in the next few months.
"I"
and "We" Songs
Worship
should express a good balance of both individual and corporate
consciousness. Our
hymnody has tended towards “I” and “me,” so you will probably
want to be more “we” and “us” conscious.
Be careful to include both kinds of expression in your
selections. Both the
individual and the church corporate are referred to in scripture as
the dwelling place of God’s Spirit.
Communion
Top
The
Communion, or Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist is an integral part of
congregational worship. Just
as Baptism is our rite of initiation, so Communion is our rite of
continuation, a reminder and renewal of covenant with the Lord.
Some
traditions observe Communion weekly, some monthly, a few not at all.
Of those that observe it weekly, but do not have a set
denominational order, some observe it between the Song Service and the
Sermon, others after the Sermon and before the Benediction.
Many have the Communion and Offering back-to-back, sometimes
one first, sometimes the other. There
is liberty and variety in this arrangement, so I will deal with the
order used in the congregation I have most recently served, and you
can adapt it to your own needs.
Recently we
made a change in our order of service.
The last hymn or song of the Praise and Worship section has
always been the Communion Song. We
decided that we would incorporate that song in the Communion proper.
So now we pause before that song, and I give a reading and some
thoughts that bridge from the Song service to the Communion, and then
we sing the Communion Song. If
possible I’ll try to find a song that incorporates motifs of both
Communion and sermon topic. Of
course, some topics are more amenable to this than others.
Top
Ceremony
& Ritual in the Communion
The
Communion is a significant occasion, worthy of meaningful ceremony and
ritual, somewhat misunderstood and neglected by many churches in
recent history. In some
congregations during the Prelude at the beginning of worship the
Elders and Servers walk down the aisle from the back of the sanctuary
to the front pew, where they worship until the Communion.
On the last verse of the Communion Song the whole congregation
stands and the Servers gather around the Table.
When the song is over, the Elders bless the Bread and the Cup,
and serve the Servers, who then distribute it to the congregation.
This is one way that ritual can enhance the occasion.
A
very simple yet meaningful Communion ritual I have observed is to
speak the Words of Institution in conjunction with the actual breaking of Bread and pouring
out of Wine. Then the
whole congregation processes forward to take broken Bread and dip it
in the Cup and return to their seats.
This makes full use of the inherent visual and verbal symbolism
and involves an active response from the people, in pleasant contrast
to the usual somewhat passive and convenience-centered approach.
During
the distribution at many congregations the Keyboardist usually plays
an instrumental meditation. Occasionally
I do an appropriately meditative song with guitar, or in a capella
harmony. Most people will
expect this to be a reverential, reflective, even solemn occasion,
though a response song that is joyful is not inappropriate, if you
were to do one, after the distribution of the elements.
While we are to solemnly remember the death of the Lord for our
sins, we should also be glad and joyful that he rose again and left
our sins in the grave.
Offering
Top
In
many congregations the Offering immediately follows the Communion.
After the prayer for the offerings, while the Servers are
passing the plates, either the instrumentalists will play a more
upbeat selection, or I will have the Worship Team sing a new song for
the congregation to hear. Once
the Servers are in position to return, we play the introduction to the
Doxology, whereupon the congregation stands and sings it as the
offering plates are brought to the Table.
Sermon
Although
you have had the sermon topic in mind throughout your worship
planning, the time right before the sermon is an excellent time to
offer a song that is especially appropriate to the message.
This could be a solo, an ensemble/choir number, or be played
from a disc through your sound system.
In general congregations respond better to live music, but I
have seen recorded music used to good effect, too.
Occasionally I have used a particularly appropriate song as a
special before the sermon, and then sung it congregationally for the
invitation/response song.
Dramatic
Readings & Skits
Top
Drama,
like music, can be used to great effect in helping make or reinforce a
point. Sometimes just
reading the scripture with dramatic expression can make an impact,
especially if you station people at unusual places in your sanctuary.
Sometimes a brief skit can highlight a particular point.
It may be a “naturally” acted piece, or a visually stylized
piece that relies on creative yet simple choreography to make the
impact. The average
congregation is not into high art, but will respond to common visual
motifs and symbolism. To see a couple of examples of skits
placed into whole worship services, click here
and here. To see some complete, short Communion Services structured
according to a classic outline of Call, Word, Table, Benediction, and
incorporating reading, drama, and traditional & contemporary song, click
here to begin.
Liturgical
or Worship Dance
The last few
years have seen a marked increase in openness to worship dance—what
some call liturgical dance—even in more conservative traditions and
congregations. This can
range from balletic to modern in style.
Sometimes it is incorporated in dramatic presentations,
sometimes it stands on its own, and may be done with any number of
people, from solo to large numbers.
I have
sometimes played and sung while dancers performed for a congregation.
Some songs, like some portions of scripture, lend themselves
well to choreographic interpretation.
Benediction
Top
A
Benediction brings closure to corporate worship, and sends God’s
people out with his blessing into the world to live out their faith.
The benediction is often taken from the scripture.
The closing remarks in the letters provide some good ones, e.g.
2 Corinthians 13:14, sometimes reordered by Trinitarian precedent: May
the love of God, and the grace of Christ, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit be with you (or us) all now and forevermore, Amen.
The Benediction may also include a prayer and/or a song,
usually something stirring, appropriate for a “send off,” although
particular occasions, topics, or venues may call for something more
solemn or reflective.
Prelude
& Postlude Music
In
these days of technology you can use recorded music to great effect
for Prelude and Postlude. With
projection equipment and software you can use the Prelude
to create a mood, or to inform your congregation of news and upcoming
events. In this way you
can take care of announcements that may otherwise crowd and curtail
your worship time.
Prelude
and Postlude also provide an opportunity, with live or recorded music,
to expose the congregation to new music and songs that you would like
them to learn.
Demeanor
As
a Worship Leader you are a kind of Master of Ceremonies and Song
Leader. People are
looking at and to you for cues as to what’s coming next, and to set
the tone and mood. Since
the focus of worship is God, don’t look like you
enjoy attention, yet be confident and assured, and
look like you enjoy what you’re doing.
So have a plan but be flexible when the unexpected occurs.
Be warm and personal, without being flippant.
As with any kind of service in the spotlight, practice will
make you more comfortable with it.
Time will help you establish a relationship with your
congregation and a familiarity with routine that will give you a
greater sense of ease and freedom.
Top
Smile!
Smile! Smile!
Joy in music and worship communicates itself to your
congregation. If you are
at ease it will help them to get into the worship.
If you are obviously uncomfortable, they will be too.
Worship Team members especially need to pay attention to this.
It is good for team members to sit out in the congregation to see how
their comrades look from the other side. Sometimes it gives us a
needed jolt to see how dour and nervous we can look!
Leading
Singing
As
a Song Leader, you are responsible for keeping the beat.
You or your lead musicians need to give obvious cues for
beginning and ending verses and choruses.
Let your facial expression and body language reflect something
of the music and lyrics, without being melodramatic.
If you have been pressed into service against your natural
inclination, try rehearsing song leading as you would sermon delivery.
Even if leading worship is not your gift, you can improve with
practice and some attention to detail.
If you are rhythmically challenged and can’t carry a tune in
a bucket, have your pianist compensate for you, and have the sound
person turn down your mike!
You
can tell from the space I have devoted to the respective sections on
planning and leading, where I think the work should lie. Not
that attention to leading is unimportant, but as with many endeavors,
there is no substitute for good preparation and planning. That
does not frustrate the Spirit's ability to work through you. On
the contrary, as with any endeavor, it will increase your skill and
wisdom, and the Spirit will be able to do more with you. Do not
believe the lie that ignorance and lack of training make you more open
to the Spirit's leading. If that is so, why aren't there many
more Bachs and Beethovens around?
Top
Conclusion
Working
with God and the People Given You
Learn
from other leaders, but be yourself.
Learn from other congregations, but let your congregation be
who they are, even as you lead them in growth.
Remember God is with you, and is at work in spite
of—sometimes through—your frailty and fallibility!
Occasionally rehearsal has gone so badly that I have spent the
last few minutes before a service in the bathroom questioning my whole
calling with God, only to have things go fine in the service itself.
Well-crafted (in my opinion) services have fallen flat.
On the other hand, services I was dissatisfied and discouraged about have proven
deeply meaningful to someone present.
God knows why! It’s
not about you or me. It’s
about God and God's people!
Do
your best with whatever abilities and skill God has given you, but
recognize that there is an intangible quality to life and worship
beyond your capacity to gauge or manipulate.
God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform!
That, after all, is why we worship God.
©
Artful Word 2002-2007
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