When the seminary taught you how to preach, did they also teach you how to think biblically and theologically about the entire worship service?
It’s fair to say seminary’s primary purpose is to prepare pastors for their role as shepherds of the flock. Preparing to preach often consumes a great deal of that preparation time. In looking at various seminary catalogs, however, I find minimal preparation for thinking and constructing a theologically and biblically conceived service of worship. If that is your case, help is on the way!
It could be that your theological training is minimal, and your ministry position just sprang up along with your church as God moved in your midst. You have another full-time job and seminary is out of the question for now, but you wish and need some serious biblical and theological training in doing worship. Is it possible to work full-time and still get the training you need? Yes, help is on the way.
Perhaps your weekly services are something along this line: a welcome, a song set, a prayer, an offering (maybe or somewhere before, in, or after the service), a sermon, a closing song set, and see you all next week?
You must admit your formula is rather simple, predictable, and limited in scope. Is weekly worship planning simply filling the slots?
I was a candidate at a very large denominational church years ago and in talking with the senior pastor, I asked him about various places we might place the choir anthem in the service depending on its content. His response was: “The anthem goes at the offering. All I’ll need to know from you is how many minutes the anthem takes.” I did not choose to go to that church.
Worship is not about filling in all the slots. Remember, worship is a verb, not a noun. Every service is unique — for God is present. This time, these minutes of worship, has never happened before. Ask yourself, why is that part of the service in that particular place? Don’t be lazy and stop thinking in the name of expediency. Help is on the way.
Maybe your denomination has a set liturgy and you are bored, the congregation has little expectation, and you wonder if you have any wiggle room.
If you long to learn how to create biblically and theologically sound worship services, we invite you to come to IWS! Stay curious, it’s how we grow.