First off, there is no ONE way to word or design a church order of service. The order of service, however, DOES have a specific flow. Though the words and phrases may change from time to time, the general flow should remain the same. Generally speaking the flow goes something like this:
Gather and Praise
Confession of Sin
Assurance of Pardon
Proclamation of the Word of God
Sermon/Homily/Reflection
Thanksgiving
- Offertory
- Communion
- Intercessions
Sending Forth
- Benediction and Commission
Each aspect of this flow might be worded a little differently but they combine to accomplish something very important in our worship, namely, mission.
Here's a more comprehensive look at Sparling's order of service:
ORDER OF SERVICE
Gathering and Celebration of Community
Call to Worship and Prayers of Approach
Prayers of Confession
Words of Assurance
Celebration of Assurance
Proclamation of the Word
Sermon
Prayers of Thanksgiving
- Offertory
- Communion (3rd Sunday of every month)
- Prayers of Intercession and Lord’s Prayer
Sending Forth
- Benediction and Commissioning
The gathering is a celebration of community. We gather to sing songs of praise to God in celebration of the Word God has spoken to us and the mission God has given to us as a people. At a designated time in our songs of praise, the presiding minister calls the Congregation to worship and leads the prayers that begin our community’s approach to enter into the presence of God. It is within this divine presence that we are aware of our sinfulness and weakness and through the prayer of confession we ask God for pardon and strength. The words of assurance are an affirmation that God does not look on our sin and weakness but rather sees the divine image we carry. Mindful of this image of God each of us has been created in, we celebrate the knowledge of the assurance that our sins are forgiven and our weaknesses turned into strengths. Now, as a community bound together by the Holy Spirit, we are fully prepared to worship God the Creator revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The Word of God revealed to us in both the Old and New Testaments is proclaimed to us and the presiding minister applies that word to our daily living through the Sermon. All the components of the Worship service to this point lead us to make a joyful response of thanksgiving to God. We offer God the first fruits of our labours by financially supporting the work of the Church. This offering is called the offertory because it combines our financial gifts along with the gifts of bread and wine for communion (every 3rd Sunday) and our commitment to volunteer in the life and work of God’s church. Once a month we celebrate communion which the early church called Eucharist, a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving”. Communion brings us into the very presence of Christ in a way that is both a real and beyond our comprehension. Through communion Jesus comes to us in a way like no other. As a community we pray for the Church, the world, and our needs. These prayers are known as prayers of intercession because they are representative of the community of faith interceding on behalf of the needs of others. We gather these prayers together into the great prayer Jesus taught us known as the Our Father or Lord’s Prayer. From Abraham, through Moses, Jesus and the people of God today, an encounter with the divine changes our lives. God has a mission for us and that mission is to be the Church in the world. We are given this mission to care for one another, seek justice, resist evil and proclaim Jesus crucified and risen. The worship service reminds us of this calling and sends us forth to be the people of God in the world. The words of Benediction (blessing) may seem like a closing prayer, but they really represent a new beginning – a commissioning to go out and proclaim the Good News. Our Worship for the week has therefore not ended, but just begun!
