3. Observe other service leaders

Copyright loganban www.123rf.com

The fact that you have participated in a lot of church services doesn't mean that you have noticed what the service leaders have been doing.  Once you start leading yourself, what other people do will become much more interesting to you, and you'll start to notice all the variations;  you'll also start to work out what you like and don't like.

So as you start having a go, keep a notebook, so that you can jot down things you notice about the services other people lead.

Some people like to have a sheet of memory-jogging questions, that they fill in after they've attended a service.  That has its uses, especially when  you're starting out, it certainly helps you to focus on a wider range of things, but over time if you are easily bored (like me) you'll probably find you only want to make a note of stand-out things.

Here's a list of things you might want to take notice of (some of these are listed on the 'Training Program for a Lay Preacher' page of this blog):

• Is there some kind of guide to help congregation members participate in the service, or is everything directed by the leader, so that people depend on their guidance, and perhaps therefore do more listening, less speaking?  Or is the congregation permitted to speak unprepared, eg. are people invited to give a testimony or word of prophecy, or pray in their own words?
• What sort of guide is there - music words on a screen? Hymn or song books, with or without a melody line?  Prayer books, prayers on a screen, a card with a selection of prayers, a 'pew sheet' with a prayer or two specific to the day?  Do people bring their own Bibles, pick one up at the door, find one on their seat, read them off a screen, read from a sheet printed for today, or just listen?
• How many people participate in the service, who are they, and what is the nature of their involvement?  Is it a one-person gig, or do lots of people contribute?  Are their contributions prepared or spontaneous?  Are their contributions controlled - eg they are allowed to sing a song chosen by the minister, or read a prayer from the prayer book, but they are not allowed to write their own prayers, or make a  off-the-cuff announcement.  (Note that there are very good reasons for those in authority to make those choices, this isn't about whether it's good or bad, just about observing what is - and this will help you get a feel for what freedom you are likely to be given as service leader too).
• Preparation – is it clear that careful planning has taken place, or is there a lot of room for unplanned things to happen?  Is it carefully produced, or casual?  Is it orderly or chaotic?  Is the feel business or family?  If it isn't carefully controlled, do you get the sense that that's deliberate - say a theological choice to leave room for the work of the Spirit in the moment - or is it accidental - perhaps because the service leader was poorly prepared?
• You may not be able to answer this next question by observation, but it's certainly useful to know, so well worth asking someone:  How are the specific songs for that day chosen - are they from a fixed repertoire?  If there is a set repertoire of songs/hymns,  how is that repertoire chosen, and by whom?  (It might be that the church has invested in a particular resource, a hymn book for example, and all songs have to come from that book.  The book might have been chosen by a previous minister.  Or it might be that there is a policy about the style of music that is used, and a team of musicians might choose the songs having researched what's current;  or maybe songs are chosen to represent a range of styles, or a range of theological truths).  Who decides at what point in the service which song will be sung?  Also, are there any musical items, or are there instrumental interludes, when the congregation listens rather than participating?  Is the music controlled, or does the music leader decide when to repeat and when to finish in the moment?  Is there music playing in the background during prayers or teaching segments?
• Who leads prayer? Is it only the minister? A member of the congregation?  The service leader?  A number of people?  Anyone who wants to, including visitors to the church?  What is their style - are they casual, do they use a lot of the same phrase repeated frequently? Do they read out prayers they have written in full?  Or are they deciding what words to use as they go along?  Do they use pre-written prayers from other sources? What is their language like - formal, flowery, everyday, vernacular, very familiar?  What topics do they include (and omit)?  Do they include things that have been said during the service - eg. a point the preacher made, or requests from the congregation? Does the congregation join in the prayers, and if so how? Is there a set prayer, where someone leads, and the congregation answers?  Can congregation members request prayer, and if so how are they encouraged to do so?  Do their requests cover a range of topics, or do they seem only to ask for one sort of issue?  Are the congregation invited to lead in prayer, by coming forward to a microphone, a mic. passed around the seats, or by calling out from where they sit?
• Take note of the flow of energy in the service;  does it start energetically, gradually become more quiet or sombre, then lift again towards the end?  What is the level of energy that people walk away feeling?  What does the service leader indicate to the congregation is expected at each point - do they emphasise  quiet, praise, meditation, response, learning, etc., perhaps by using those words, or by their own manner?  Do they invite people to be still, to observe silence?  At what point in the service do they do that?  Do they encourage people to get up and dance?  Do they use a raucous voice, invite people to call out, move around a lot themselves? Or have a still reflective manner?  Does this change over the course of the service? Does the energy match what is happening in the service?
• Use of technology – is there a data projector, and how fully are its functions utilised? Is it a glorified overhead projector, with mismatched fonts and awkward formatting, or is it used for film clips, information about unhappy children and on the spot feedback?  Do people follow the readings on their smart phones, or the screen? Are there pictures or only words?  Is there a microphone, and do people know how to use it?  Some things the service leader can't control, like whether the sound system is out of date and held together with bubble gum;  but within those limits, do they pop and crackle because they are standing too close, or are they too far away so that the volume has to be turned right up and starts ringing? Do they appear not to know how to adjust the stand so that the mic. is at a comfortable distance - eg.  lean uncomfortably towards the microphone, yank it toward or away from them, stoop down, or stretch up?  Do they move about too much so that their voice fades and swells?

As you are observing all these things, of course you need to ask yourself, what is the impact of the way these things are done, of the decisions that have been made?  Do they help people to concentrate on God?  Or are they a distraction? Do they draw attention to a person, or to the Lord?  Do they help the people present to serve each other, or to grandstand?