Christ Church is committed to “acts of public worship” (e.g. singing of praise) which God has instituted in Scripture. Historically we refer to this as the “Regulative Principle of Worship.” God, through His Word, regulates how He is to be worshiped (Heb. 12:28). Contrariwise, there is nothing explicit or implicit anywhere in the Scriptures suggesting we may worship in ways NOT forbidden in Scripture (Lev. 10:1) or worshiping in creative ways (e.g. drama or play-acting). To be faithful to the Scriptures in public worship guards against imposing unbiblical acts of worship on God’s people when assembled together for worship.

How will the worship bulletin change?

The “acts” or “elements” of public worship will remain and not change. However, what will change is the formatting. While this might seem insignificant, the formatting and placement of worship “acts” (or, “elements”) reflects a flow of worship that enhances the dialogical aspect of worship (“God speaks, Man responds”). Our worship bulletin now has two major divisions: “MINISTRY OF THE WORD” and “MINISTRY OF THE SACRAMENTS.” Under “Ministry of the Word,” we have Call to Worship, singing, prayer, confession, Scripture, sermon, and giving. Under “Ministry of the Sacraments,” we have confession, invitation, Scripture, prayer, participation, Doxology and Benediction. We no longer have the section where the people respond “we do.” The “we do” response is now subsumed in the Gloria Patri.

Another change. You will also see instructive comments in the left panel adjacent to the “acts of worship.” These comments are educational in nature. While we at Christ Church may be familiar with the “acts of worship,” our visitors may not be.

One final change to note. You will see that the “Prayer of Intercession” (intercessory prayer offered by the Elder or pastor) is placed under the heading of “The Giving of Offerings.” You may scratch your head asking, “how is prayer an “offering?” We typically think of “offering” as financial giving. But “prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God . . . ” (Shorter Catechism Q.98). Prayer, especially intercessory prayer is considered a “fragrant offering to God” (Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5:8).

We trust that these small changes may in fact enhance and deepen “our” and “your” experience of worship pleasing to the Lord. The revised bulletin will begin August 30. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the elders or pastors.