What Happened When We Changed the Order of Our Worship Services

Sam Rainer

August 9, 2020

We had a predictable rhythm to our worship services. It was a good pattern that served our church. Then the pandemic hit, and we had to rethink everything.

Overnight, the way we did worship no longer worked.

After a brief closure, we reopened in-person services to an entirely new format. Here is what we did. Here is what we’ve learned.

We have five services in two languages across two sites. To minimize the impact of change and to account for social distancing measures, all our services kept their old time slots. Though it’s tough to predict, in most cases, when a church removes an option for worship, up to thirty percent of people in that option will stop attending the church. For example, a church that moves from three services to two services will lose about thirty percent of the people in the service that no longer exists. Many churches are surprised when they build bigger spaces to consolidate services that they decline when the new space opens. The reason is a removal of an option. We wanted as many to come back as possible, so we kept our existing service schedule.

The service times were one of the few parts of the worship experience that remained the same.

Length of worship shortened. More children are in the service. Cleaning must happen between each service. Our one-hour-and-five-minute services reduced to forty-five minutes, fifty-five minutes tops. The transitions are tighter. The flow is smoother. People are more focused. We also noticed less people arriving late.

True multigenerational worship started. With more children in the service, we had to do something completely different. We reduced the time of the sermon to twenty-five minutes and split it in two halves. I preach for ten minutes. Then our family minister, Jenny Smith, teaches a “Kids Minute” message geared towards children. Last week we did a freeze dance competition. Yup, Baptists dancing in worship! Then I finish the sermon with an additional ten or fifteen minutes. I think our adults like the Kids Minute just as much as the kids.

Songs became a response to the proclamation of God’s Word. We flip-flopped our music and preaching. I start with preaching, then our congregational singing comes afterwards. Theologically, I like how our singing is a response to the preaching of God’s Word. Practically, kids get antsy later in the service. It’s less stress for parents if everyone is standing and singing while their kids are stirring.

Sermons became more refined (and better). I shortened my sermons by ten minutes. They are harder to write but much easier on the ears of the listener. I believe people are retaining more.

The numbers became irrelevant, and the Spirit became more important. We’ve had far fewer conversations about how many people attend and far more conversations about how people experience God.

Creativity flourished. The best art is produced at a moment of tension. Our digital presence before the pandemic hardly existed. We were doing a podcast that was a poor recording of the live preaching. In a week, our worship team created a digital worship experience that I believe is one of the best in the nation. We made the decision not to do a live stream of Sunday mornings and rather invest in pre-produced experiences that are at most thirty minutes. Even the best live stream services are wonky, and we were not going to be in the top tier. On Wednesdays, we do a stripped-down live prayer and worship service called “Together Live.” It gives people the live connection without disappointing them with a poorly done live stream.

Attendance is down. We’re averaging about half our usual attendance. But the Spirit is up. Worship is better. Our church is healthier. The pandemic gave us the opportunity to do things we didn’t even know were an option.

10 comments on “What Happened When We Changed the Order of Our Worship Services”

  1. Pat Batdorff says:

    Pastor,
    Your comments were so uplifting. We can’t wait to get back and worship with you and other believers. It is so exciting how our Lord works.

    1. Sam Rainer says:

      We can’t wait to see you!

  2. Kathy Hood says:

    Great sermon today….I have a friend who believes in Karma but hates God…she actually gave up on our friendship because I believe in Salvation through Grace …pray for my friend to come to know God in a personal way…she says she’s spiritual, now I understand better about Karma…

    1. Sam Rainer says:

      Thank you Kathy! I’m praying for your friend.

  3. Marlene Taylor says:

    Great article. When we are willing to do things
    God’s way, wonderful things happen. We also
    Need to keep our hearts, mind and Spirit open
    So we can recognize when we have to change
    course or make divinely appointed adjustments.
    Thanks so much for sharing your journey.

    1. Sam Rainer says:

      Great point. Thanks Marlene!

  4. Roberta Jones says:

    I identify with this line, “The pandemic gave us the opportunity to do things we didn’t even know were an option.” That describes my life. I’m enjoying new options, even as I grieve over negative societal changes. Thanks for the encouraging words, Pastor Sam!

    1. Sam Rainer says:

      Thanks Roberta! Keep that adventurous spirit!

  5. Joan says:

    4/30 ….Just stumbled on this by doing a Goggle search. I love the order of the worship service, start with worship song & prayer, sound Biblical teachings, and then just WORSHIP GOD about the teaching. I have been to many churches and this is the first one where the songs are worship. Same songs that I love, Pastor Jordan and his so beautifully gifted team turn them into true worship. So very thankful to God for bringing my family to WWBC under your guidance Pastor Sam

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