Order of Service

How else is the preacher going to get paid?

 

Most Primitive Baptist Churches follow this order:

10:30am (or 10am for some) - start singing

10:55am - stand for the last song, usually selected by the one who will be preaching.

11am - ask for prayer requests and open with prayer

11:05am - preaching starts

12pm - preaching concludes(unless he's being longwinded ), and someone will call for a song to be sung while everyone comes around to shake hands, hug, etc.

12:15pm - we will usually have a few announcements about upcoming meetings, birthdays, or if anyone will be absent the following week, then the pastor will ask someone to dismiss us in prayer.

That is it besides visitation and the like afterwards, or if we bring lunch that day.

We never ask for an offering or pass a plate. In fact, I've only been in one church service that did pass a plate. It was a Southern Baptist church in Georgia, and I felt very uncomfortable passing the plate right along.

 

It's called liturgy.
All churches have it. Those who claim their church doesn't are simply more likely to visit a church that has boring liturgical practices.

 

Its funny, though---we get all "bent out of shape" because we go to church and discover there is a prearranged "order" to follow!!! Ain't that what this tread is all about??? We call it "Tradition"----and then we gripe because we go and are "bored to tears" with "Tradition"

Suppose, Bro. Bob---that cruise ship you love to travel on----suppose they suddenly wanted to switch it up a little bit----suppose the Captain said----something like----"You know??? Its a tradition that we've always been going to this specific Port-o-Call---and by golly, I'm tired of it---its so boring---same ole thing day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year---I'm gonna spice it up a little bit--throw away the scedule---do things backwards for a while---maybe instead of going to this boring port---we'll just sail around in circles---I'm kinda particular to this ship anyway---all the passengers are gonna do anyhow at those ports is spend money---why spend money there---when they can spend it here!!!!"

Then the Ship's Navigator gives his report---"Cap'n! Hurricane Andrew is dead ahead in our path!! Tradition says we stear around the storm!!" But the Cap'n's had enough of tradition---so he barks orders to ram the ship straight up the Hurricane's Epicenter----"We'll give the passengers a ride for their money!!!!"

Or the football games----over 120 years of tradition----4 quarters per game----15 minutes/quarter-----same thing day in and day out, week end and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out---football tradition---but yet not one person "gripes" for a change.

Every establishment has order to it----you go to the bank to make a deposit----and the teller is gonna tell you----"Sir! You can't break in front of the line! Tradition says you go to the back of the line and wait your turn!!!"

But we aren't bored with any tradition---except church!!! God help us!! Something that Jesus owns and operates and we're bored to tears with it!!!

 

We've mixed up the order of our services over the years. Sometimes we'll add a song, or drop a song. We quit taking offerings years ago as well. Now we have an offering chest in the back of the auditorium. Makes it so convenient when you're going out of town to drop in your tithes and offerings, rather than wait until you return. Lately we've had all the men come to the front by the platform to pray before the Sunday evening service. We also tried having our Wednesday evening prayer service before the preaching, just to see how that would go. Didn't do that one too often before we went back to the norm. There's a sense of security in an order of service, and it's also good to know at the same time that we're not bound to any set schedule. The Lord can "disrupt our apple cart" any time He wants!

 

I'll take a hymn sandwich, but please, hold the announcements. Better suited to leave them in the bulletin.