Planning and Preparing
a Service of the Word
How to put a service
together
1 Structure
The first thing to do is to read the authorized introduction to
A Service of the Word on pages 9-10. From this you will see that
there are three main sections, like three tubs into which you are
going to put the different items in the service; Preparation, The
Liturgy of the Word, Prayers. Into these tubs you put the
ingredients, the different items in the service. Add to these
abeginning and an ending and you have the main outline.
There are four different kinds of ingredients and it is
important that there is a balance in the way these are used:
Word | Prayer | Praise | Action
It is a bit like preparing a meal with three courses, plus an
appetizer at the beginning and coffee at the end. Each course has a
number of different ingredients, which can be used more than once
in different combinations in different courses. It is worth noting
that for the principal service on a Sunday certain ingredients,
which are otherwise optional, are required: an authorized
confession and absolution, an authorized creed or affirmation of
faith, and a sermon.
The basic structure for A Service of the Word is set out on page
11 and for A Service of the Word with Holy Communion on page 12.
For more background on the structure see page 27. It is important
to have a clear structure such as that in A Service of the Word,
even though the detail may vary from week to week.The emphasis on
different parts of the structure may be varied according to the
theme.
2 Theme and direction
The Introduction to A Service of the Word says:
Leading people in worship is leading people into mystery, into
the unknown and yet the familiar. This spiritual activity is much
more than getting the words or the sections in the right order. The
primary object in the careful planning and leading of the service
is the spiritual direction which enables the whole congregation to
come into the presence of God to give him glory.
Care should be taken to ensure that there is some overall
direction, some sense of cohesion, of going somewhere, some
development in the congregation's relationship to God, reflected in
the service structure. Sometimes this is provided by a clear theme.
The theme may be determined by the occasion or season, such as
Mothering Sunday or Christmas, or by some local event, such as a
patronal festival or jazz festival. The theme will also be
regularly determined by the Bible readings. Sometimes no clear
overall theme will emerge, and the Bible reading, prayers and
praise will be left, like coloured glass in a kaleidoscope, to cast
light on one another and to provide, in the interplay of patterns,
different pictures for different people in the congregation. The
important thing is to recognize which of these routes is being
followed. Ask the question, either on your own or in a planning
group, 'What do we expect to happen to people in this service?
What
will be the outcomes in terms of Christian growth, education,
deepening appreciation of God, experience of him in worship and
praise, and in obedience to his word?' And that outcome, and the
development through the service, will be partly determined by
giving some attention to the emotional flow of the service. Does it
start quietly and build up, start on a 'high' and become
reflective, or have a climax in the middle?
3 The Word
The Introduction says this is 'the heart of the service', and
this is the best place to begin to look at the ingredients which
will sometimes determine the theme for the service.
* What are the Bible readings? The
authorized Lectionary will be the natural starting point, and must
be followed in the periods around Christmas and Easter. This helps
to keep the whole church together on the same track as we tell the
stories of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection, and the coming of
the Holy Spirit. At other times other routes may be followed, such
as those in Resource Section C (pages 98-123) or a specially
designed local teaching scheme.
* If occasion demands, there need only
be one reading, except that if the service is Holy Communion, there
should be two readings, one of which should be from the
Gospels.
* How are other readings going to be
presented? See page 101 for examples.
* What psalms, Scripture, songs or
canticles are to be used? Begin to think about music resources and
preparation. See pages 125-128 (Psalms) and 35-38 (Music).
* Begin to plan the sermon. If the
preacher is not part of the planning group, it is important to know
the main drift of the sermon so that other items in the service
support rather than conflict with this part of the Word. Does it
need one 'slot' or more? Note 7 to A Service of the Word (page 14)
gives a new interpretation to the word 'sermon' which 'includes
less formal exposition, the use of drama, interviews, discussion,
audio-visuals and the insertion of hymns or other sections of the
service between parts of the sermon'.
4 Prayer
Look at the Prayer section of the service, and also the
Preparation section, as both penitence and the collect may be
included in the prayers. Note 4 (page 13) reminds us about the need
for silence.What form should the prayers take?
* An outline form filled in by the
minister
* An outline form with extempore prayer or
biddings from the congregation, or from a group
* A litany or responsive
intercession
* A series of set prayers
It is best not to mix the forms too much, though a set prayer
may be a good way to end or sum up one of the other forms. The
Lord's Prayer and a collect should be used at every Sunday
service.
5 Praise
Praise may be said or sung. Select hymns, songs or items from
the Praise section of New Patterns or elsewhere. See pages
220-222 for further ideas. A set of versicles and responses (see
pages 225-233 for examples) may be used in the Preparation or
elsewhere.
6 Action
This is not the same kind of thing as the other three
ingredients; rather, it describes the way in which something is
done. For example, dramatic action might interpret the Word, or a
procession or dance might help to express praise. So something
might be done with music, or followed by silence, or accompanied by
visuals, gestures or symbols. There might be a movement by the
congregation, such as standing or joining hands, movement with
an
object, e.g. a candle or Bible, a change in lighting or visual
presentation. See pages 279-281 for further examination of this.
The action may be the climax towards which the service moves, or an
action that begins the worship and sets the theme for it.
7 Beginning and ending
These are dealt with in the paragraphs headed 'Preparation' and
'Conclusion' in the authorized Introduction to A Service of the
Word (pages 10-11), together with Notes 1, 2 and 9 (pages
13-14).
* Decide how the service is to begin
and end: each should be clear.
* Decide what is to go into 'The
Preparation', and what other material you want to add. Prayers of
Penitence, with an authorized form of confession and absolution
(see Resource Section B, pages 72-97 and Common Worship,
pages 122-137), may come here or in 'Prayers'. The collect may also
come later inthat section.
* Decide whether and where to add a
creed or affirmation of faith (see Resource Section E, pages
157-169), notices, collection, invitations or biddings,
explanation, silence. See pages 29-32 for some ideas about
inserting things like this into services.
* Decide how these ingredients relate
to the aim and structure of the rest of the service. For example,
prayers of penitence might be part of the preparation at the
beginning, to clear away any barrier to hearing God, or they could
be the climax towards which the service moves (as in an Ash
Wednesday service). The full structure might then look like
one
of the following samples.
Example 1: A block
structure
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Items you must include
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Additional items |
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for a Principal Service on Sunday
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you may want to add |
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(though individual items
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and order will vary)
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| Preparation |
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Greeting
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1
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Scripture sentence |
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2
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Hymn |
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3
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Opening prayer |
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4
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Invitation |
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* Confession
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5
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* Forgiveness
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6
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| Word |
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7
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Introduction |
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Old Testament
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8
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Psalm or paraphrase
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9
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New Testament
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10
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11
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Song or hymn |
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Talk
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12
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* Creed
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13
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14
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Hymn |
| Prayer |
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* Collect
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15
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Form of intercession
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16
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| Praise |
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17
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Versicles and responses |
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18
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Hymn |
| Action |
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19
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All stand while the candle is carried out |
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Blessing or ending
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20
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* Authorized texts must be used
Example 2: A conversation
structure
Word | Prayer | Praise | Action may come many
times within the same service.
Imagine a conversation between God and the congregation. The
Word items present
what God is saying, and the other three items may be used as the
response or reply to
God.The service may be built from a series of
Presentation and Response units,
like
building blocks. This example is from Morning Prayer in The
Book of Common Prayer:
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Presentation
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Response |
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God Speaks
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We Speak |
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Word
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Scripture Sentence
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Praise |
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Hymn of adoration |
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Word
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Invitation
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Prayer |
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Confession |
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Prayer
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Declaration of forgiveness
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Praise |
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Open our lips… |
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Glory be… |
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Canticle |
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Word
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Psalm
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Old Testament
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Praise |
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Canticle |
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Word
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New Testament
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Praise |
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Canticle |
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Creed |
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Lord's Prayer |
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Collect |
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Word
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Sermon
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Hymn |
Themes
A theme may determine the pattern of the worship. The
traditional Morning and Evening Prayer pattern allows the word and
praise to throw light on each other. A thematic approach very often
means that the worship leader decides the way the word is to be
heard, and the response that needs to be made. Care must be taken
to make sure that the whole service does not become a sermon. This
tends to happen when explanations and exhortations introduce every
item.
Some examples of a thematic approach
* Maundy Thursday foot-washing
* Baptism service: see pages
363-371
Guidelines
When you have completed the service outline, consider this
checklist. Parts of this are amplified in the descriptive
commentary sections that follow.
* Is there a balance between word,
prayer, praise and action? For instance the Word section may be top
heavy with long readings and long introductions, or too many short
readings.
* Is the worship directed to God,
addressing him rather than the people?
* Is the structure and direction of the
service clear enough for people to know where it is going? Does the
service have an overall coherence, or is it just one item after
another?
* When is the climax to the service? If
there is more than one, is that deliberate? Is the emotional or
spiritual climax the same as the climactic moment in terms of music
or words or congregational action? There is no' right' answer, but
it helps if service planners are aware of these ways in which the
service develops.
* What space is there for reflection or
silence in the service?
* How much of the service might be
classed as 'entertainment'? Is this justified? Is there a balance
between receiving (listening, watching, contemplating) and
responding? Check on posture: is there too much sitting down or
standing up at one time? Or, conversely, are people bobbing up and
down too much? Is there enough action?
* Is the music used in such a way as to
further and develop the main thrust of the service? Is there too
much musical praise, with too many choir items, or too long a
section of choruses from the music group, or hymns too close to one
another?
* Does the form of service enable the
gifts of a variety of people in the church to be used in both
planning and taking part?
* Compare this service with other
services in the month. An occasional completely new form of worship
may stimulate people to discover new dimensions to their ordinary
worship, but a new pattern each week may be confusing and
unsettling, particularly to children. If people are familiar with
both structure and content of the service, they feel more secure
and can take part more easily. For an all-age service, for
instance, it may be better to have a standard structure, with
'windows' or 'slots' which can be changed from week to week.
* Especially if you are planning
'family worship', check that the contents do not exclude some in
the congregation, e.g. children, single people, the bereaved,
members of broken families. It is hurtful and not constructive to
require a mixed congregation simply to join in prayers thanking God
for our homes and families and all the happiness that parents and
children share.