Leading a Service at St Andrew’s

We’ve put in place this summary guide for those who are new (or need reminding) about how to organise and lead a normal Service at St Andrew’s; especially for services like the 10:30 Sunday morning service. Hopefully they will help to guide you through the process and make life easier for yourself and all those involved.

This is not intended to be prescriptive, but provide helpful information and suggestions for things to consider when planning (more like a checklist). If in doubt, ask the relevant people.

Who’s doing what?

Do you know who is doing what for your service? There are available rotas for:

    • Leading, preaching and, if appropriate, taking communion.
    • The music group will be and whose leading.
    • The intercessors and (bible) readers.
    • The ‘Warden in charge of the service’.
    • The Technical team (sound, PowerPoint/EasyWorship and recording)

If you don’t have these, an overview is available on Google Docs by clicking here but this might not be fully up to date. The office should also have copies of all the current rotas. Who is leading the children’s groups? Is there coffee after the service (and where)?

What do I need to do?

  • A Service Planner (.docx) can be downloaded from our Templates page by clicking here. When complete, send this to all those involved.
  • Templates for PowerPoint and EasyWorship can be found on our website by clicking here.
  • Please send the Order of Service, service slides and song choices in good time as indicated (for the Sunday services this needs to be by Thursday night for Kirsty to pull everything together on Friday morning). By default, there is a rehearsal for the music group and technical team on Friday late afternoon / early evening – please make sure that all involved know exactly when this will be.
  • If you wish to use anything that may be copyright (e.g. videos, images or songs) in the service, please check that you are free to use them and that, if the service is due to be recorded, that they can be uploaded onto YouTube without a copyright strike. This needs to be done well in advance of the service and please don’t include the video, image  or song into your PowerPoint until this is done; ideally just include the Share URL in your Order of service. This is a complex area and we are looking to try to get some further guidance to help; meanwhile Derek Barnes can usually provide guidance on a case by case basis.
  • If you are planning to use a video in the service (for example something recorded on a smart phone) please make sure that it is in a format that we can play through EasyWorship in church. The video should be useable in 4×3 landscape with MP4 video files at 1024 x 768 and 25 fps being ideal. Please note that we cannot play proprietary format videos through EasyWorship in church, e.g. MOV files.

Things to think about

  • If you are not used to services at St Andrew’s, previous services can be found on our website and the Office can provide you with examples. There is no fixed format and all reasonable flexibility can be accommodated with a little planning.
  • Generally we aim for services to be about 1¼  to 1½ hours long.
  • Sermons are normally about 20 mins long and normally follow on from the bible reading(s). If the service is being recorded, we normally want this so that the reading and sermon can be separately put up as a block on our YouTube Channel.

Children’s Groups

  • When they are going out and are they coming back?
  • Are you doing a children’s activity / talk during the service while they are in?

Notices 

  •  Check if there are banns to be read. These are important!
  •  Check and decide if there are any upcoming items to be advertised. Are you going to do this in the service or have a rotating PowerPoint to advertise them before the service? Or both?
  • Are there going to be refreshments after the service? If so let people know where at the end of the service.

Worship Music 

  • Discuss with the music group leader if there is a big music block / flexible response time / playing over prayers, etc.
  •  You and the music group leader should discuss song choices – whether you want a particular song or theme, or leave it up to them. We normally use Song Select to download the song words, so please provide the song title and Song Select song number if possible. By default, for the 10:30 service there is a rehearsal for the music group and technical team on Friday late afternoon / early evening – please make sure that all involved know exactly when this will be.
  • Are there any constraints on where the music group can be positioned and make sure that the music group leader liaises with the technical team regarding rehearsals and setup?

Prayers and Readings

  • Decide when these will happen in the service and let the people doing them know (including things like any particular prayer points and versions for the readings).
  • Are there any areas to specifically cover or avoid (e.g. as they being prayed for elsewhere).
  • After the service, is there an opportunity for a small team to offer to pray for people? If so will this be announced near the end of the service or included in the notices?

Technical Team

  • Discuss what you are planning to do, including what microphones (fixed and radio) you would like to use and who is going to click on the PowerPoint.
  • Are there interactive parts / interviews / videos and when will thee be a rehearsal?
  • Where will things be happening (particularly important when we are recording the service, need to get the lighting right and the continuity). Are there any bits that need to be omitted from the published recording?

Sermon

  • Decide when this is happening during the service.
  • If the preacher is not you then ask them to talk to the music group and technical team about these things as well!

Communion

  • If scheduled for the service, how and when will this happen during the service and who will be officiating (and providing the communion PowerPoint)?
  • Where (physically) will this happen. How many stations?
  • If the service is being recorded, what will happen / be recorded during communion?