The word “liturgy” literally means “the work of the people” and is commonly used to describe the order of a church service. Every church has a liturgy, whether it’s formal or informal, strictly followed or varied from week to week. Throughout history, God’s people have planned their liturgies intentionally to communicate & protect the story of salvation. In the Old Testament the Israelites celebrated God delivering them from the bondage of Egypt. Christians celebrate God’s delivering us from the bondage of sin. Throughout history liturgies have contained similarities that reflect the gospel and our response to it. We’ve identified twelve potential elements of a liturgy to help you find songs for a particular part of your meeting.
For more thoughts on liturgy, we highly recommend Bryan Chapell’s book, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice.