The desire for vibrant worship resonates with congregations throughout the church. Community of Christ has a free-form worship tradition with few prescribed words or required actions. We have been free to develop methods and styles that particularly minister to our congregations. During the past decades, we’ve enjoyed increased creativity in worship planning and a wider base of participation. People in the church have given themselves and others permission to explore and experience widely varied styles of music, drama, preaching, prayer, and meditation. Increasingly we realize that, as God lovingly made each of us unique, we relate with and worship God in different ways. As part of a loving community, we value the opinions and creativity of all people. This can make worship planning creatively invigorating and sometimes difficult.

Careful planning of each service involves integration of a variety of worship elements into a seamless whole with purposeful integrity. Planning that uses a variety of elements, where worshipers truly participate instead of passively observe, is a vital foundation for vibrant worship.

Worship Planning

Congregational worship planning throughout the church is shared among many people—individuals of all ages, ordained and unordained. This collaboration on the worship-planning task has enriched the services and made them more representative of the entire congregation.

Vibrant worship includes expanded opportunity for people to use their giftedness. Rather than a few (ministers) being the givers and the rest of the congregation the receivers, all can be seen as givers and receivers. Good worship planning involves recognizing the gifts and potential of each person in the congregation.

Worship planning takes different forms, depending on the structure of the congregation and worship needs. In most cases, a service planned by two or more persons, in cooperation with the pastorate, produces better results than a service developed by an individual. Including the presider, the speaker, a creative worship planner, and the musician in a planning group addresses the major functions frequently found in worship services. The sharing and synergy of the group process enhance worship planning.

Worship planners should give focused attention to the following: first, identify the focus or theme of the service; then, select the elements of worship that best communicate the focus; and finally, choose the people who will provide the needed leadership. Worship participants should be given the parameters of their leadership responsibilities and enabled to share their unique ministry within those parameters. For example, preachers, storytellers, or “pray-ers” need to understand their roles within the context of the complete service, including the time allotted. It is important to select worship leaders after the service elements are planned, but the presider should be identified early in the process and be involved in the planning.

Services should be developed with the needs, circumstances, and gifts of the congregation in mind. Service outlines may contain familiar elements: hymns, scriptures, prayers, an offering, and the spoken word. However, with a little creativity, these traditional elements can become more vibrant. For example, the spoken word is not always a sermon; it may be several brief statements, testimonies, or a dramatic presentation.

When trying new things in worship services, there are bound to be some conflicts. Keep the following suggestions in mind:

Changes need to make sense; use them only if they fit.
You need to be able to explain why you are making a change or doing something new.
Don’t rush—prepare and practice new things carefully.
Hasty, shabby construction guarantees collapse. Overhauling a long-held worship pattern is a long-term effort.
Keep your congregation in mind—prepare the people and be sensitive to the preferences you know exist.
Tell people what to expect. No one should be surprised (unless, of course, surprise is the desired effect). If you know an innovation is going to be a problem for a certain person, talk with him/her ahead of time and encourage him/her to worship with an open mind.
Accompany new elements with a generous helping of the familiar.
People need the security of the familiar. Do familiar things in different ways. Employ your traditions, but don’t be bound to them. Strike a balance by using new in combination with old.
Maximize participation.
Worship is not a spectator sport. Participation usually means a higher degree of preparation and investment in the outcome.
Learn from books, classes, and observation, but don’t copy—personalize it.
Listen and observe. Visit other congregations and denominations. Learn all you can; then personalize worship. What is God calling your group to?
Ask for feedback.
Solicit specific, balanced feedback. Don’t just poll your friends and family. Be sure to include a wide variety of people when asking what worked and what didn’t.

Inclusive Worship

In an integrated way, our worship should involve all God’s children: people of all ages, those of various languages and cultures, those with physical or mental impairments, seekers, members of many generations, everyone. We celebrate our differences! As a way to include people as both givers and receivers, consider some of the following:

Allow for emerging worship skills.

Use a children’s, youth, or modern-language Bible or paraphrase scriptures for easier understanding. This not only attends to the needs of children and youth, but also seekers and those with mental impairments.
Make sure everyone can see. To become involved, participants have to be able to see more than just the back of the pew in front of them!
Provide children’s bulletins to reinforce the theme and scriptures of the day. Use graphics to identify common worship elements. For example, next to each prayer in the service, print praying hands; next to a song, print musical notes; and so on. Children and youth might design the bulletin cover.
Guide with your finger the reading of words and notes in the hymnal or bulletin for young children; show them how musical notes go up and down.
Practice new hymns and music with the congregation or in classes before worship.
Sing songs relevant to youth experiences or camp experiences; invite children and youth to share meaningful contemporary music.
Allow for a time of discovery and a sense of awe; give time for meditation, contemplation, exploring physical expressions of abstract concepts.
Use examples from the lives of the ages and experiences represented—for example, children, youth, inner-city, or rural—in sermons. (Jesus’ parables are an example of this.)

Allow for emerging leadership skills.

Match giftedness with the worship element. Some people naturally tell stories; some are more comfortable reading; some draw well. Look for opportunities to include a variety of gifts and expressions in the worship service.
Provide plenty of practice time in the sanctuary. Show people where and how they will sit and stand. Adjust microphones and lecterns to the height needed. Practice with the microphones on.
Teach and sharpen worship skills in church school or other venues. Provide opportunities for people to share testimonies and pray aloud.
Help participants write out prayers or testimonies to give.
Encourage students to share their developing skills. Have beginning music students play or sing an offertory or prelude. Have language students read a non-English poem, then translate it for the congregation. Drama students can share in a reading or vignette.
Provide training so that the ministry of children, youth, new, or inexperienced members represents their best offering.
Enter into a lesson covenant between students and the congregation. Pay for music or artistic training, with the student agreeing to share that gift with the congregation on a regular basis.
Include children and youth on worship planning committees, and integrate their ministry into the congregation’s worship on a frequent basis so it does not become a once-in-a-while oddity.

Allow for various developmental and spiritual levels.

Use visuals, drama, videos, and objects to offer insight into abstract concepts. Children may “illustrate” the worship theme or scripture with drawings, drama, dance, rap, or music. Add sensory input to stories: use Goldfish™ crackers when telling the loaves and fishes story, show video of a storm at sea, enter with dirty sandals during a story of foot washing.
Use hymns and stories with imagery that draw on experiences (animals, water, weather). Use tapes or CDs of nature sounds rather than music.
Associate clearly special events with symbolic objects (Communion with bread and juice, baptism with water).
Explore the church when it’s empty. Take tours of the entire sanctuary—let people play the organ, dip their fingers in the baptismal water, smell and touch the flowers, explore the rostrum and choir loft, check out the public address system and preparation rooms, and talk into the microphones. Explain the furniture and the symbols.

Allow for the mix of global/ethnic congregants or multiethnic communities.

Intentionally schedule musical styles and instruments from different cultures.
Share readings or testimonies in more than one language.
Share sacred traditions such as dance, poetry, and food from other cultures.
Sing alternate languages in hymn verses.
Celebrate sacred festivals; mutually exchange and support cultures.
Learn and enjoy a new repertoire of sacred music with an indigenous style.

Allow for accessibility for exceptional needs.

The church, sanctuary, and rostrum should be accessible for those in wheelchairs or using walkers. If this is not possible, bring worship leaders to the same level as those in wheelchairs or using walkers.
Provide hearing assistance devices for the hard of hearing, and consistently use microphones so the devices pick up all sound.
If reinforced sound is not available, encourage the hard of hearing to sit in the front rows. Speak and sing directly toward them.
Include the sharing of gifts of those with exceptional needs; for instance, someone who is hearing impaired and uses sign language can teach the congregation sign language to accompany the reading of scripture or the singing of hymns.

Disciples’ Generous Response

In this resource, the word “Offertory” in the worship service has been replaced by the phrase “Disciples’ Generous Response,” reflecting the continuing journey to understand more clearly the nature of our response as disciples to God’s grace and love.

An effective disciples’ generous response

contains generosity stories, which are integrated with the rest of the worship service reflecting the ministry of Jesus Christ supported by Community of Christ members, friends, and/or affiliates, through contributions to Local and World Mission Tithes;
helps contributors recognize the sacred purpose of their contributions to Mission Tithes;
connects persons of all ages to the message, nurturing disciples to be ready and eager to respond;
is presented by a prepared and engaging worship participant (priesthood or nonpriesthood) who believes in and is a contributor; and
has elements of a joyful celebration of thanksgiving.

Preparation

Consider the use of visuals, illustrations, or object lessons.
If you need help, seek assistance from someone with more experience.
Tell the story—do not simply read it. Take time to familiarize yourself with the story.
Talk to the people; make eye contact.
Focus on the contributor as much or more than the contribution.
Be honest, objective, and positive.

Reminders

We receive the offering; we do not take it up.
It is an offering, not a collection.
The first Sunday focus is Oblation ministry except in March and September when it is World Hunger.
Giving is more about grace than formulas and calculations.
First decide how much to give, then decide which funds to give to. This is illustrated through My Tithing Plan. Everyone can give something regularly (according to means and capacity).
Share equally between Local Ministries and World Ministries.
Every gift is important—to God, to the giver, and to the ministry of the church.
Funds are the means to ministry. God not only wants our money, God needs our money. But first, God needs our heart.
Giving is a joy and a privilege.

Available Resources

www.CofChrist.org and www.CofChrist.org/bishop
“Local and world” stories, including PowerPoint slides, about how Mission Tithes Impact Lives, for use by persons delivering offertories in congregations. See www.CofChrist.org/generositystories.
“Local and world” contribution updates
Scriptures
Offering envelopes with printed messages
Becoming a Generous Disciple: Six Principles to Live By
Tracts—A Disciple’s Generous Response, Tithing, World Mission Tithes
My Tithing Plan
Herald articles

Preaching

This resource includes weekly sermon preparation helps based on the lectionary schedule of scriptures. Proclamation of the Word has long been a foundation of Christian worship. Our Sunday services have often been referred to as “preaching services,” reflecting the central role of the sermon. In recent years, however, the sermon has increasingly been seen in its greater context as only one element, albeit an important one, in the entire service. Worship planners should not begin the planning process by asking, “Who is the preacher?” Rather they should look at the entire service and consider what place, if any, a sermon will hold. Preaching is seen as one way of proclaiming God’s Word in worship. Other forms of the spoken word such as testimony, drama, videos, or music may be used in addition to or instead of a sermon.

The suggestions for sermons included in this resource are based on four principles. The first asserts that scripture is the source for the good news of the gospel and should be the foundation of all sermons. The Revised Common Lectionary provides a sound scripture schedule and a beginning point for sermon preparation. As preachers, we are called to proclaim the Word—to announce the good news of the gospel.

The second principle is that most memorable sermons contain a central thesis. A thesis is more specific than a theme; it is a complete sentence that makes a positive (as opposed to a negative) declaration. At least two sample theses are suggested for each Sunday. You may choose to select one of them; you may think of a way to combine them; or you may think of another statement that relates to your experience. Your thesis idea or statement may be stated explicitly in your presentation, or it may never be stated in so many words but only serve as a guide as you prepare. However, the congregation should have a clear idea of what the central idea is by the end of your sermon. Do not try to do too much in one sermon—a simple idea clearly subdivided and illustrated is often a very good sermon. A sermon should have just one central idea.

The third principle maintains that a powerful sermon must flow from the thoughts and experiences of the speaker himself or herself. Because identifying these thoughts and experiences is one of the most difficult tasks for the speaker, a list of questions is presented to stimulate discovery. Every person has a rich accumulation of ideas and experiences—the hard part is retrieving them for use in supporting the thesis idea. Bear in mind that these questions do not necessarily have one answer, nor do they necessarily have a right and wrong answer. The beauty of the lay ministry of our church is that each minister comes to the pulpit with real-life experiences from which to draw. Your answers should be based as honestly as possible on these experiences and the experiences of others as you have observed them. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are making theological assumptions all through your sermon. The questions posed here also try to make those assumptions explicit for your consideration. We hope the questions presented will get you started. Your personal testimony is the single most powerful element of your sermon. Your personal testimony should always be included. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to share your failures and mistakes with the congregation. Be sure that you are not always the hero of your own testimonies.

The fourth principle emphasizes the primacy of the individuals who compose the congregation. To be effective, the sermon must address their personal interests and needs and the interests and needs of their communities. The speaker should be alert to what those are. Sound advice comes from a great minister who observed that the effective preacher speaks with the Bible in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other. Religion has too often failed to be a powerful influence in people’s lives or has turned them off altogether when its spokespeople have misrepresented its promises, thus rendering it irrelevant to real human experience. The gospel of Christ is relevant to the immediate needs and experiences of the listeners.

One final brief counsel: Prepare early and prepare thoroughly! Even though you do not have a specific sermon assignment in the immediate future, you can constantly assess your life’s experiences for their appropriateness as sermon material. Once you have a specific assignment, don’t wait until Saturday to organize your ideas. Never forget that God’s Spirit will bless your efforts as you prepare and as you stand before the congregation, leading you to offer ministry.

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