Worship Service Announcements: Information or Influence?
Worship that occurs outside of the service is just as vital as worship that occurs inside. And yet, during our worship services we often announce those outside worship opportunities of ministry and service on the fly. Little or no prayer or preparation is given to announcements that let the church know how they can be the church when they leave.
Most worship service announcements are necessary but not very profound. Maybe they’ve become the bane of worship service flow because their focus is on information instead of influence.
Information is the sharing of facts or data about something or someone. It may be timely and can lead to an increase in understanding or decrease in uncertainty, but it doesn’t often encourage commitment. Information is what we want people to know.
Influence, on the other hand, is the capacity to have an effect on the behavior or character of someone or something. It compels them to action, changes their opinions, and instills passion. Influence persuades, convicts, and enlists people to do. And once congregants have been influenced to do, announcements should also celebrate what they have done. Announcements shouldn’t just focus on the appeals; they should also celebrate the achievements.
Meaningful worship service announcements should be marked by a clear, succinct economy of words. Concise verbal eloquence requires preparation and practice. Maybe if we spent as much time praying over and rehearsing our worship service announcements as we spend praying over and rehearsing our songs, those announcements could contribute to rather than detract from worship.
If we want our worship service announcements to encourage our congregations to be doers and not just hearers of the word, then we must not just distill information but also instill influence.