An Explanation of the Worship Practices at King’s Church 

Introduction

At King’s Church, we believe that the whole Bible teaches us how God wants to be worshiped. We look to both the Old Testament and the New Testament to see how God’s people were called to approach Him, and how they actually worshiped throughout the story of Scripture.

We also learn from the faithful Christians who have come before us. While we do not place tradition on the same level as Scripture, we believe the practices of earlier generations can help guide us today. God has been working with His people for thousands of years, and it would be unwise to ignore that wisdom.

Contrary to what many people assume, the Bible gives us a great deal of guidance about how worship should be ordered. At King’s, we follow what is often called Covenant Renewal Worship. This simply means that when we gather each Lord’s Day, God invites us into His presence to renew His promises to us—and to renew our faith and obedience to Him.

What the Old Testament Teaches Us

From the time of Adam’s fall, sinful human beings could not approach a holy God without sacrifice. Scripture teaches that forgiveness requires the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22; Leviticus 17:11). In the Old Testament, this took the form of animal sacrifices.

These sacrifices were never the final solution. They pointed forward to Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Christ fulfilled what those sacrifices were preparing us for. Because Jesus offered Himself once for all on the cross, animal sacrifices are no longer needed.

This does not mean sacrifice has disappeared from worship. Rather, the form of sacrifice has changed. Christ’s sacrifice is complete, and our worship now responds to that finished work. As one theologian has said, “The way of sacrifice has not been abolished—animal sacrifices have.”

The Old Testament sacrificial system still teaches us something important: it shows us how God brings His people into His presence. Sadly, many Protestant churches have overlooked this and, as a result, have adopted worship patterns that do not clearly reflect the Bible’s own approach to God. When we lose this pattern, worship can become confusing and disconnected from the gospel story.

A Note About Liturgy

Many churches today describe themselves as “non-liturgical.” What they usually mean is that they do not follow a historic or structured order of worship. However, every church has some order—even if it is as simple as welcoming people, singing a few songs, preaching a sermon, and going home. Any repeated order of worship is a liturgy, whether it is written down or not.

The word liturgy simply means “the work of the people.” It appears in the New Testament in places like Acts 13:2, where the church is described as “ministering to the Lord,” and in Hebrews 9:6, where it refers to the worship practices God prescribed in the Old Testament. In Romans 12:1, Paul uses the same idea when he calls Christians to offer themselves to God as a “living sacrifice.”

So the real question is not whether we should have a liturgy, but what kind of liturgy we should have. Does the Bible guide us, or are we free to arrange worship however we like?

At King’s Church, along with many churches in the Reformed tradition, we believe Scripture does give us a clear pattern for Lord’s Day worship. That pattern is rooted in the Old Testament sacrifices—not as a strict rulebook, but as a faithful guide. Scripture shows us the key elements that should be present in worship and the order in which they naturally unfold. The details may vary, but the pattern matters.

From Old Testament Sacrifices to New Testament Worship

In the Old Testament, three main sacrifices were offered in a specific order:

  • The Purification Offering – This dealt with cleansing from sin.

  • The Ascension Offering – The sacrifice was prepared and offered completely to God, symbolizing dedication and obedience.

  • The Peace Offering – This celebrated restored fellowship with God and was marked by joy and rest.

These sacrifices help us understand the shape of Christian worship today. In New Testament worship, we see these same movements expressed in different ways:

  • Confession and forgiveness – We acknowledge our sin and receive God’s pardon.

  • Consecration through the Word – God speaks to us through Scripture, shaping and transforming us.

  • Communion – We celebrate peace with God and fellowship with Him at the Lord’s Table.

These central elements are surrounded by two important moments:

  • The Call to Worship – God invites and commands His people to draw near.

  • The Commission – God sends His people out to live in faithful obedience.

The Shape of Our Worship

Each Lord’s Day service at King’s follows this biblical pattern:

  1. The Call to Worship – God calls us into His presence

  2. The Cleansing – We confess our sins and receive forgiveness

  3. The Consecration – God speaks to us through His Word

  4. The Communion – We feast with Christ and one another

  5. The Commission – God sends us out to serve Him in the world

This is the pattern of worship we have adopted at King’s Church—not as a rigid formula, but as a faithful, biblical way of gathering before our covenant-keeping God.

Questions and Answers about our worship practices 

Why do you do readings all together with one voice?

One of the worship practices we see in the Bible is that during times of worship the people would speak in one voice. This is seen in the Old Testament: Exodus 24:3 the people commit with one voice to obey. Another example is in Deuteronomy 27: the Israelites are told to conduct a service where there is a prescribed reading with pre-written responses. Another Old Testament example is when God sends fire to commission the Temple of Solomon, all the people said in unison: “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” -2 Chronicles 7:1-3. In the New Testament we see the host of heaven speaking with a single voice in Revelation 5:11-14. We want to be a small reflection of the heavenly pattern of worship. It also corresponds to singing. Singing is all the people speaking in one voice, readings are a way of doing the same thing. 

Why doesn’t the congregation remain seated for the whole service? 

We believe that God has created and redeemed the whole man. The Bible teaches that God is not merely the God of our spirits or souls (our inner self), but that he has redeemed us, body and soul. Our physical beings are not irrelevant, so physical posture is not irrelevant. Sitting, standing and kneeling are appropriate postures for different parts of the Lord’s Service. For example, the Bible clearly reveals that standing is an appropriate posture for people to hear and listen to God’s Word (Dt 27:12-13; Neh 9:3; cf.John 3:29) and to bless the name of God (Neh 9:5). Likewise, the Bible indicates kneeling is a proper posture for times of prayer, especially prayers of repentance (Ezra 9:5ff). Sitting is a proper posture for a meal (Lk 22:14; 24:30). Therefore, during the worship service, we stand to sing and recite God’s Word. We kneel to confess our sins and stand again to hear the pronouncement of God’s forgiveness. When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are seated at rest to enjoy the triumphal, covenant meal together

Why does King’s Church use set prayers and readings? Doesn’t the lack of spontaneity stifle the Spirit of God? 

We believe that the Holy Spirit works in and among his people continually as they devote themselves to God and learn from his holy Word. Spontaneity does not necessarily equate to spirituality. God’s Spirit can guide a man just as readily in his study as he can while in the midst of the congregation. In fact, most churches believe this or their pastor would not spend any time preparing his sermon. If I stand up in worship and make up a prayer as I go along, why would that be any more likely to be a Spirit-guided prayer than if I diligently labor the day before to write a prayer that will be appropriate to a particular part of corporate worship while trusting God to guide me as I prepare the prayer ahead of time? It would seem that the person insisting on spontaneous prayer is the one more likely to be limiting the work of the Holy Spirit. The same principle applies to corporate readings and responses during worship.  The pastor and elders work hard to prepare the spoken and sung elements of worship so that they accurately reflect the teachings of God’s Word and are appropriate to the various segments of the Lord’s Service. The words of the leader and the congregational responses are drawn from the Scriptures, so that the congregation is worshipping God with language that God has given to his people. If Jesus is truly the Word of God, and man is designed to think God’s thoughts after him and worship God in spirit and in truth (see John 4:23, 24), then it is most appropriate for God’s people to use the language of Scripture as much as possible during the Covenant Renewal service on the Lord’s Day. Moreover, having the readings and the prayers written out and placed in the hands of the congregation before worship starts, allows the congregation to speak with one divinely-directed voice in praise and adoration of our holy and merciful God.

Conclusion

If you have any questions about the various aspects of our worship service please feel free to speak with our pastor. We are always seeking to conform ourselves to God’s word and desiring to be shaped by it. Our worship practices are a major part of this, and we are excited to bring along any who are interested in growing in faithfulness to God’s word.