Four Pillars of a Worship Service

 

A worship service can look a million different ways; let me say that from the off. There isn’t a convenient, easily packaged routine that will work for any and all churches. The context, community, size, style, and dozens of other factors will determine how a church needs to structure their worship. But, regardless of all those things, there are four things that are vital to making every worship service beneficial to those in attendance, and, more importantly, glorifying to God. They are: 

1. Fellowship

Fellowship is essential for mutual encouragement, spiritual growth, accountability, and unity in the body of Christ.

Acts 2:42 (ESV): “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV): “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”

1 John 1:7 (ESV): “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…”

2. Prayer

Prayer connects us to God, aligns our hearts with His will, and is a powerful part of corporate and individual worship.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV): “Pray without ceasing.”

Acts 1:14 (ESV): “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…”

Philippians 4:6 (ESV): “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

3. Praise/Worship

Praise honors God, expresses our gratitude, and invites His presence among His people.

Psalm 100:4 (ESV): “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

Psalm 22:3 (KJV): “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”

Hebrews 13:15 (ESV): “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

Ephesians 5:19–20 (ESV): “…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart…”

4. The Word

The Word of God teaches, convicts, encourages, and forms the foundation of truth in worship.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV): “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”

Romans 10:17 (ESV): “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”

Colossians 3:16 (ESV): “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…”

There’s a good chance that your church’s worship service looks different than mine. That’s actually a good thing! A church’s expression of worship should be unique to the church’s context, community, members, etc., and the beauty of the Church (that’s capital “C” church) is that it can look a million different ways and still be glorifying to God and beneficial to those in attendance. So long as these four pillars are the core of what your worship service is built on, everything else is up to you to decide!