About Church Services

Dec 8, 2011
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In our church home groups we're looking at how we do church services. I was wondering how other churches represented here do theirs.

Some questions - do you pass plates round for the offering or have what they call a 'retiring' offering?

Do the children in your congregation leave the service at any point and if so, when?

What is your programme for a morning service?

Gillian
 

HantsUK

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We use offering bags, not plates, so you do not see what others put in. This is passed around, usually during a hymn or song. But many people give by other means (cheques, standing orders/direct debt).

Occasionally, we have done it the African way, where everyone parades (dancing, except some the English, and singing) to the front with their gifts. This has happened usually during a dedication service for a child of one of our African families.

Children usually go out just before the main bible reading and sermon for their own groups. But every 4 or 6 weeks, they say in for an all age service (creche is still available for under 5's).
 
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98cwitr

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In our church home groups we're looking at how we do church services. I was wondering how other churches represented here do theirs.

Some questions - do you pass plates round for the offering or have what they call a 'retiring' offering?

Do the children in your congregation leave the service at any point and if so, when?

What is your programme for a morning service?

Gillian

In stereotypical fashion, our Baptist church has the following order of service:

Ringing of the hour
Prelude
Lighting of the Candle
Invocation
Call to Worship
Hymn
Passing of the Peace (not all I have been to do this)
Prayer
Words of Assurance (usually something that hinges on Universalism...I cringe most Sundays at this...thankfully, he is leaving us)
Scripture reading
Children's Sermon (grades k-2 go out of sanctuary to children's church)
Offertory prayer
Offering (plate is passed, down each row to ushers at each end)
Scripture reading
Sermon
Hymn
Benediction
Light of the World Exit, along with the Pastor and Associate Pastor
 
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JM

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I stop sending my kids out of the room when I realized JR Church was just a bunch of games and ice cream sandwiches. We worship as a family...like Israel did. This isn't ideal for everyone but works for us.
 
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Goodbook

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Hmm not thought about this...

Church starts sunday morning 10 am for family worship.
Call to worship..
Three hymns
Sharing/testimony time
Hymn
Offering, prayer
Church events/notices
Children go to sunday school program...prayer for children
More songs
Prayer time during songs
Communion/supper and prayer
Bible reading
Sermon
Prayer
Rousing hymn
Benediction
 
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98cwitr

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Hmm not thought about this...

Church starts sunday morning 10 am for family worship.
Call to worship..
Three hymns
Sharing/testimony time
Hymn
Offering, prayer
Church events/notices
Children go to sunday school program...prayer for children
More songs
Prayer time during songs
Communion/supper and prayer
Bible reading
Sermon
Prayer
Rousing hymn
Benediction

3 hymns back to back? Wow!
 
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AnneY

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The church I serve in currently uses an offering bag that is off to the side of the pulpit and people walk to the front to place their offering in the bag during the offertory. A long time ago I went to a church that had the collection box in the back, but they moved it to the front. I prefer this over the passing of the plate because I play the piano and would miss the plate, and some people prefer to place their offering in before or after services because it affords them more privacy with their offering.
Order of service:
Opening welcome/prayer
Two hymns
Announcements
Reading of scripture
Offering
Preaching
Final hymn
Closing prayer/short time of silence

I teach Sunday school and it's a little different each time, but basically it goes:
coloring/craft (that reflects the lesson)
snack/drink
song or two
lesson
closing prayer/ announcements
another song if we finished before the service downstairs and need to stall for time. ;)
 
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JM

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Paul’s Alley Barbican (London) [1695-1768]

Order of Worship

9:30 AM:
1. A Brother reads a Psalm
2. & then to spend some time in Prayer;
3. & after that to read some other Portion of H. Scripture,
till the Minister comes into the Pulpit;
4. and after Preaching &
5. Prayer to
6. conclude with singing a Psalm.

The afternoon exercise to begin abt half an hour after One, & to be carried on & concluded as in the forenoon.

********************

H. Knollys’ Elements of Worship [1599–1691]

Prayer,
Scripture reading with exposition
and interpretation,
Preaching,
Baptism,
The Lord’s table,
Singing
 
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Dec 8, 2011
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The church I serve in currently uses an offering bag that is off to the side of the pulpit and people walk to the front to place their offering in the bag during the offertory. ;)

I see from your profile that you are in Taiwan, Anne. Does anyone know of any places of worship in the UK where the practice of having an offering bag/collection box at the front of the church is followed? I think it's a good idea as I sometimes forget to put something in the collection box on my way out of church and having it at the front of the church makes it a part of the service without pressurising people to put money into it. It's a practice I came across in Swaziland when I visited a church there a few years ago and I know they do it in other African countries.

Gillian
 
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Goodbook

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Lots of churches do that in nz, my one has bags passed around but the one I used to go to which was presy, has now changed to donation box at the front.

But the way we do it is have a song while people are giving, and there isn't pressure, its just offering time. Also when its all gathered we pray that the offerings will be used to bless others for His Kingdom.
 
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thecolorsblend

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Years ago I read that a lot of congregations have set up PayPal accounts to automatically debit your card a certain amount each month. A lot of them also have a method to do a fill-in-the-blank amount for one's contribution. The reason I like that approach is because it effectively conceals the donation amount made by others. There's no subtle peer pressure to match what the other guy is giving because you can't see it.
 
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Lots of churches do that in nz, my one has bags passed around but the one I used to go to which was presy, has now changed to donation box at the front.

But the way we do it is have a song while people are giving, and there isn't pressure, its just offering time. Also when its all gathered we pray that the offerings will be used to bless others for His Kingdom.


What happens when visitors come to your church, who are not used to that means of taking the offering? Are they assured that no one will think less of them if they allow the bag to pass them by if they don't have money to put into it?

Gillian
 
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Goodbook

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If you visiting church you dont need to make an offering nobody minds. It is between you and God. We sing while the offering is taken up. I dont think anything is said to make people reach for their wallets its just its time for the offering. If you have no money I think you just sing his praises. After the bags are collected someone prays to dedicate the collection for use in Gods kingdom.
Also the newsletter has the bank account number in case you want to make a donation by internet banking.

Its pretty low key.
I know other churches can make a big deal of it.
But i think the donation box is a good idea. I dont know why lots of churches do the pass round bags thing myself, as we meant to give in secret.
 
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farout

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In our church home groups we're looking at how we do church services. I was wondering how other churches represented here do theirs.

Some questions - do you pass plates round for the offering or have what they call a 'retiring' offering?

Do the children in your congregation leave the service at any point and if so, when?

What is your programme for a morning service?

Gillian


How do you handle the Lords Supper in a home group? Who does the Baptism? How are your offerings recorded and records kept?
 
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Grandpa4

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I'm from Michigan where I was born, raised and lived until retirement, when I made the mistake of moing south, I love the warmer weather and no snow, hail, sleet, or freezing rain. I can't find a southern Baptist churh that I like. In Michigan, I was used to a pastor whose preaching and teaching were inspirational, and song services were lively and enjoyable. Down south, the preaching and teaching are boring and uninspiring, and the song services are lifeless and dead.
 
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