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How can we have more meaningful worship services?

We often have worship services, but it is sometimes hard to describe exactly what is meant by making them more meaningful. A Worship Team has been established by the Shepherds to wrestle with this issue. The following is a summary of the many discussions by this team on the topic of worship. This is intended to be a tool for a more focused discussion on the topic of our worship services.

What is the purpose of our worship services?

This question must be answered in order to make our worship services effective. This may be a simple question, but it has a very complex answer. The Worship Team has simplified the answer into two essential parts:

Praising God: This is perhaps the most fundamental reason for our worship services. Part of our purpose in life is to praise the God who loves us and has given us the possibility of redemption from sin through Jesus. God is a jealous and deserving God; therefore, we praise Him.

Spiritual Growth: Through the various elements of the worship service, an important goal is the spiritual growth of the worshippers. Two aspects are most important. The first is praising God by what we do. This causes spiritual growth by helping each individual to develop a closer relationship with God. The second is spiritual growth through the learning, understanding, teaching, and application of Christian principles. In other words, spiritual growth comes through proper believing and doing.

With this purpose in mind, discussions on the topic of worship services can be classified into two broad categories. Direct Biblical instructions, Biblical principles, and early Christian practices are the foundation for these categories. The first is the Values we have for our worship services. The second is the Worship Service Elements. The Worship Service Elements are the important things we do in our worship services and are guided by the Values we have.

Values

Reverence: We will conduct worship services in ways that are reverent to God. In doing so, we will also be reverent to each other. We look to Holy Scripture and to the example of the early Christians to guide us, and we constantly reevaluate our traditions and actions to be sure that they are reverent. This is especially important when all of our personal preferences for the worship services are not completely fulfilled.

Relevance: Christianity is not merely a religion of the past or a study of history. The lessons and applications of Christianity are very relevant today. Our worship services will address current issues in light of Holy Scripture and our Christian faith. The worship service elements will all be conducted in a way that is understandable and relevant to the worshippers in language, presentation, and content.

Worship Service Elements

In our worship service, we strive to be neither “traditional” nor “contemporary.” Instead, we worship God with a blended approach to the following elements:

Singing—We have an important tradition of praising God and uplifting each other through a capella singing. Singing songs is a great way of praising God, remembering Scripture, and encouraging fellow worshippers. Our worship services will have a blend of song styles: old and new, fast and slow, simple and complex, long and short.

Preaching—Likewise, the sermons will address a variety of topics. There will be topics selected from the Old Testament and the New Testament. There will be times of teaching, reminding, rebuking, and encouraging. Some will be serious, and others will be joyful. Some will discuss large themes and topics, while others will focus on just a few verses of scripture or a simple idea. Topics may be discussed in a primarily historical context or may be focused on a very modern situation.

Communion—As the focus of our worship service, our time of Communion each week will be a reminder of the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was sacrificed for us. The thoughts and ideas presented in preparation for the Lord’s Supper may be utterly simple. They may be complex. They may build on themes, analogies, and lessons that we can see in the aspects of Communion, or they may be brief so that each individual can solely reflect on his or her personal devotions.

Praying—As a unified body, we will communicate with God frequently through prayer. Prayers may praise God. They may faithfully ask Him to heal the sick, help the poor, protect those in danger, or bring back the lost. They may reaffirm our faith in God. Prayers may be short or long.

Reading Scripture—We value the importance of God’s inspired Scripture. Some of the passages will be read to the worshippers. Sometimes the assembly will be called to read scripture aloud together. Some passages will be short, and some may be longer. Some may be easily understood, while others may take some time to grasp.

Giving—Each week, we set apart a time for church members to give financial support to the various activities of Bentonville Church of Christ. Part of these funds are necessarily used to pay the bills and the salaries of the church employees. However, the contribution has two much more important reasons: 1) By making a financial sacrifice, the church members acknowledge God’s abundant blessings and make a statement of faith in God’s provision. 2) The funds are used in mission activities in the Bentonville area and around the world so that many people can see the love of God in action.

Implementation of Worship Services

The planners and implementers of the worship services should consider a few basic questions as they strive to organize the worship service. What does God think worship ought to be? What is it that God wants in a worship service? How does what we do fit in with what God wants? Does each part of the worship service satisfy the Values that we have for worship services? Furthermore, it is important to recognize the elements that are done just because of tradition or habit. These should always be evaluated for appropriateness and effectiveness.

Songs: Are the words appropriate? Is it known well enough for effective use? Is the tempo or mood of the song appropriate? Do the songs follow a consistent theme or topic? Has the song been overused recently?

Communion Thoughts: Do the comments help focus the minds of the worshippers? Are the comments appropriate for Communion? Is the length of the comments appropriate?

Prayers: Is the particular prayer actually helpful to the worshippers? (If not, why do it!?) Avoid making announcements or sermons inside prayers.