The pastor is a worship leader, and he should carefully consider the weight of that responsibility. Intentionality is the order of the day. You must give careful attention to planning a service that is faithful to Scripture, honoring to Christ, and edifying to God’s people.
Throughout my years of ministry, I have found that ministers are best aided through strategically structuring their church services. The foundational framework for a church service should be the regulative principle of worship, where the church’s corporate worship is based upon the specific directions of Scripture. But even those who disagree with the regulative principle can surely agree that a robust worship service is glorifying to the Lord and good for His people. Thus, consider these 12 keys to strengthen the worship service in your ministry:
1. Focus on Christ
From beginning to end, help your people focus on Christ. He is why you have gathered, and in His name you have gathered. Your attendees may not even realize how desperate they are for Jesus, but He is the only satisfier of the human soul. From start to finish, give them Jesus.
2. Saturate with Scripture
In addition to the formal reading of Scripture, look for other ways to incorporate God’s Word into the service. Meditate on Scripture, sing Scripture, and pray Scripture. Open the service with a Scriptural call to worship; conclude it with a Scriptural benediction. Speak the Scriptures clearly. It is the only inerrant word the congregation will hear all day.
3. Preach Expositionally
Solid exposition has carried along many otherwise poor services. There is just no replacing a steady diet of God’s Word. Make sure your people know what to expect when you enter the pulpit. Over time, a strong pulpit will lead to a strong church—and stronger worship.
4. Plan Worship for Those Who Can Worship
Remember that the church gathers to worship and scatters to evangelize. Paul writes in Ephesians 4 that God has given the church its leaders “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12–13). Paul’s focus here is that the leaders are meant to Christians while they are together so that they can scatter and do the work of the ministry. If pastors never equip their churches while they worship, when else are they going to fulfill this Scripture? While you should be attuned to guests and unbelievers who may be in attendance, design the service for God’s people to worship God and be equipped in the process. This biblical model makes the service more enriching for your members. What is more, guests can better see and behold Christ and why He is worthy of worship.
5. Sing with Musical Accompaniment, not Vice Versa
Generally speaking, modern church architecture is designed more for stage presentation than for corporate worship. Lighting, speaker systems, and acoustic panels are designed more for attendees to receive than to contribute, musically speaking. Encourage congregational singing by toning down the stage music. The worship leader’s singing and musical accompaniment should facilitate congregational singing, not drown it out.
6. Feature the Ordinances
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are to be celebrated until our Lord returns, and they are a cause for celebration. They are not an interruption to corporate worship; they are an essential part of it. Try to avoid “tacking-on” the ordinances around the margins of the service. Work to feature them, explain why they are important, and cultivate in your people a sense of celebration when the church observes them.
7. Rein in Technology
I am not a curmudgeon on this point, but generally speaking, I believe less is more. The more you use videos and other visual and technological supports to prop up the service, the more your people will grow accustomed to—and dependent on—the same. Do not underestimate the power of the big four: Scripture reading, prayer, congregational singing, and preaching. As we have seen, they are essential.
8. Use Strategic Silence
In general, our culture dislikes silence. We tend to appreciate noise, and we fill our lives with music, podcasts, audiobooks, and the like. We even have “noise machines” to provide background noise. The same mentality can creep into our worship service. But silence can aid reflection, create space for repentance, or elicit impromptu prayers from God’s people. Don’t underestimate the value of strategically doing nothing at certain points in the service. In fact, I would recommend you have a 30-second moment of silence every time after the Word is preached. Ask your people to reflect on the sermon and ask God to help them apply it to their lives. Even this 30-second time of reflection can help reinforce what they just heard from God’s Word.
9. Declutter and Simplify the Order of Worship
Over time, churches tend to accrue items in their worship service that have no place in it. Typically, the announcements and promotions run amuck, but I have seen all sorts of strange activities and items slip into the service. Be careful not to add too much to the service and be mindful when you do.
10. Allow Only Believers to Lead Worship
The choir is not intended to be a halfway house, and the praise team is not an outreach program. Building a relationship with those who lead will aid in determining fitness to lead. A worship leadership covenant, including writing out one’s testimony, can also aid the process.
11. Be Kid-Friendly
Some churches signal that children are not wanted in corporate worship. They herd them out like cattle and all but state that restless children are not welcome. There are a host of good reasons why parents may elect to leave a child in nursery or send them to children’s church, but sensing from the leadership that children are not welcome in the service is not one of them. Kids can sit for hours at school and in front of the television, so most can sit for an hour through a worship service. Encourage families to do so together.
12. Evaluate Your Worship Regularly
It is easy to fall into a routine and mindlessly proceed in it. You and other church leaders should evaluate your worship services regularly. What is more, you might occasionally ask a friend or guest preacher to give you feedback on your service as well. Distractions, hindrances, or just poor practices can creep in and undermine what you are trying to accomplish in corporate worship. Be on the lookout for these things—and eliminate them.
I once frequented a restaurant that had fabulous food, but it always seemed just a bit much. The entrée, which was hard to beat on its own, always had an added sauce splattered on the top or a garnish protruding from the steak. The chef intended the additives to complement the meal, but they wound up distracting—and detracting—from it.
Sometimes we do the same thing in public worship. Our attempts to improve Christian worship may, in fact, distract from it. Often, less is actually more. There can be a beauty in simplicity. We would do well to declutter our worship services.
When it comes to the pastor as worship leader and embracing the regulative principle, I am not legalistic. I still facilitate an offering, greet visitors, and make announcements. But a broad recovery of the regulative principle’s four elements, a commitment to them, and pastoral intentionality from start to finish, might well revive our worship services. Pastor, be intentional about your corporate worship services; after all, you are the worship leader.
Jason K. Allen | President, Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
