Detailed Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

PART 1
CHRISTIAN GATHERINGS

  1 Sunday Worship

Worship—All of Life and Every Sunday

Clarifying Corporate Christian Worship

Two Old Testament Pictures: Paradigms, Postures, and Purposes

God-Revering

Scripture-Saturated

Ordering Worship

Jesus’s Worship Habits

Worship through the Ages

Sample Worship Services from Contemporary Churches

Thoughtful Variety: Other New Liturgies

Grace Immanuel Bible Church

Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church

New Zion Baptist Church

Christ the Redeemer

Putting It into Practice

The Imaginary But Ideal Church

  2 Annual Services

Christmas

Select Christmas Scriptures

Select Advent and Christmas Hymns and Songs

Select Christmas Poems

Advent Liturgy

Evening Christmas Services

Sample Christmas Eve Candlelight Services

Sample Christmas Sunday Services

Good Friday

Select Good Friday Scriptures

Select Good Friday Hymns and Songs

Select Good Friday Poems

Sample Good Friday Services

Easter

Select Easter Scriptures

Select Easter Hymns and Songs

Select Easter Poems

Sample Easter Services

  3 Weddings

The Importance of Premarital Counseling

Sample Wedding Questionnaire

Crucial Questions

Implementing Effective Premarital Counseling: Examples and Curricula

Planning the Wedding Service

The Necessity of a Church Wedding Coordinator

Resources for Designing a Christ-Exalting Wedding Service

Structure of Standard Wedding Services

The Optional Unity Candle

Select Hymns and Songs for Weddings

Wedding Service

Sample Wedding Ceremony Planning Worksheet

The Wedding Homily: Resources and Examples

Select Scriptures for Weddings

Select Poems for Weddings

The Complete Texts of Ten Wedding Homilies

  4 Funerals

Initial Pastoral Care

Immediate Visit with the Grieving

Anticipated Considerations

Preparation for the Funeral

Gathering Information about the Deceased

Planning the Funeral

The Funeral Services

The Visitation Service

The Funeral Service

The Burial Service

Follow-Up after the Funeral

The Funeral Homily: Resources and Examples

Select Scriptures for Funerals

The Complete Texts of Ten Funeral Homilies

Sample Funeral Remembrances

  Enrichment: Poetry to Enhance Preaching and Worship

PART 2
PARTS OF THE WORSHIP SERVICE

  5 Public Prayers

The Immense Importance of Public Prayers in the Worship Service

Our Public Prayers Teach Our People How to Pray

Our Public Prayers Bring Power to the Church

Preparing for Public Prayer

Spiritual Preparation

Preparing Prayers

Invocations

Baxter’s Savoy Liturgy

The Book of Common Worship, 1946

An Invocation Built from a Tapestry of Texts

An Invocation from Several Psalms

An Invocation Based Partly on Genesis 2

An Invocation Based on the Shema

An Invocation Based on Philippians 2:9–11

Confessions

Early Protestant Confessions

Pastoral Prayers of Confession

Unison Prayers of Confession

Responsive Prayers of Confession

Scripture Passages for Silent Confession

Pastoral/Congregational Prayers

Sample Congregational Prayers

Sample Congregational Prayers Based on Texts of Scripture

Benedictions

New Testament Benedictions

  6 The Historic Christian Creeds

Importance

Origins

Second- and Third-Century Professions of Faith

The Apostles’ Creed

The Nicene Creed

The Athanasian Creed

The Westminster Creed

Expressions in the Sunday Gathering

Beyond the Sunday Gathering

  7 Hymns and Songs

The Purpose of Church Music

Guidelines for Congregational Songs

Principles for Lyrics

Our Lyrics Should Reflect God’s Lyrics

Our Lyrics Should Edify Others and Exalt God

Our Lyrics Should Raise Religious Affections, Not Ridiculous Emotionalism

Our Lyrics Should Be Theologically Comprehensive and Balanced

Principles for Music

Music Should Enhance the Lyrics

Music Should Complement the Preaching

Music Should Be Conducive to Congregational Singing

Music Should Be Selected and Played by Godly and Competent Musicians

Pastors to Lead in Worship

The Hymnbook: A Great Treasure-Store

Shepherding through Song: Personal Devotions

Additional Resources

Books on Christian Worship Music

Internet Resources

  8 Baptism

The Protestant Believer’s Baptism View and Practice

Theology of Baptism

Preparation for Baptism

Preparation for the Baptism Service

Administrative Preparations for Baptism (Logistics)

The Full Texts of Five Baptism Liturgies

Baby Dedications

The Protestant Infant Baptism View and Practice

Baptism Texts in the New Testament

Mode, Symbolism, and Subjects

Protestant Infant Baptism Practice

Charitable Policy on Baptism

Sample Infant Baptism Liturgy

Confirmation

  9 Communion

The History of the Lord’s Table

The Early Church

The Middle Ages

The Reformation

The Biblical Theology of the Lord’s Table

Old Testament Theology

New Testament Theology

Resources for the Lord’s Table

Sample Invitations to Communion

Sample Prayers for Communion

Sample Prayers of Confession

Sample Prayers for the Bread

Sample Directives for Partaking of the Bread

Sample Prayers for the Cup

Sample Directives for Partaking of the Cup

Creeds and the Table

Fencing the Table

Sample Communion Benedictions

Sample Communion Liturgies

The Genevan Psalter of 1542

The Puritan Celebration of the Lord’s Table, 1651

Richard Baxter’s Savoy Liturgy of 1661

The Book of Common Prayer, 1662

The Complete Texts of Three Communion Services for Today

Hymns and Songs for Communion

Old Hymns

Newer Hymns

Special Communion Services

Sample Christmas Communion Service

Communion Questions

Frequency?

Participation?

Partaking Worthily?

PART 3
MINISTERIAL DUTIES

10 Pastoral Counseling

A Biblical-Theological Rationale for Pastoral Counseling

What Is Pastoral Counseling?

The Philosophy of Pastoral Counseling

The Nature of Pastoral Counseling

Characteristics of Effective Pastoral Counselors

Spiritual and Psychological Characteristics of Healthy People

The Practice of Effective Counseling

Receiving Referrals for Pastoral Counseling

Preparing for the First Session

Common Pitfalls to Effective Pastoral Counseling

Emergency Situations and Making Referrals in Pastoral Counseling

Emergencies

“Must Referrals”

“Should Referrals”

Accepting Reimbursement

Safeguards for Pastoral Counseling

Special Situations in Pastoral Counseling

Effective Premarital Counseling

Effective Marriage Counseling

Effective Counseling with Unbelievers

Conclusion

Selected Bibliography

11 Hospital Visitation

Hospital Protocols

Visiting the Sick

Ministering to the Dying

To Unbelievers

To Believers

Essential Scriptures for Hospital Visitation (by Subject)

Brevity of Life

Comfort

Confidence

Death

God

Heaven

Resurrection

Suffering

Appendix: Sample Wedding Services from Various Churches

Anglican, 1662

Anglican, 1978

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, 1946

Lutheran

Baptist

A Sample Wedding Ceremony

Choice Outtakes

Call to Worship

Preface

Charge

Prayer/Invocation and Vows

Rings

Pronouncement

Prayer

Benedictions

Books for Further Reading

Downloadable Resources

Index