# Does your congregation follow your denomination's liturgy?



## N. Eshelman (Sep 16, 2008)

I am wondering how many of your congregation's follow the liturgy that is in your particular book of order? (By liturgy, I simply mean the order of worship). If so- is it binding in your denomination? If not, why do you use something different?


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## DMcFadden (Sep 16, 2008)

Liturgy? What's a liturgy?

We just do announcements, sing five or six 7-11 praise and worship (you know, 7 words repeated 11 times) numbers mixed in with a few older hymns (jazzed up with drums, guitar, woodwinds, violin, keyboard, etc.), the choir sings, we greet each other, the offering is received with a song playing, and the pastor preaches for 35 minutes, followed by an "invitation" hymn, and benediction.

 Now you know one of the reasons I'm exploring the churches of the PB community.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Sep 16, 2008)

The Book of Worship in the ARP is not "binding" but is to be used as a guide and should be normative in how an ARP church operates on the Lord's Day. 

Our local church follows the DoW of the ARP however. 

(Unless Marrow Man wants to correct me, because I am an ARP newby and could be incorrect)...


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## Ivan (Sep 16, 2008)

DMcFadden said:


> Liturgy? What's a liturgy?
> 
> We just do announcements, sing five or six 7-11 praise and worship (you know, 7 words repeated 11 times) numbers mixed in with a few older hymns (jazzed up with drums, guitar, woodwinds, violin, keyboard, etc.), the choir sings, we greet each other, the offering is received with a song playing, and the pastor preaches for 35 minutes, followed by an "invitation" hymn, and benediction.
> 
> Now you know one of the reasons I'm exploring the churches of the PB community.




Well, there is no perceived liturgy. I believe most Baptist churches do the same basic thing every Sunday, whether good or bad. I'm really bad about this...not that we do the things listed above by Dennis. 

I open our worship service with announcements and prayer requests and then begin the worship service with prayer. Until the prayer that begins the worship service we see the announcements and prayer requests as pre-worship. After the prayer my associate (he's ordained too) conducts the service.

After that I preach. My guess would be that I preach for around 40 minutes. Believe me, that is short. I could easily go an hour.

So, Dennis, is it a _problem_ to preach 35 minutes (or longer)?


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## Seb (Sep 16, 2008)

I would vote "Other"

In our "Traditional" service we follow a liturgy. In our "Contemporary" service we are a little more like a non-denominational Church.

It's interesting to compare the two. The traditional CRCNA liturgy centers on *corporate* confession and worship. The contemporary service is much more laid back and "Me" centered. I see a different theology of what worship should be, demonstrated in the two.

I definitely prefer the traditional liturgy.


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## DMcFadden (Sep 17, 2008)

Ivan said:


> DMcFadden said:
> 
> 
> > Liturgy? What's a liturgy?
> ...



Our pastor gets away with it OK.


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## Grymir (Sep 17, 2008)

DMcFadden said:


> Liturgy? What's a liturgy?
> 
> We just do announcements, sing five or six 7-11 praise and worship (you know, 7 words repeated 11 times) numbers mixed in with a few older hymns (jazzed up with drums, guitar, woodwinds, violin, keyboard, etc.), the choir sings, we greet each other, the offering is received with a song playing, and the pastor preaches for 35 minutes, followed by an "invitation" hymn, and benediction.
> 
> Now you know one of the reasons I'm exploring the churches of the PB community.



Do you go to my church? 

Of course we don't get the invitation hymn, and our pastor only get 20 minutes. 

I only wish we had a liturgy. I want a high church liturgy sooooooo bad.


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