There are some formatting considerations you may wish to consider when creating a service of worship
When you are preparing a worship service which you will lead, remember the make-up of your audience so that you will be sensitive to their needs. Tailor your service to their level of comprehension and understanding. Consider the following:
The age span - remembering not to use words and language that may not be understood by the children. Spiritual maturity levels - Not everyone is where you are at. You may need to scale down to lower levels of understanding. Newcomers and Guests - These are people who may not know Jesus, may have never been to a Christian service, and who quite possibly are hurting emotionally. Do not use "religious language" because they will not understand and will only be confused and uncomfortable. We must make them feel loved, accepted and comfortable among us as we present a true service of worship to God.
Worship is a conversation between God and His gathered people. God speaks to us, and we respond. We do this in a repeated fashion throughout the service. There can be great variety and creativity in doing this and it allows for the worshipper to appreciate the "flow of the conversation". There is purpose in the way that you arrange the order of worship and it should never be arbitrary or without design. Our challenge as service leaders is to create conversations between God and His people in ways that people will never tire of. We must not let worship services become boring, routine, and thereby cause people to lose sight of the meaning of the liturgy.
An important help is the use of "rubrics", which are planned transitions in the conversation between one component of worship and another. They connect the last item with the next piece. They need not be more than a sentence or two.
To help in the use of rubrics, one might develop a theme for the worship service beforehand. Then components of the worship service can be connected together easily. You can create a theme using the pastoral sermon, the scripture text, or independent themes that will teach, aid and edify the congregation. The scripture rubrics connecting the component parts of worship can then focussed on a particular theme, by searching for verses that will connect with your theme and your component.
Example:
Sermon: True Leadership Text: Numbers 20:1-13 (about Moses striking the Rock)
Theme: The Lord is Our Rock
Call To Worship:
Psalm 18:1-2 NIV
“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
SONG:
Confessing Our Sins:
Psalm 28:1-2 NIV
“To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.”
Knowing Forgiveness:
Psalms 19:14 NIV
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Prayer For The Congregation:
Isaiah 51:1 NIV
““Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;”
Returning God’s Blessings:
1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
SONG:
Scripture Reading: Numbers 20:1–13 NIV
Sermon: True Leadership
SONG:
God’s Challenge To Us…
God's Blessing On His People:
1Peter 2:6 NIV
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
OTHER WORSHIP FORMATS
Opening Songs-
Welcome & announcements:
OUR PRAISE OF GOD
OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
OUR INSTRUCTION FROM GOD
Opening Songs-
Welcome & announcements:
CELEBRATION OF HIS PRAISE
CELEBRATION OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD OF GOD
Opening Songs-
Welcome & announcements:
OUR APPROACH TO GOD
HEARING THE WORD OF GOD
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S WORD
Opening Songs-
Welcome & announcements:
OUR APPROACH TO GOD
HEARING THE WORD OF GOD
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S WORD
(PWAD 2015)