Sunday  service Guidelines

Thank you for serving in our congregational worship service. Our service preparation begins with the chosen text for the week's sermon. We select God and Man themes from this text to guide the selection of other Scripture readings, songs, and prayers. Typically, our opening Scripture reading comes from the Testament opposite the one containing the sermon text. This aims to create a thematically unified service centered on God's Word.  

We strive for our services to follow a gospel arc, including the following elements:

• Call to Worship & Prayer of Praise 
• Confession 
• Redemption 
• Assurance  
• Worship through Giving 
• Scripture Reading 
• Sermon 
• Baptism (usually every first Sunday) 
• Communion (usually every third Sunday) 
• Ministry Moment 
• Response 
• Benediction 

These elements can be achieved through a variety of ways, such as through prayer, songs, and/or scripture readings.

This site provides a brief overview of the various roles involved. Please click on your area of service and review the guidelines that follow. Please also refer to Planning Center Online (PCO) for specific information for each Sunday’s service, such as the God and Man themes (found in the notes section), scripture readings, order of service, and times allotted for each section.  
For any questions, please email Emily at emily.lauer@centrevillebaptist.org.
 
Our standard sound check is Sundays at 9:00 am. We appreciate your dedication to leading our worship service! 

Call to Worship & Prayer of Praise

This section should take no more than three minutes and should include the following elements:

• Introduction: Include your name and title (lead pastor, elder, member, etc.) 
• Welcome: Include members and visitors. Be warm and be yourself. Direct visitors to complete a welcome card and drop it off at the welcome desk to receive a gift. 
• Moment of silence: "Let's take a moment to quiet our hearts before God.” (20 seconds) 
• Scripture reading: Include the book, chapter, and verse. Read from the ESV. 
• Prayer of praise: A short prayer praising God for who He is. Focus on the attribute of God evidenced in the sermon text and call text (God Theme). Use “we” and “us” as this is a congregational prayer. Match your tone to the content. 

Example of Call to Worship:
Good morning brothers and sisters, and welcome to this gathering of Centreville Baptist Church. My name is Hank Williamson, I serve here on staff as a Pastoral Assistant. We wanted to welcome you all here this morning, especially those of you who are new here. We are thankful to have you worshipping with us this morning. If you can take a minute of your time this morning to fill out one of the connection cards in the seat in front of you and drop that off at the welcome desk where we will have a mug as our gift to you!
Brothers and sisters, we have the great honor of worshipping the living God this morning. The God who sent his only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. There is hope beyond the grave for those who place their trust in Jesus alone. He has given us His righteousness and reigns as the just King of the universe. We have much to praise Him for this morning.
Please stand with me as we take a moment of silence to calm our hearts and set them on worshipping God. (20-30 seconds).
Read: Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Let's praise the Lord together in Prayer: Father, we come to you this morning eager to praise your name. You are worthy of our praise because you do not forget your promises. You did not forget your promise to David, Lord, you sent us the King we need. You sent your Son Jesus whom we worship because He has conquered sin and death and has given us His very own righteousness by which we now call you Father. Help us to worship in Spirit and in Truth this morning. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings 

Please follow these guidelines when reading the sermon text: 

• Source: Read from a physical Bible or the presenter screens rather than from a phone or tablet. Always use the English Standard Version (ESV). 
• Reference: Announce the text including book, chapter, and verse. Give the congregation a moment to find it in their Bibles.  
• Tone: Your tone should match the subject matter. Avoid monotony, but also refrain from being overly dramatic. Aim for a natural and engaging delivery. 
• Pacing: Do not read too slowly, especially for longer texts. 

Ministry Moment 

Please follow these guidelines when providing the ministry moment:

• Prepare: Be familiar with your content to ensure a natural, clear, and concise delivery. 
• Tone: Use an appropriate tone, considering both your content and placement within the service. For example, a high energy opening would not be appropriate immediately following communion. 
• Delivery: Be concise. In general, the ministry moment should take no more than two minutes. 
• Visual Aids: If you plan to use slides, please coordinate with Wendy Nostheide (wendy@centrevillebaptist.org) no later than the Wednesday prior to service.  

Benediction

Please follow these guidelines when providing the benediction:

• Announcements: Give any brief announcements as specified on PCO. 
• Text: Read the text as a blessing on God’s people. The text will be selected to fit the theme of the sermon.  
• Closing: Provide a brief closing sentence such as, “Have a blessed week. See you next Sunday.”