The Church is a wonderful place where each member is a participant in the life of the church. Sometimes we can view Sunday morning as only for a few people to serve the body while the rest warm pews as spectators. This is unhealthy and ultimately leads to a mentality akin to talent judge Simon Cowell on Britain's Got Talent. We assume it's our job to critique and judge. Rather than participating in the work and becoming part of the solution, we can step back with a spectator mentality (at best) or a critic mentality.
Church gatherings are for the church to minister to one another. There is a lot of time given to corporate worship as we participate in singing to our Lord with one voice. There is a lot of time given to hearing the Word, and prayerfully searching out our hearts during the sermon. But is that all? What if you are not preaching or leading worship? Is there still ministry for you? Absolutely! In fact some of the best ministry happens in a one-on-one context before/after the service. Here is some advice from 9Marks on how the church body can serve the church on a Sunday morning.
Before the Service
- Read the passage in advance
- Pray for the gathering
- Greet newcomers (act like you are the host)
- Think strategically about who you should sit with
- Arrive Early
During the Service
- Sing with gusto (even if you can’t sing)
- Help with logistics (if there’s a problem, help fix it)
- Don’t be distracted
- Listen carefully
- Be aware of your facial expressions (you may affect others and discourage preachers)
After the Service
- Connect newcomers with others
- Get newcomers information
- Start a conversation about the sermon
- Ask someone how they became a Christian
- Stay late
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