Parts 1 and 2 of this little series contained some basic templates for a 75-minute Christian gathering. This third variation is especially good for those occasions where the content of the Bible passage or sermon is relatively simple and straightforward, but contains a powerful challenge with numerous implications for our lives. It has the sermon quite early in the meeting, followed by a more extended time for prayer, reflection, discussion and other things (such as celebrating the Lord’s Supper together).
This can also be a useful pattern to follow where the sermon is longer and more demanding, but is not amenable to the ‘two-parter’ template (which is part 4, to follow).
Template 3: Earlier sermon
| 9:30 | Welcome and opening prayer, introduction to this morning’s theme. |
| 9:32 | Song of joy, praising the great deeds and character of God. |
| 9:35 | Bible readings (one each from the Old Testament and New Testament) with brief introduction/explanation as necessary. |
| 9:40 | Response to readings: Creed or psalm or a song of dedication/exhortation (e.g. ‘May the mind of Christ’). |
| 9:43 | Sermon (followed by optional question time; depending on the topic and/or time available, it may be good to omit question time in some instances so as not to dilute the power of the challenge). |
| 10:15 | Responding to God’s word, selected from the following:
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| 10:37 | Announcements and family news. |
| 10:42 | Song (reflecting main theme). |
| 10:45 | Round-up and morning tea. (Seat people after the song, and bring their minds back to what we’ve learned as a lead-in to conversation at morning tea.) |
I am loving this series TP.
It would be interesting at some stage to hear your thoughts/tip for service/meeting/gathering leaders. It seems to me that it is one of the jobs that can be done well and no-one notices or badly and EVERYONE SUFFERS!