What Is the Worship Order at IDC?

A good friend who is planting a church on the West Coast texted me this week and asked about our worship order. After texting it to him, I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever written it out!

At IDC, we are working hard to blend the ancient with the modern. (See sermon on the Lord’s Prayer). We stand in line with churches throughout history, as we have multiple Scripture readings, read together some of the great documents of the faith (like the Apostles’ Creed), and we take the Lord’s Supper weekly. But our music is modern; our dress is casual; we apply the timeless gospel to real issues today; and we are trying to minister to modern needs in our city and the nation with our PEACE Plan.

While every Sunday is a bit different, here is a general flow on a Sunday:

• 1 Song
• Reading from the Psalms (we use The Common Book of Prayer to select the Psalm)
• Prayer
• Read aloud together a document of the faith (like the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, our Church Covenant)
• 2 Songs
• Reading of the today’s sermon text (normally by a female in the band)
• Biblical Sermon (we generally go through Bible books, seeking to make Jesus the hero of every sermon)
• Bible Reading and Explanation of the Lord’s Supper
• Time for reflection and examination
• Taking of the Lord’s Supper (usually by walking forward to dipping the bread in the juice)

• At this time, we sing 3 songs
• At this time, we also receive our offerings. We have offering boxes near the communion tables.
• At this time, our elders are available to pray with any in need, or for unbelievers who desire to take Christ as Savior.

• Concluding comments and announcements
• Recite the Lord’s Prayer together and dismiss