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There are five key steps to conducting an effective church service. Start by setting the tone with a positive message, then conduct a meditation prayer. Next, share the word with your congregation, set up worship opportunities and allow for reflection in silence if appropriate. Follow up with a closing prayer before ending the service.
Today’s church leaders face a whole host of challenges in leading their congregations. They must navigate the tricky waters between tradition and innovation, ensuring that their ministry is sustainable and relevant for the future. To this end, it is important for leaders to learn from others who are facing similar challenges elsewhere. This compilation seeks to provide some inspiration by showcasing different approaches to preaching and leadership in diverse settings around the world.
How to Start a Church Service
1. Gathering Materials
a. Bibles
– Ensure there are enough Bibles for everyone attending the service.
– Place them in designated areas around the space.
b. Hymnals
– Have hymnals available for worshippers to follow along during the singing portion of the service.
c. Offering Plates
– Set out offering plates for members to give their tithes and offerings.
d. Communion Elements
– If your church practices communion, make sure to have bread and wine or grape juice prepared.
e. Sound Equipment
– Check that all sound equipment, microphones, and instruments are set up and working properly.
2. Setting Up the Space
a. Seating
– Arrange chairs or pews in an organized manner to accommodate the expected number of attendees.
b. Altar/Stage
– Decorate the altar or stage with appropriate items such as candles, a cross, or flowers.
c. Lighting
– Adjust lighting to create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for worship.
3. Starting the Service
a. Welcome
– Greet attendees as they arrive and make them feel welcome.
b. Opening Prayer
– Begin the service with a prayer to invite God’s presence into the worship.
c. Worship Music
– Lead the congregation in singing hymns or praise songs to set the tone for the service.
d. Sermon
– Deliver a message or sermon based on a scripture passage or theme for the day.
e. Closing Prayer
– Conclude the service with a final prayer to bless and send off the attendees.
How To Lead A Church Service Sample
How To Lead A Church Service Sample
In this post, we’re going to be talking about how to lead a church service.
Whether you’re a new pastor or have been leading services for years, it’s important to know what the expectations of your congregation are.
If you’re new to leading a church, there are a few things you should know.
First, the sermon should be at least 20 minutes long. It can be as long as 45 minutes if needed.
Second, your Sunday School lesson should last 15-20 minutes with time left over for questions and answers afterward so that everyone has time to ask their questions before they leave class.
Thirdly, music should be played between classes so that people have time to get settled into their seats before class starts again after the morning worship service ends at 11:00 AM sharp!
Opening words for worship service
f you’ve just stumbled upon this post, it’s probably because someone’s asked you to give welcome to church speeches—or maybe it’s something you do regularly and you want to improve. We’ve got you covered.
Not only will you find 10 welcome to church speeches to kick off your next church service or large event, but also some suggestions for keeping your people engaged beyond your Sunday service.
Are Welcome to Church Speeches Necessary?
Whenever you have a large number of people gathered, it’s important to round them up and focus them on the reason that you’re all together. Even though we’ve come to call this initial address a “welcome speech,” it’s so much more than that.
When done right, a welcome speech gets people focused, sets the tone for the meeting, gives some sense of the agenda and outcomes, and gets everything off on the right foot.
Because welcome speeches tend to be brief and are seen as perfunctory, they’re often given without adequate preparation. Even the most seasoned speaker should shy away from completely improvising.
How To Coordinate A Church Program
The Dangers of Not Planning Your Welcome to Church Speech
While it’s entirely possible to give a fantastic impromptu speech, there are reasons why it’s best to give some thought to your welcome to church speech. Here are some of the hazards of inadequate preparation:
1. RAMBLING
One of the surest signs that someone hasn’t done their work in preparation is babbling. It’s easy to come up with a couple of points you want to hit on and imagine you’re prepared. What you inevitably forget is how unnerving it becomes when 100 pairs of eyes are fixed on you.
At that moment, you might remember your speech’s intended destination, but entirely forget how to get there. That’s when the rambling starts. In the moment, it becomes really hard to know when you’ve sufficiently made the point you wanted, so you just keep talking
2. FLUSTERING
The other side of the rambling coin is the stammering. When you haven’t cemented the opening remarks you want to say, it’s so easy to get stuck in a mental loop. Your brain’s going 1,000 miles a second trying to construct your speech. In the meantime, the stuttering starts and you have a hard time getting back on track.
3. POOR JOKES
Both the person that’s rambling and the one that’s flustered try to ease their stress by cracking wise. Nothing breaks tension like jokes, right? Well, not so fast. Jokes are like pork: Wonderful if properly prepared, but when you start serving them up only half-baked, you have a good chance of turning off everyone.
When your brain is struggling to feed you the next line, it’s not going to do a good job of assessing the quality of a joke. In this situation, it’s easy to throw out a quip that’s incoherent, inappropriate, or awkward.
4. NEGLECTING IMPORTANT INFORMATION
It’s likely that there are important points or directions that need to be communicated during a welcome speech. You might think, “It’s only a couple of items. What are the chances that I’ll forget them?” The chances are higher than you think.
Rules to Follow with These Welcome to Church Speeches
Before we get into the content of a welcome to church speech, here are a couple of rules to remember when you’re giving your address:
1. DON’T READ IT
You’re setting the tone of this gathering, and most of the time you’re trying to make people comfortable. The key to being prepared lies in being able to speak in a way that feels extemporaneous.
You can definitely bring a card with some notes on it, but it’s there as a guide, not a crutch.
2. MAKE EYE CONTACT
Being personable isn’t too difficult. You just want to appear cool, calm, and confident. Preparedness will help you get therem. Meeting the gaze of people in the room is going to help sell it. Just don’t stare them down.
3. SPEAK SLOWLY
Talking too fast is almost inevitable when you’re not used to speaking in public. You get up there and the adrenaline starts pumping through you, and you end up speaking three times faster than you intend.
As crazy as it sounds, speak a little more slowly than feels comfortable.
4. BE BRIEF
Polonius speaks the truth in Hamlet when he says, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Keep your welcome tight and concise and everyone will think you did brilliantly!
6 Key Elements of a Good Welcome to Church Speech
Most good welcome to church speeches are going to share some common components. But they might need to be packaged or delivered differently based on the kind of event you’re greeting people for. Here are six things every good welcome to church speech should do:
1. INTRODUCE THE EVENT (AND YOURSELF)
Start by welcoming everyone to the event and introducing yourself. This can be as simple as “Welcome to Redeemer Lutheran Church. My name is Susan.”
2. SET EXPECTATIONS
This is just a brief explanation of what people can expect to happen at the event. This should be as simple as possible. You’re not breaking everything down at an atomic level, you’re just giving a quick synopsis.
3. GIVE IMPORTANT PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Let people know what they may need to know in order to enjoy themselves. This could include things like the location of restrooms, a reminder to turn down cell phones, or the location of refreshments.
4. ACKNOWLEDGE NEWCOMERS
Let visitors know that they’re welcome. It’s amazing how much tension is alleviated in visitors when they’re told, “We know there are some new people here.” This gives them permission to figure stuff out as they go.
You’ll also want to address any methods you use to capture their contact information. A simple, “If you’re new here today, we want to extend to you a special welcome. In the pew in front of you is a contact card, we’d love for you to fill it out and drop it in the offering basket so we can get to know you better.”
5. LET THEM KNOW WHAT’S NEXT
After you’ve welcomed everyone, your job is to smoothly transition to the next thing. That might mean that you’re encouraging them to welcome a speaker or releasing them to get food or refreshments. Whatever it is, make sure that you’re helping to facilitate the next steps.
6. DON’T FORGET TO PRAY
If the situation calls for it, you can also open in prayer. The same general rules apply to public prayers that apply to welcome speeches. Unless you have some experience under your belt, it’s better to over-prepare than it is to wing it.
Welcome to Church Speech Templates
Here are some templates for various welcome speeches that you can use for your next gathering. Feel free to use these as springboards to get your creative juices flowing!
Sunday Morning
WELCOME TO CHURCH SPEECH #1
Good morning! My name is [NAME] and I’d like to welcome you to [CHURCH NAME]. If this is your first time here, we’d like to thank you for coming and we hope that you’ll be comfortable. We look forward to spending the next [service time period i.e. hour] worshiping with you. You’ll find a contact card in [location], please fill that out—we’d love to get to know you better.
Please remember [include any pertinent information about childcare, cell phone usage, or whatever here].
Please join with me in prayer. [Insert prayer*]
As the worship team comes forward, join me in singing [song title].
WELCOME TO CHURCH SPEECH #2
Hi! My name is [name] and we’re really glad that you decided to join us this morning. If this is your first time at [church name], we want to let you know how excited we are that you’re here. I hope that our casual environment will help you feel comfortable. I also want to let you know that [include any pertinent information about childcare, cell phone usage, or whatever here]. Lastly, please take a moment and fill out the comment card that can be found [location]. We’d love to get to know a little bit more about you, and how we can serve or pray for you.
Let’s ask God to bless our time together. [Insert prayer*]
[Introduce next element]
Graduations
WELCOME SPEECH #3
Good evening. My name is [name] and it is my pleasure to welcome the families, friends, and teachers of our [year] graduating class. It seems like just yesterday that these graduates were preparing for their first years here at [school name], and here we are celebrating their great accomplishments.
We want to thank each and every one of you for the part you have played in helping each of these students get here. Your sacrifice has made their [high school, middle school, college, etc.] career successful. Thank you.
Throughout the program we’ll hear from some of the faculty and a few of the students, pass out diplomas, and send these students on the next part of their journey. [Insert whatever elements you need to include]
Please remember to [insert important information]. And join me as we welcome [next presenter/speaker].
WELCOME SPEECH #4
Families and friends of the [year] graduates of [school name], my name is [name] and the faculty and I would like to welcome you to this wonderful evening. We look forward to remembering some of the fun and inspirational stories from the last [number] years.
This journey would have been impossible without the love, support, and encouragement of each one of you here tonight. So before we even begin, the faculty and students would like to thank you for the important role you played in this evening.
Lastly, we’d like to remind you that [insert important information].
Now, please join me in welcoming [next presenter/speaker].
Social Gatherings
WELCOME SPEECH #5
Hello everyone, I just really want to thank you for coming out. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces. If this is your first time with us, my name is [name] and we [if appropriate insert the name of the church or organization] want to extend the warmest welcome to you. We hope that you can use this time to make some important connections and build some relationships.
A couple things before we get started: [Insert any important information]. When I excuse you, we’ll start by [give directions for the next element]. [Share about any other events that will be happening during the gathering.]
[Insert prayer* if appropriate]
WELCOME SPEECH #6
Welcome! If you don’t know me my name is [name] from [organization or church], and we’re really excited that you all were able to come out and join us for [name of gathering]. If you’re new here, we’re glad you’re with us and we’d all love an opportunity to get to know you better.
The reason we’re here today is [reason—it can be as simple as an opportunity to share a meal and enjoy some fellowship]. It’s going to be an awesome time of fun, food, and [include other elements that will occur.]
In a minute, I’m going to excuse you and we’ll [insert directions]. Please note that [important reminders or information]
Thank you and welcome again!
How To Make A Church Service Interesting
- Start with a prayer.
- Announce any special guests that are attending or give any announcements that need to be made (e.g., upcoming events or volunteer opportunities).
- Sing a song together as a congregation and/or read a passage from scripture together as a congregation.
- Have someone lead a message based on that scripture reading or song you just sang or read.
- Ask for anyone who would like to share their faith to come forward and do so during the offering time (this is also known as “the collection”).
How To Open A Worship Service With Scripture
A call to worship is an invitation for the congregation to turn their attention toward God. It’s typically not intended to be a lengthy intellectual discourse but a summons. That is, unless you’re looking to invoke a particular tone or focus in a service like Good Friday or Christmas.
Powerful praise and worship verses can be used to address the congregation, or they can be spoken corporately. Here are the top 10 brief and emotive calls to worship from the Bible that you can use in your worship software.
10. Invitation from Psalm 3
Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people!—Psalm 3:8
This is a perfect example of a call to worship. It’s simple, concise, and immediately reminds listeners that they’re gathered as God’s people. Drawing attention to the Lord’s salvation and the blessings that He liberally pours out upon His children immediately creates an atmosphere of worship.
9. Call to worship from Psalm 5
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.—Psalm 5:7–8
This call to worship is a little on the longer side, but still effective. For an invitation of this length, it’s helpful to have your worship team play under it. You could show the passage with your church presentation software as the worship leader reads, or even simply show a fitting background for worship to help prepare the atmosphere. This will help draw the worshipers in and keep their attention as the call to worship is recited at your church gathering.
8. I will give thanks from Psalm 9
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.—Psalm 9:1–2
Obviously, the Psalms are a perfect source to use for calls to worship. After all, it is the Jewish hymnal, and it’s full of beautiful expressions of reverence. This is a perfect invitation for a worship response, especially if it transitions immediately into singing. There are many songs for worship that center around the theme of thanksgiving that would pair well with this call to worship.
7. Shout for joy! Psalm 66
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.”—Psalm 66:1–4
If you’re planning on kicking off your church service with an upbeat worship song, this passage from Psalm 66 is a great place to start. It’s emphatic, powerful, and perfect for reminding the congregation of the greatness and worthiness of God.
Encourage your church media team to be creative with the backgrounds in the worship software they use. Worship backgrounds are an important piece of the puzzle that set the tone for a worship gathering. Also, upbeat praise and worship songs give the media team an opportunity to sing for joy and use fun motion backgrounds and creative slide designs.
6. Let us worship and bow down: Psalm 95
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!—Psalm 95:6
Brief but compelling, this call to worship is really on the nose. There’s no question about what the congregation is being invited to do. It’s the simplicity of this call that makes it so powerful. It’s a good way to begin a worship service that will start slowly and build to an energetic finish.
When searching for bible verses about worship, this is a great place to start.
5. Make a joyful noise! Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.—Psalm 100
Here’s another longer call to worship that can be used in a number of ways, expressing joy to the Lord. You can call people to bless the Lord with the first stanza, and build the song choices around the other stanzas, introducing each song with the appropriate verses.
You could also have people in the congregation stand up and read a different stanza from their place in the sanctuary as a call to worship. Still backgrounds for worship are a great choice for when the congregation is reading scripture from the screens. Be sure to choose colors and fonts that are easy to read so that everyone can participate. (You can read some tips on great slide designs for worship.
4. Great among the nations: Malachi
For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place, incense will be offered to my name as a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of the Hosts. —Malachi 1:11
Here’s an intriguing take. In this one, the Lord calls His people to worship, and that worship becomes an avenue for making His name renowned among the nations. If you use this call to worship, you might even consider increasing its potency by lighting some incense in the sanctuary or using a hazer to simulate what the Israelite people experienced.
If you can’t have smoke in your church building, you can search for church motion graphics to be used in your worship software that will represent the concept on the MediaShout Media Store. This is another way to encourage your media team to be creative in using the features of your church presentation software.
3. Rest for your souls: Matthew 11
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.—Matthew 11:28–29
If you’re putting together a worship service with a more somber tone and reflective worship songs, this quote from Jesus is a strong call to worship. This invitation can be used to acknowledge the peace that comes from bringing your burdens to Jesus and resting in His unfailing love.
2. Draw near in confidence: Hebrews 4
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:14–16
One of the glories of the gospel is that, because of Jesus Christ, we all have access to the throne room of God. The invitation to confidently approach God and receive mercy and grace is what sets Christianity apart from any other world religion. This call to worship reminds us of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, who came and died for our sins to redeem us and restore us to the Father. We have the ultimate hope!
1. Divine invitation from Revelation 3
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.—Revelation 3:20
Highlighting the reciprocal nature of our worship, this invitation reminds worshipers that the Lord ministers to us as we minister before him. For congregants that have a hard time engaging in worship, this call alerts them to the fact that Jesus is waiting for us to reach out. This is perfect for including before a participatory worship song or a prayerful response time.
Finding your own calls to worship
Scripture is full of strong passages for leading people into worship. As you spend time in the Bible, pay attention to verses that can be used to inspire your congregation to worship God. Look for passages that talk about the bigness, goodness, and love of God and use them to kick off your worship service with participation from your congregation. If you are about to sing to the Lord, then search for Scripture that compliments it (hint: check back in Psalms).
Share your favorite calls to worship with us in the comments!
If you’re looking for ideas on how to end your gathering with a worship response from scripture, check out our list of scriptural benedictions!
Don’t have church presentation software yet, or thinking of upgrading? Get a FREE 30-day trial of MediaShout.
If you’re just dipping your toes into the water, you can even sign up for free webinars with an experienced church media technician to guide you through the possibilities when you implement software like MediaShout. You’ll be amazed at its powerful simplicity!