I agree that we don’t want to just blast the people with chaos on any given weekend service, and it is nice to know what’s coming, but I just feel that it becomes lifeless. Sing a song or two, welcome & Announcements, sing a song or two, greeting, sermon, sing a song, see ya. Regardless of what songs you put in the slots, that order in and of itself will be come a hindrance.

I’m still very much working on this and what it looks like, I just know that what we’re doing now isn’t going to work for much longer.

Thanks for the great comment!

I like how you allude to the difference between a regular structure (I would call this “liturgy”) and mere routine. Because, to some degree, I’d say one way we enable people to engage in corporate worship is by giving them a sense of familarity with and expectation of what is coming next—they know that after the first two songs we’ll pray, etc.. While this can breed disengagement (going through the motions, habit, etc.), it can also foster engagement (people can participate freely and readily without wondering, “What’s coming next?” “What am I supposed to do here?”).

I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on that—how we cultivate creativity and fresh expression within a regular/familiar liturgical structure.