Was It Worship? - Christianity Today

Though church leaders spend extraordinary energy preparing for worship, many do not evaluate whether the energy was well spent.

Part of this reluctance comes from the (correct) belief that worship is a spiritual activity and that God’s role in it ultimately is a mystery. Who can say, after all, whether people “really worshiped,” whether God was really encountered, or whether God was truly glorified?

Yet if we’ve been given the ability to plan worship, we can evaluate at some level what we’ve done. The following tool, prepared by Leadership’s editors and advisers, can help. It does not cover all the bases (for example, sermon evaluation is left out), and not all questions fit every congregation. Feel free to customize it for your congregation.

The Essentials

These elements have historically been part of worship. These are objective questions: Did our service include this element? If so, in what way? If not, why?

Preparation and prayer

Did we help people prepare for worship?
Were people prayed for before and during the service?
Did prayer in the service include: Adoration? Thanksgiving? Confession (with assurance of pardon)? Supplication for personal and church needs? Intercession for others outside the church?
Was God invoked as a Trinity?
Were people in the congregation given an opportunity to pray aloud? Silently? Together in small groups?

Praise and song

Were people given opportunity to sing?
Were there other opportunities for the congregation to participate: kneeling, reading, reciting, clapping, etc.?

Word and theology

Of the major parts of Scripture (as traditionally categorized), which were read aloud: Old Testament? Psalms? Epistles? Gospels?
Did the service in some way retell the saving deeds of biblical history?
Did the service tie in with the theme of the Christian year?

Sacraments/ordinances

Was Baptism or Communion observed?

Congregational responses

Was the offering set as part of worship?
Was there opportunity for people to dedicate themselves more fully to Christ?
Were people invited to become Christians?
Were people able to minister to one another in the service (pray for one another, testify to God’s goodness, exercise spiritual gifts)?

The Approach

This includes more subjective judgments, so it is good to get input from a variety of people, leaders, and participants.

Flow

Tone: Was the mood reverent? Joyful? Appropriate for the theme of the service?
Focus: Was the service directed toward the people or directed toward God?
Intent: Was the purpose of each part of the service clear? Did people understand its relation to the rest of the service? Were transitions clear? Too quick? Awkward?
Style: Was the service conducted too formally or too casually for this congregation?
Tempo: Did the service drag? Move too quickly? Where did we bog or rush?

Community life

Did announcements represent healthy congregational life?
Did we make guests feel welcome?
Were both staff and laity visible up front?
What demographic groups did the up-front leadership reflect (gender, age, marital status, etc.)?

Congregational participation

Was the bulletin easy to follow?
Did we confuse people in any way?
Did the congregation understand what it was supposed to do (especially if it was new)? Was it a meaningful act of worship?
Did the congregation participate in the way the worship planners hoped? Why or why not?

Readers, presenters, and pray-ers

Were these participants well prepared?
Did they communicate with sincerity and feeling?
Any distracting mannerisms?
Did the prayers seem meaningful or cliched?

Singing

Was the ratio of meditative to joyful songs appropriate for the theme of the service?
How many new/unfamiliar songs was the congregation asked to sing?
Did the accompanist(s) help the congregation sing well—in tempo, volume?
Did the congregation know what to do: which verses to sing, when to start/stop, etc.?

Special Music

Were the words clear?
Did the quality of presentation fit the occasion?
Did the style and message of the music fit the service?

Invitation

Was the invitation (for prayer, rededication, or conversion) clear?
Was the tone sincere, personal, and non-threatening?

The Spiritual Aspect

Though God ultimately works in mysterious ways, this is the most important dimension of worship.

Heart: Where in the service were people’s affections/emotions most touched?
Soul: In what ways did the service allow people to meet God? Did anyone report such an experience, however subtle?
Mind: What spiritual truth was the service trying to convey? Was it understood?
Strength: What action did the service point people to? How were they encouraged to serve Christ?