Worship Planning Process
Some questions to guide you through the worship planning process.
Prayer
Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to give wisdom and guidance in the planning.
Scripture
Consider asking questions like these:
- What does the text say?
- What will the sermon say about the text?
- What action will the sermon inspire?
- What act of confession is appropriate to the scripture passage?
- How might prayers be different in light of this scripture passage?
- What songs use words, phrases, or themes from this scripture passage?
- What themes are in the scripture passage?
- Are there other factors to consider such as natural disasters, a time of war, special prayer requests, that will impact the service?
Resources:
- The Nuts and Bolts of Worship Planning
- Revised Common Lectionary for Lift Up Your Hearts
- Center for Excellence in Preaching
- The Text this Week
- Working Preacher
- Planning Music in Small Churches
- Top Ten Worship Planning Ideas from John Calvin
- Worship Planning in the Non-traditional Church
Brainstorm and Gather Resources
Consider asking questions like these:
- How does the service fit into the season?
- How could other scripture passages that complement, inform, or challenge the text be included in the service?
- How might motifs, colors, or other visual elements enhance the service?
- What occasions for prayer are there?
- Who could participate?
- What songs could work with the scripture passage and/or theme?
- How would other musical contributions or dramas work with the scripture passage and/or theme?
- What could the order, template, or pattern for the service be?
- What changes service-to-service?
- What stays the same service-to-service?
- Orders, template, or patterns:
- Dialogic Pattern of Worship
- Four-fold Pattern of Worship
- Gathering
- Word
- Response
- Sending
- LOFT Outline (Living Our Faith Together is a student-led worship service on the campus of Calvin College)
- Vertical Habits
- Comparing worship service chart
- Guides for Worship Planning through the Seasons
- The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, Faith Alive Christian Resources, Baker Books, and Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
- Book of Common Worship, Westminster/John Knox Press
- Book of Common Order, Church of Scotland
- New Handbook for the Christian Year, Abingdon
- A Child Shall Lead: Children in Worship, Choristers Guild (includes prayers for Children)
- CCEL
Music Related Resource Ideas:
- Balanced Diet of Music
- Lift Up Your Hearts, Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2013 (additionally, for publication information)
Discover prayers, scripture references, and confessional references for favorite hymns on Lift Up Your Hearts hymnary’s page. - Lift Up Your Hearts iPad App
- Psalms for All Seasons, Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2012
- Sing! A New Creation, Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2002
- hymnary.org
- Songs for the Revised Common Lectionary
- Glory to God, Westminster/John Knox Press, 2013
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2006
Put It All Together
Consider asking questions like these:
- What is the balance of familiar and unfamiliar to the worshipers?
- How can worshipers be stretched?
- Does the song repertoire contain both new and familiar songs that shape and challenge worshipers?
- What is the tone of the service?
- How will one part of worship transition to the next?
- Should the transitions be scripted?
- How would those transitions carry the focus of the service?
- Will transitions be verbal, visual, or musical?
- Is the amount of instructions appropriate for the context?
- Are there significant lines in a song or scripture reading that could be emphasized through a transition?
- How will worshipers pray?
- How will each specific prayer function (i.e. thanksgiving, confession)?
- How will the prayers engage the worshipers?
- Who will lead the prayers?
- Will the prayers be scripted, or will they be planned extemporaneous prayers?
- What will each specific prayer do?
- How will the prayers engage the worshipers?
- How can worship leaders encourage participation?
- Who will lead?
- How do the readers prepare to proclaim the Word of God?
- How do the musicians and other leaders prepare?
- Can the participants gather for prayer before the service?
- Over the period of a few weeks, is there a good balance of all age groups and abilities involved in leading worship?
- What training could be helpful for our worship planners and leaders?
- What images will support or guide the pattern of worship or the service scripture/theme?
Resources:
- The Nuts and Bolts of Worship Planning
- Planning and Leading Worship as a Pastoral Task
- Planning Worship Series Ahead
- How Psalm Songs Can Serve as a Model for Our Congregational Song
- Why We Still Need Hymns in a Postmodern World
- A Potpourri of Tips on Writing and Choosing Songs for Worship
- Singing More Psalms in Worship
- What Makes Songs So Powerful They Won’t Disappear?
- So You've Been Asked to Plan Worship (English)