How Do You Plan A Weekly Worship Service (Christian Protestant)?
Worship planning is not just for pastors. Most of the time weekly worship in Protestant churches is planned at least partly by a pastor or pastors. These days, however, many churches are discovering how much richer worship can be when it’s planned by church members as well. Whether you’re a lay (non-ordained) leader in a church who wants to get involved, or a youth whose turn it is to lead worship at a youth meeting, or a member of a church that is between pastors, this guide is meant to get you started in the process of planning worship. • Pray. • Reflect on last week’s worship. • Study the context of your worship as best you are able – the particular people, the culture, the local history, etc. This will help you to address their needs, experiences, hopes, etc. • Choose scripture passage(s) on which the service will focus. If your church follows a lectionary such as the Revised Common Lectionary, consult it for the scriptures. • Read the scriptures to get a first sense of the themes
• Pray. • Reflect on last week’s worship. • Study the context of your worship as best you are able – the particular people, the culture, the local history, etc. This will help you to address their needs, experiences, hopes, etc. • Choose scripture passage(s) on which the service will focus. If your church follows a lectionary such as the Revised Common Lectionary, consult it for the scriptures. • Read the scriptures to get a first sense of the themes that the pastor may want to have lifted up in the prayers, the music, and the sermon. • Be in conversation with the pastor or other members of the worship team (musicians, scripture readers, those writing or finding prayers, etc.), to understand the theme and direction being used. Review and understand the “shape” or outline of worship ordinarily used in your tradition. If you are from a prayerbook tradition (such as the Episcopal Church) you will need to follow this closely. Even if you come from a free church tradition, it is best to int
