1. Exhortations to the congregation.
2. Prayers for those being baptised.
3. Questions and answers for candidates and sponsors.
4. Forms of baptism, reception and dedication.
5. Prayers for candidates and sponsors.
6. Exhortations to candidates and sponsors.
A. The First Order
The traditional Prayer Book services have this structure:
1. The Ministry of the Word and Prayer
a. Exhortations to the congregation, prayers for those being baptised, and Bible reading;
b. Exhortation to godparents or to those being baptised, followed by questions about repentance, faith and obedience.
2. The Ministry of the Sacrament
a. Prayers for those being baptised, followed by baptism in the name of the Trinity;
b. Reception of the baptised ‘into the congregation of Christ’s flock’, accompanied by signing with the cross;
c. Exhortation to the congregation to give thanks and pray for those baptised, followed by prayers;
d. Exhortation to the godparents and candidates, in the case of those able to answer for themselves, about persevering and growing in the Christian life.
This combination of exhortations and prayers explains the meaning of baptism and the responsibilities of candidates and sponsors. While stress is placed on the need for genuine repentance, faith and obedience, the prayers express dependence on God to wash away sin and work by his Spirit to bring new life in Christ. Without such prayer, the focus would simply be on the sacramental action, and the implication might be that baptism has some automatic effect.
B. The Second Order
Modern versions tend to reduce the number and length of the exhortations, and sometimes the number of prayers before baptism. But they provide new prayers for candidates and sponsors after the baptism. There have been attempts to combine baptism and confirmation, and to restructure so that the service fits more easily within the framework of the Holy Communion or Morning and Evening Prayer. More significantly, there has been this sort of structural change:
Although there are good features in this sort of structure, it is more complicated, especially in separating the decision of the candidates from the affirmation of faith. The desire has been to link this with the saying of the creed by the whole church. Simplicity of structure, with essential content, is important where baptism is part of an ordinary Sunday gathering. Many guests may be present who are unfamiliar with the gospel and uncomfortable being in church. The aim should be to communicate as simply as possible the meaning of the rite and encourage the congregation to pray for the candidate and sponsors, as vows are made and baptism is administered.
C. Sunday Services (2001)
This order provides a briefer version of the 1662 service in modern English and contains most of the important elements found in that order. However, it lacks the congregational prayer found at the beginning of An Australian Prayer Book Order 1, and in a briefer form in Order 2. There is an explicit prayer for the candidate after the confession of faith and immediately before the baptism in Sunday Services. It is important to include such a prayer at this point so that there is a specific appeal to God to receive and forgive the candidate, and to fill him or her with the Holy Spirit.
The words of reception after the baptism are quite brief in Sunday Services. Consideration could be given to using the sequence of responses after baptism found in Order 2 in An Australian Prayer Book, providing for a more explicit welcome to the candidate into the body of Christ’s people. These responses have the benefit of involving the congregation more effectively in the welcome and in commissioning the candidates to live as faithful disciples.
In addition to the resources listed under Services of the Word, the following elements are specifically relevant to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. They are under these headings.
A. The First Order
The traditional Prayer Book Communion Service has two main divisions, with several sub-divisions:
1. The Ministry of the Word and Prayer
a. Preparation to hear God’s word, involving prayers and a meditation on the Ten Commandments;
b. Listening to the Bible being read and taught, followed by a confession of faith;
c. Collection and extensive intercessory prayer.
2. The Ministry of the Sacrament
a. Preparation, involving exhortations, a confession of sin, and assurances of forgiveness;
b. Thanksgiving and prayer in preparation for Communion;
c. Communion, followed by prayer and thanksgiving, including the Hymn of Praise ‘Glory to God in the highest’.
These various elements provide the opportunity to reflect again on what it means to be disciples of Christ and members of his church. The more contemporary version of the same structure can be found in ‘The Lord’s Supper’ (Forms 1 and 2B), in Sunday Services.
B. The Second Order
Modern versions of the Communion Service, such as the Second Order in An Australian Prayer Book (1978), or ‘The Lord’s Supper’ (Form 2A) in Sunday Services, provide some of the same elements in a different pattern, as well as providing new resources.
1. The Ministry of the Word and Prayer
a. Preparation to hear God’s word, involving prayers and a meditation on the Ten Commandments or Two Great Commandments, with the option of a general confession and absolution, and the Hymn of Praise ‘Glory to God in the highest’;
b. Listening to the Bible being read and taught, with a confession of faith before or after the sermon;
c. Collection, and then intercessory prayer broken up by responses, with guidelines for spontaneous prayer on listed topics, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer or another option.
2. The Ministry of the Sacrament
a. Preparation, involving sentences, an exhortation, prayer in preparation for Communion, a confession of sin, and assurance of forgiveness (if not used earlier), and the optional Greeting of Peace;
b. Extended thanksgiving, with congregational response throughout, and the option of the Lord’s Prayer (if not used earlier);
c. Communion, followed by prayer and thanksgiving, including the Lord’s Prayer (if not used earlier).
Resources are listed in the sequence in which they might be chosen to fit the pattern of the First Order outlined above. When the Second Order or some other structure is being followed, the same resources can be inserted at different places. Some of these resources can also be inserted in the various orders for the Lord’s Supper. Click on the headings to see the resources available and some suggestions for their use.
Traditional Morning and Evening Prayer broadly follows this pattern:
As suggested in New Patterns for Worship, this block structure can also be represented in a more expanded form as a conversation between God and the congregation. God speaks to us through his word in various ways, and we respond with prayer, praise, faith and obedience:
| God speaks | We speak |
| Scripture sentence (focussing on why we gather) | Introductory praise |
| Scripture sentence and exhortation | Prayer of confession |
| Scripture sentence and declaration of forgiveness | Praise for forgiveness |
| Old Testament reading | Praise (perhaps a psalm) |
| New Testament reading and sermon | Confession of faith |
| Prayer and thanksgiving | |
| Scripture sentence (focussing on going out to serve) | Concluding praise |
Whatever the theme or emphasis of a particular service, this order can help us engage with God in a meaningful way and be renewed as disciples of Christ. A ‘conversational’ pattern involves the whole congregation in the encounter. The central section focuses on the need to hear Scripture afresh, and to respond with faith and obedience. The conclusion enables us to bring to God our own concerns and the needs of the world, as we prepare to go out and serve him in everyday life.
New versions of this order
Modern versions of this traditional order follow the same broad outline, but include helpful modifications. For example, ‘Prayer, Praise and Proclamation’ (Form 1) and ‘Prayer, Praise and Proclamation’ (Form 3) in Sunday Services (2001), provide:
A range of alternatives is provided in the Resource Section to insert at key points in this order, providing flexibility and variety within a recognised framework. Local creativity can flourish, while unifying features may help to bind congregations more closely together in their pattern of corporate worship.
A second order
‘Prayer, Praise and Proclamation’ (Form 2) in Sunday Services recognises that confession of sin and assurance of forgiveness may sometimes be more appropriate after the ministry of the word, and as a preliminary to prayers of intercession and thanksgiving. As a consequence, the praise introduction becomes an important means of expressing why we gather and on what basis we can come to God. This needs to be particularly well planned, and include more than a collection of favourite songs!
The pattern of this order is:
Other features such as a collection, notices, testimony, or time for mutual ministry, will need to be factored into these outlines. If a baptism is included, or if the Lord’s Supper is to follow, some shortening of the service may be necessary. Particular care will be needed with the selection of hymns or songs, to provide appropriate continuity and flow to the service.
Other possible orders
Another variation might be:
It might also be possible to follow the outline of a particular Bible passage in constructing a service. The passage could be chosen because of its thematic or seasonal relevance, and verses could be read out progressively to introduce a different phase or focus in the service.
For example, at an Easter celebration, 1 Peter 1 might provide the following structure:
At a Christmas gathering, John 1 could form the basis for this structure:
Good leaders want to help congregations grow in their grasp of the gospel and love for Christ, to welcome visitors and newcomers, so that everyone might find church an appealing and edifying experience.
In the section of this website entitled Learning from the Prayer Book, it was suggested that there is educative and pastoral value in adopting ‘menus’ and ‘courses’ that have been prepared by those with some expertise, together with prayers and forms of praise that have been tried and tested in various contexts.
Of course, to suit local needs on particular occasions, an order of service may need to be constructed from scratch and filled with local content. Every meeting does not need to contain formal liturgical elements to be honouring to God and helpful for those who gather. But there should always be an emphasis on hearing God’s word, responding in prayer and praise, and ministering to one another in love.
At this basic level, and in more detailed ways as well, the principles, patterns and contents of the Prayer Book and its successors remain a helpful guide and resource. So the ServiceBuilder and the Resources sections of this website allow you to choose material from a number of Anglican liturgies. Various structures for services are suggested in the Practical Guidelines section, with suggestions about a range of elements to include at different points.
Model services can be found in the ServiceBuilder section of the website, where you can easily add different elements to familiar structures and print the results.
Service leaders could adopt these in a regular pattern over a month, or use the Resources section to construct orders of service from scratch, according to their own context and needs. The Downloads section provides Powerpoint versions of prayers, creeds and other elements for constructing services.
ServiceBuilder is a tool that helps create God-honouring, meaningful and biblical gatherings. It allows you to arrange ‘resources’ (like confessions, creeds and prayers) into services that glorify God and edify the church.
You can use predefined ‘templates’, or you can adapt the standard templates to create your own. Once you have built your service on-line, the service can be saved in MS Word format, ready for use in church.
ServiceBuilder can output a “Detailed” and a “Summary” version of your service. The summary version might be useful (for exmaple) as the version that you provide to the congregation, which would contain only the congregational responses. The detailed version would be the version used by the service leader.
Click here to start ServiceBuilder
Leading services is a ministry, and therefore it has various things in common with other ministries. We should strive to do it as well as we can, in order to glorify God and bless others by our service. Prayerful preparation is an important expression of this aim. It is not helpful to put together a service a few minutes before starting! Moreover, the service leader is more than a ‘master of ceremonies’, introducing various items in a concert. The responsibility is to lead others to encounter God and play their part in the encouragement and strengthening of his people.
Ministry reflects God’s allocation of giftedness, and so those who do not have the gifts should not be encouraged to lead services. It is a role of public leadership within the congregation, requiring that the person should be growing as a godly and mature believer. It involves leading people in corporate prayer and praise, inviting others to exercise their gifts and co-ordinating their ministries for the benefit of the church, using Scripture, prayer and brief introductory comments to link various parts of the service together in a meaningful way.
Our approach should be shaped by a servant mentality, with a willingness to be trained and critiqued by others. We will also need to learn how to encourage those who read, pray, sing, play musical instruments, give testimonies or contribute in other ways. A practical way to provide training, feedback and encouragement is to form a team of people who lead services and have a regular meeting to review what you are doing and discuss new initiatives.
Formality and informality
Services may be formal in the sense that they are not random or entirely spontaneous, but follow a preset pattern or form. However, being formal isn’t the same as being impersonal. Gatherings of God’s people should be loving and inclusive. Yet, to be personal does not mean being flippant or embarrassed about the structured parts of the service or about mistakes that may be made in what is said and done.
The service leader has to strike the right balance between formality and informality in each particular situation. This will vary according to the nature of the occasion and the content of the service you have planned. Express warmth and friendliness, but do not fall into the trap of letting your own personality dominate the event.
Preparation
Start planning well beforehand, establishing an order of service and making decisions about how each element will be introduced and led. It is usually helpful to begin by considering the biblical passages to be read and expounded and to build the service around this centre. Agree with the preacher about a theme or emphasis for the service, which could be topical or seasonal. You may want to look up additional verses to include in your leading and begin talking to the musicians about appropriate ‘psalms and hymns and spiritual songs’ to include.
Every service should have an appropriate beginning, middle and end:
a. When we come together, we need to focus on God and put our distractions aside: the point of the gathering is not simply to enjoy the company of fellow Christians! The beginning may involve confessing our sins together and being reminded of the forgiveness of God made possible by the death of the Lord Jesus. It may also be an expression of praise and thanksgiving, acknowledging the way God has gathered us to himself in Christ.
b. If the heart of the meeting is the reading and exposition of Gods word, care will be needed in bringing the congregation to the point where they are ready to listen and learn. We should certainly be praying for a readiness to listen to God’s word and to be transformed by this encounter.
c. The conclusion of a service should provide opportunity to respond together to the ministry of the word with prayer, praise, and perhaps also testimony or discussion about what has been taught. The aim of the conclusion should be to focus hearts and minds on living out in daily obedience what has been learned and experienced in the gathering of the church.
You need to have a clear sense of what will happen at each stage during the service. Here are some important questions to consider:
Even if you follow a familiar pattern of service, it is essential to produce a running sheet for the guidance of all who will participate.
Attitude
In the dynamics of the service, it is the service leader who models the attitude everyone should adopt. If the leader is nervous, everyone will feel nervous. If the leader is awkward, others will feel awkward. If the leader is relaxed and seems pleased to be there, others will feel the same way. Be prayerful in approaching this ministry, and make sure to gather with other up-front people immediately before the service to ask for God’s help and blessing on the gathering of his people.
Amazing to say, but the service leader is a major factor in a person’s whole experience of church for that week, and a person’s experience of church is often a major factor in that person’s living for Christ in the week ahead.
As noted in the Biblical Teaching section of this website called Encountering God Together, our intentions and actions need to be shaped by God’s purpose in gathering us. The following sections seek to answer these questions from biblical, historical and pastoral perspectives.
The New Testament adapts the terminology of worship found in the Old Testament in two significant ways. First, it describes Jesus in his death, resurrection, and ascension as the great high priest who has offered a perfect sacrifice to fulfil and replace the worship associated with the tabernacle and temple. The Lord Jesus enables us to approach God with confidence, as those who have been purified, sanctified and perfected by his finished work, and to live in God’s presence forever (Hebrews 5:7-10; 8:1-6; 9:11-14; 12:22-24).
Secondly, the New Testament uses worship terms to describe the response we are to make to Jesus and the gospel. Some terms are applied to the service that we offer to God in everyday life, as we gratefully respond to the grace he has shown us (Romans 12:1; Hebrews12:29; 13:16). Similar terms are used to describe particular ministries that God gives to advance the gospel and build his church (Romans1:9; 15:15-16; Philippians 2:17; 4:18). The exercise of gifts in any context may be regarded as an expression of worship if the ministries are genuinely for the benefit of others and for the glory of God.
Reflection: Read Acts 13:1-3 and consider:
Another set of worship terms expresses the submission to Christ and homage that is involved in confessing his true character and becoming his disciple (Matthew 14:33; John 9:38; 1 Corinthians 14:24-5). Praise is particularly associated with submission and homage in the Psalms (95:1-6; 96:1-9; 99:1-5) and in the Revelation to John (5:9-14; 7:9-17; 15:3-4). Praise is our calling as Christians and an expression of our true identity (Ephesians 1:3-14; Hebrews 13:15; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
As we gather to express who we are as the redeemed people of God, we worship God by hearing his word with faith and by responding with submission and praise. As we celebrate the victory of Christ and enjoy its benefits together, we echo the songs of the heavenly assembly and anticipate the worship of the new creation (Revelation 5, 7).
Such references suggest that it is consistent with Scripture to talk about a church ‘service’, and to view congregational ministry as a means of worshipping God. However, since other terms such as fellowship and edification can describe the purpose of gathering, it is not helpful to use ‘worship’ as the main or exclusive term. Moreover, it is important not to obscure the fact that worship belongs to the whole of life. While all ministry must be understood as a response to God’s grace, and not in any sense a cultivation of his favour, ministry to others when the church gathers is an important aspect of our service or self-giving to God.
The ‘vertical’ and the ‘horizontal’ dimensions of what takes place should not be artificially separated. One part of our meetings cannot be ‘the worship time’ (prayer and praise) and another part ‘the edification time’ (preaching and exhortation), since New Testament teaching encourages us to view the same activities from both points of view.
Next: Gathered for fellowship in Christ