WORSHIP LEADERS
WORSHIP PLANNING: WHY WE BANNED FIVE MINUTES | Jon Nicol
"I JUST NEED FIVE MINUTES." content of our worship services. So here are
Said the student pastor. some practical tips to keep those "extras" from
Said the mission trip coordinator. crowding out the music and the message.
Said children's ministry director.
more exact in their planning. Speaking of...
3. HELP SHAPE THE SEGMENTS.
Announcements and special ministry segments
Said the guest missionary looking to raise 1. BUDGET THE BIG STUFF FIRST. are almost intended to persuade. That is,
support. As the worship leader, you might have we want people to take action. But what do
Said the Gideon rep. "jurisdiction" over the entire service. But most announcement givers do? They inform.
Said the family pastor. chances are, you're likely only given full Correction: they over-inform. They ‘content-
decision-making power over the music sets. If dump’ details on a captive congregation,
Five minutes. Or ten minutes. It doesn't matter. you have any sway or influence with the lead causing
Those two descriptors of time have become pastor or other person who programs the entire phone-checking.
vague approximations that range from seven service, ask them to agree on two standards to minutes to "we now need to cut two songs budget the critical elements of the service. If possible, guide your announcement people
from of our three-song worship set." • We want at least ______ minutes for to focus on the why and just a limited amount
worshiping of the what. Then give a clear call-to-action to
While leading at my last church, we banned
the use of 5-minute, 10-minute, and even
15-minute time slots for announcements or
•
together
through
music,
widespread
drowsiness
and
scripture, prayer, etc. take the next step. Leave the details of what,
We want at least ______ minutes for the when, and how for whatever that subsequent
message and response time afterward. step is.
special speaking segments in our service.
It's just like a budget for your personal finances. 4. LET EXCEPTIONS BE EXCEPTIONAL.
Why? Most of us are terrible judges of time. You make sure the critical expenses are covered When you've determined your ‘budget’ for
Remember the last time you were late to meet before you allow the non-essential spending. announcements and special segments, stick
a friend for lunch? "I'll be there in five minutes," When you have an agreed-upon minimum to it. Occasionally, something will come along
you texted. That was while you were stopped time for the primary stuff, you can more that’s worth cutting songs or trimming the
at the first of eleven traffic lights between you confidently allot time to the secondary stuff. message. But if you make too many exceptions
and Applebee's. The Israelites walked through
too often, pruning your primary worship service
the Red Sea faster than you're getting to those 2. ‘HOSTAGE NEGOTIATE’ SPECIFIC TIMEFRAMES. barbecued riblets. Former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss describes how he used specific dollar amounts We can't forget that we've been entrusted
In our culture, five, ten and fifteen minutes when working out a ransom amount with Latin to serve those who gather in our churches
has become ambiguous terms meaning "in American kidnappers. So instead of, "We can on Sunday morning—to minister to them, to
a little while." That might be OK when you're pay you $3,500 US dollars." It was, "We can encourage them, to challenge them, and to
approximating arrival at a casual lunch. But pay $3,427.86." provide a place where they can worship the
when you're stewarding the time and attention
elements will become the norm.
Triune God together.
of your congregation, hazy approximations on It seems strange, but the specificity made secondary service elements can steal time from the amount seem more concrete and limited. As you experience pushback from people
the more critical stuff—congregational singing, This is how we banned the vague 5-, 10-, and demanding stage time, remember that you're
communion, the message, and getting out early 15-minute time frames. We started using Voss’ a steward of the Sunday morning experience.
enough to beat the Baptists to Applebee's. tactic. (If you think that's a little crass, you've If you don't protect it, it will become a diluted
never had a tenacious children's ministry hodgepodge that serves no one.
The fuzzy math of ‘five minutes’ and ‘ten director demanding stage time. Third world
minutes’ can wreak havoc on your worship ransom negotiations are less hostile.) Instead
service. And while I'm joking (mostly) about of five minutes, we offered 3, 4, or 6 minutes.
getting out on time, the truth is, we need to Instead of ten, it was 7, 9, or 11 minutes. The
be shepherds and guardians of the flow and specific time allotment pushed people to be
70 March 2020
Jon Nicol
Jon’s the founder of WorshipWorkshop.com and
WorshipTeamCoach.com, two sites that help worship
leaders build strong teams and lead engaging
worship. He lives and serves in Lexington, Ohio with
his wife Shannon and their four kids.
WorshipWorkshop.com
WorshipTeamCoach.com
Subscribe for Free...