Order of Service?

Ditto for me McDLT, with the exception of children's church. The kids are in their classes right from the get go.


I especially appreciate that you mention sticking to the theme of the sermon as much as possible. I agree whole-heartedly.

Once in a great while, during the sermon we will do a special music song. Usually something that expresses a point the pastor wants to make. It can be a bit disruptive, but it can be managed and it can be powerful and worth the effort.

Sunday School (for everyone)



Service:


1 song right from the start of the service

Welcome

Call To Worship

Worshipping God through Singing
Concentrating on praising God and/or following the Theme of the sermon, if possible. - 4 songs

Announcements
Anything that informs the congregation (missions work updates, meetings, etc)

Prayer

Offering

Children's Church Special Music
Done by various members of the congregation (one song)

Message/Sermon

Communion
Once a month....

Response to God's Word Closing Prayer & Benediction

Prayer (8:45 a.m.)
Leaders and worship team gathered in front of the church to pray for God's anointing and to prepare the hearts of the people.

Announcement (9:00 a.m.)
Events, activities, etc. This sometimes take quite a few minutes.

Worship (9:05 a.m.)
We don't have a distinct call to worship. The worhsip leader will do that by reading a psalm, making a declaration or welcoming the congregation.

Holy Communnion / Collect Offerings (9:35 a.m.)
Holy Communnion is observed on the 1st week of the month. Collection of offerings is often accompanied by sharing of testimonies.

Preaching (9:45 a.m.)
The speaker shares his message. The Children will go to their respective classes.

Closing / Altar Call (10:30 a.m.)
The speaker or the pastor will say a closing prayer. More often than not, there will be an altar call.

Fellowship
After that, we adjouned to the church house opposite the road to eat and have fellowship.

I put together an "Alternative Worship" [which if you want to know what that is in short I'll say it's a work in progress] and our setup usually goes something like this:

Greeting & Prayer
kind of introducing ourselves to visitors and welcoming everybody back, and giving the musicians a few seconds to take everything in and get ready.
Music
usually 2 or 3 songs to kick things off and grab the attention, also with a bit of scripture insert for the sake of welcoming everyone into God's house
Message
progressively we're learning to be interactive with questions & whatnot so that it's not just a listening time but more that it's really a learning time
[insert special event/art of the evening]
anything like a skit, dance, dramatic reading ...sometimes these are before the message...really whatever fits best for that evening.
Music
usaully 4 songs maybe more if the ppl are into it this is our big time to apply & meditate on what we just learned
Announcements & Prayer
things like fill out the community cards before you leave, offering box in the back, thanks for coming, food's down the hall
Food & Fellowship time
we feel this is really importain for growing as a community of believers ...just the spending time together talking, playing games, sharing what we have [our food & love...and even encouragement]

1 Worship is about Focusing on God, not on ourselves. So the thrust of our worship is not the horizontal level but the vertical level.

2 The 'flow of the service' is very important to us and it is based on Isa 6

3 SEQUENCE (for all Sundays other than lst Sun of the month which is Communion Sunday)

PREPARATION
silent prayer and meditation

PRAYER
a Opening prayer (led by worship leader)
b Songs of praise and preparation (led by worship leader and band. Its blended worship ie a combination of traditional and charismatic worship hymns/songs styles. Songs tend to flow as a medley from one to the next without announcement and if any 'comments' are made in between the songs, these would be directed to God in the form of prayer
so that the focus would still be on God and not on congregation or worship leader)

PROCLAIMATION
a. Prayer songs (there's a natural flow from the faster praise songs into slower intimacy songs...No clear demarcation lines or announcement that we have moved from the first to the second...)
b. Call to confession/prayer of confession (taken by the pastor or the 'anchoring layperson' . There is no announcement of 'let us pray'. At the close of the last meditative/intimacy song, the leader simply flows in with prayer....Again, focusing the attention on God, not on the leadership)
Words of assurance (something akin to l John 1:9 - and is utilised as part of the above prayer. Again- it flows together... ....)
c.Community concerns (this is church announcement but we put it here because they are items for prayer since they are community concerns...)
d.Pastoral Prayer (led by pastor or anchoring laypersons. This is the intercessory section)
e.The Lord's Prayer (Sung)(Sung with Cliff Richard's MILLIENIUM PRAYER backup and with powerpoint photos of current events)

PRAYER IN ACTION
a.Offering of Self and gifts
b.aDoxology

PROCLAMATION
a.Affirmation of Faith (We use the Nicene Creed every week..since it is the oldest Christian creed outside the "JESUS IS LORD" creed)
b.Hymn /Song of Preparation
c.Scripture readings
d. Sermon
e. A Prayer

PROMISE (promise of congregation to serve Him, promise of God to be with us)
a Closing hymn/song
b Benediction
c Altar Ministry (where people trained in inner healing, deliverance, prayer ministry, healing ministry will pray for those who come forward for prayer at the altar)

I am not a worship leader, but our church typically does something like this:

1. Worship. Three to six songs of congregational singing.

2. Prayer. To close worship.

3. Announcements.

4. Offeretory (sp?). Some type of special music (choir and/or orchestra).

5. Sermon.

6. Closing song and closing prayer.

Since our church has several service leaders within the congregation, the format changes weekly, but generally it'll be something like:

Pre-service: Some light background music, either on CD or by band
Welcome -> Opening Song (sometimes 2)
Announcements, corporate thanksgiving/confession prayer
Song
Bible reading
Sermon
Song
Prayers of Intercession
Song
Closing prayer or remark by service leader.

Our offertory is usually taken during one of the final 2 songs.