John D. Witvliet

Q. We have conflict on our worship team that is very frustrating to our congregation. What have other churches done to work with this? —Ontario A. To my surprise, this is the most frequently asked question we receive here at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Perhaps this is the inevitable result of having many more people involved in worship leadership than a generation ago. Three primary strategies appear to be the most common and helpful.

Q. Just what may go on the communion table? Flowers? Offering plates? Open Bibles? Fake communion bread?—Michigan

Q. I worry that when I lead the congregation in prayer I often use language that sounds like cliché. My skills with words don’t match my desire to lead people with imagination and fervor. What can I do? —British Columbia

This article is excerpted from a new booklet on planning worship in the popular So You’ve Been Asked To . . . series (see inside back cover for more information). So You’ve Been Asked to . . . Plan a Worship Service includes sections on The Role of the Worship Planner, The Planning Process, Patterns for Efficient Planning, Long-Term Goals, Questions, and Resources.

Q. I’ve been working hard on worship planning, but no one seems to notice.

Q. Our congregation is eager to learn more about worship in the African-American tradition. Can you recommend some resources for us to study?

This article is adapted from an address Witvliet gave at the inauguration of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Most of us probably read Reformed Worship for practical ideas. We want to find resources, songs, texts, scripts, and images that we can use in our congregations—preferably by next week.

Q. In our church, we begin every service with something called an "introit." What does that term mean?—Georgia

On the first Sunday of October, increasing numbers of churches participate in World Communion Sunday, a time when Christians everywhere celebrate what it means to belong to "the holy catholic church, the communion of the saints." Indeed, the church is the one body of Christ, our head. In Holy Communion, we most deeply celebrate our oneness in Christ.

Planning worship for Good Friday is a challenging pastoral and theological task. How do we begin to acknowledge the power and the mystery of the cross of Jesus Christ? How do we proclaim, even on Good Friday, that Christ is crucified and risen? What emotions are appropriate to express? Do we rejoice or do we weep? Three Typical Approaches to Good Friday A quick study of thirty or more printed orders of service in my files suggests that most Good Friday services feature one of three strategies.