Planning Together

How do you help form a body of believers that aren’t merely consumers in congregational worship, but are providers as well? Sadly, many church leaders only have a vision for providing for congregational consumption, and many congregations are satisfied with only that. There is not a grand vision for what the worship gathering is meant to be – a place for mutual edification in the faith as members of the same body gather under the Word according to all of the prescriptions laid out in the New Testament (Eph. 5:19; Heb. 10:25; Acts 2:42). Yet, due to a lack of teaching, and leadership and planning geared towards meeting consumers’ needs, many congregations are caught off guard each Sunday as they gather with only an idea of the flow of the service, and no preparation for the actual content of the service. Below I would like to suggest some practical ways that pastors and church leaders can help their members be prepared for the elements of worship each Lord’s Day, and thus equip their people to be engaged participants in the Sunday morning assembly. Each category assumes an adherence to the Protestant tradition of the Regulative Principle in which the corporate gathering worships according to the commands laid out in Scripture, nothing more or less. Many of these tips come from my experience as a former deacon of music, and now as an elder, seeking to plan together with our congregation for Sunday morning worship.

Read the Word

Do you have Scripture readings in your corporate gatherings? If not, you should! Paul encouraged young Timothy to “give attention” to the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13). He also told the Colossians to circulate his letter, which he believed to be inspired Scripture, to other churches for public reading (Col. 4:15-16). Planning for Scripture readings is important. It’s helpful thematically to line up Scripture readings with the main sermon. If the sermon is from the New Testament, perhaps you can locate a reading from the Old Testament corresponding to the text. The most important thing is that Scripture is being read. It’s a command.

How can you prepare people for Scripture readings? Firstly, it’s important to teach on why Scripture is read in the corporate gathering. This will create a category of importance in people’s minds and will cause them to listen attentively and reflectively while it is happening. Secondly, you can help familiarize people with the passage by using social media. Think about utilizing Facebook or Twitter to inform people about the text that will be read. For example, you could say, “Prepare yourself for worship this Sunday by reading Isaiah 42!” If you’re a pastor maybe you could update your status to make a comment on the Scripture reading that will be done on Sunday. We have so many outlets to inform people in advance. Think creatively about how you can spread the word!

Sing the Word

To sing the Word is to sing back to God the very words of Scripture, and to proclaim in song the glorious truths of the gospel. In our songs, we are able to sing out the robust truths of Scripture in harmony with one another. What a beautiful picture and reality of what the gospel does as it unifies people at the cross! Yet, many people’s tongues stumble and stammer as they try to sing out songs that they don’t know, and sometimes cannot even sing. Value #1 – sing biblical truth. Value #2 – make sure normal people can actually sing it! Choose songs that are rich with biblical truth, pleasing to the ears, and simple enough to sing.

Now how can you help people prepare to sing together? Firstly, remind them of its importance. We are singing to God, AND to one another (Eph. 5:19). Members should feel the weight of what is happening when we join together in song. It’s a joyful celebration, and a somber reminder of our need to persevere in the faith by rooting ourselves in the promises of God. Secondly, teach the songs to people. Prepare them to know it, so they can properly sing it. A Sunday night prayer service is a great venue for this kind of teaching. Thirdly, use social media! Resources like Grooveshark and Spotify allow you to create playlists and share them with people. Make your playlist the songs that will be sung on Sunday and share your playlist on your Facebook page, or send out an email. Singing a new song on Sunday? Give people a heads up with a link to one of those really cheesy music videos on YouTube! Once again, think creatively about how you can spread the word on what people can expect.  

Pray the Word

Do you pray the words of Scripture? Do you pray according to the commands of Scripture? There is a great opportunity to teach people about the importance of praying God’s Words back to Him (e.g. the Psalms; Pauline prayers), and praying in line with what He tells us to pray for. Public prayer teaches your people how to pray. Does your gathering make room for prayers of confession and prayers of praise? Does intercession take place? You will prepare members for prayer by teaching them why you pray what you pray for. We are told to pray for those in authority over us (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We are encouraged to pray for the church around the world (Col. 4:3). We are told to confess our sins and pray for one another (James 5:16). As you weave these elements into your public prayers week after week, people will be ready and eager to pray along. Great resources to equip people to pray according to Scripture are books like Operation World and Don Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation. When current global events are trending in people’s minds, pray for those things. Chances are that they have been praying for them already, and the congregation will feel the weight of this event as they bring it in prayer together on Sunday morning. Consider working through a list of countries or missionaries systematically so you can help people pray together for specific people and needs. When Sunday comes, they will have already been praying for it and will be ready to join together in supplication.

Preach the Word

As you preach the Word (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2), you will plan accordingly. Whether it’s a series in Philippians or a series on a specific topic, planning is important for the pastor and for the congregation. A pastor who waits until Friday to decide what he will preach, places his people at a severe disadvantage as compared to congregations that have time to ruminate on the text in advance. Pastor, for the sake of your church, plan to preach!

As you preach through books of the Bible, plan out your sermons so you can notify your people on what they can expect. Website or personal blog posts, social media, weekly bulletins and calendars all can be utilized to inform your people about what will be preached on in the coming weeks. Encourage your people to read in advance. Their daily quiet time can include the text that will be preached on Sunday. In their discipling relationship, encourage them to read through the passage and talk about it. When members are taught to immerse themselves in the text and talk about it during the week with fellow members, they will be more than ready to hear the Word preached on Sunday morning. Simply giving people notice of what they can expect can make the preaching and listening a worshipful experience of delight in God’s Word. To nurture this kind of culture in your church will create a holy hunger for Scripture and will bolster the preaching ministry of the church.

Calendars can also serve your people as they think about inviting non-Christian friends and family to church. As they look at the texts that will be preached, they can be strategic towards inviting them with a specific end in mind.  

See the Word

Lastly, prepare your people for the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, by giving them advance notice. If you don’t take communion every week, try to create a rhythm of when it will be observed so your people can be prepared. For instance, we take the Lord’s Supper the first Sunday of every month. Often an email goes out the week of, as we encourage people to prepare for this time. We serve our people well by helping them take this meal seriously and protecting them from approaching the Lord’s table in a nonchalant manner (1 Cor. 11:27-29). As biblical church membership is taught and understood in your church, baptism and communion should be regarded highly, as the church makes every effort to prioritize their time around these ordinances. You might encourage your congregation to plan vacations as not to interfere with these times. If they have two available weekends to make a trip, encourage them to be present when Communion takes place. When a new believer is baptized, teach them that they are witnessing and affirming that person’s profession of faith. And call them to support that new believer by being present in the worship gathering.

Planning together with your congregation for worship is important if we will create a culture of providers and not consumers. To inform your people, and even allow some of them into the planning process, will benefit all greatly as we seek to worship our Lord together.