Dan Parker, associate pastor of worship and music at First Baptist Church, Elyria, Ohio, led a module Wednesday on the art and science of putting together a worship service. “We are going to look at planning a service and the tools available to you to make it the best it can be, no matter your church’s size or level of talent,” Parker said.
Parker sees the principal ingredients of a corporate worship service as the message, offering, prayer, and congregational singing. The ever-present challenge is to fit these components together in a way that feels cohesive and natural. “Try to identify a theme for the day,” Parker suggested. Choosing elements for the service that are all directly related to the pastor’s sermon will help prevent the worship service from becoming disjointed.
Creating a smooth, natural flow is also paramount. “A service will rise and fall on flow,” Parker explained. “It doesn’t take long for people to get distracted, so the flow is very key. Always keep things moving.”
Parker then impressed upon the module attendees the abundance of resources available today that can aid churches in putting together well-crafted, cohesive worship services. In particular, he recommends the following:
Projection
Digital Songs & Hymns
Music
Getty Music
Sovereign Grace Music
Videos
Sermon Spice
Igniter Media
Skitguys
Drama
DramaMinistry.com
Lillenas Dramas
Skitguys
Presentation Software
SongShow Plus
ProPresenter
EasyWorship
MediaShout
PowerPoint
Proclaim
