The FCC order of service contains many of the elements of worship historically used in the Christian church. It is structured to help the congregation think through and participate in the adoration of God, confession of sins, celebration of assurance through Christ, and affirmation of our faith in God — The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The progression of service is as follows:
CALL TO WORSHIP – We begin the service by orienting ourselves to God’s glory. We are reminded from Scripture of who he is and what it means to approach him in worship.
SONG OF ADORATION – We sing God’s praises with attention to his glorious character and attributes. We stand in awe of his holiness.
CONFESSION OF SIN – Our focus on God’s glory and holiness reminds of our unholiness. We take this time to examine our hearts and to confess and turn away from sin.
SONG OF ASSURANCE – The consciousness of our sins does not lead us to despair. Instead, we rejoice in assurance of pardon and empowerment by God’s grace through the finished work of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING, INTERCESSION, AND ILLUMINATION – Because of God’s grace and the intimacy that we have with him through Christ, we come boldly into his presence as a congregation. We give thanks, make known our requests, intercede for others, and pray for God’s blessing over the preached word that we are about to hear.
SCRIPTURE READING – As God’s people, we grow in grace and communion with him through his Word. We stand together to read a biblical passage that corresponds with the sermon text.
SONG OF PREPARATION – By praising God for the gift of his Word, we prepare our hearts to be instructed from it. We center our affections on the God who has revealed himself to us in the Bible.
SERMON – Because God creates, sustains, and feeds his church with his Word, we are committed to studying and understanding it through expository preaching. We work through biblical books or large passages sequentially with the aim of explaining and applying God’s Word to the hearts of his people.
THE LORD’S SUPPER – Together we commune with Christ in remembrance of his atoning death by partaking of the symbols of his body and blood. We give thanks, examine our hearts, confess our sins, consider our fellow believers, and rejoice in what Christ accomplished on our behalf at the cross.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – As those who commune with Christ and are members of his body, we share a common faith. Together we recite a portion of Scripture or catechism to corporately declare what we believe.
SONG OF RESPONSE – We respond thankfully, humbly, and obediently to our Father who has adopted us into his family and instructed us in his truth. We sing with hearts ready to put into practice what he has taught us.
BENEDICTION – Before we depart, we are reminded that we have God’s blessing. We go into the world knowing that he is with us and will help us in whatever we face.