Ideas for worship services

Tell us how you focused on missions in your worship services.

In honor/In memory - Many churches ask members to purchase an angel, ornament, poinsettia or other decoration in honor or in memory of someone dear to them. The money collected goes to missions, and the names are listed in the bulletin or on a poster in the church.

Creative collection points - During the designated collection time for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, ask people to come forward and put their offerings in a large globe with a slit cut in the top. Other creative collection boxes include a manger, a Christmas package or an international serving bowl or large dish. Also consider placing offerings under a Christmas tree in the sanctuary or at the foot of a cross.

Lottie Moon’s cookies - Lottie Moon was well-known to have baked and distributed large numbers of cookies to the people in her Chinese village. Ask bakers in the church to prepare cookies to give out at church as a reminder to bring in their missions offering. Or when members come forward with their offerings during a worship service, have children offer them a cookie. Use Lottie’s own recipe to spread the light of Christ just as Lottie did!

Missing chairs - Remove most of the chairs or pews from your worship facility at the beginning of the Lottie Moon Christmas Season. On the first day of the emphasis, have your pastor or missions leader explain that while we sit comfortably in our chairs each Sunday, many around the world haven’t even heard the good news of Christ or been given a chance to worship Him. As your church gives each week to the offering, return the seats. Be sure to always leave enough chairs for elderly members or those who physically can’t sit on the floor. If removing seats from the worship facility is logistically not possible, consider this for the fellowship hall or a Sunday School room.

Switch pastors - If you have an international Baptist church in your community, consider swapping pastors for a Sunday morning or a Wednesday evening event. Ask the visiting pastor to share about the cultures represented in his church. Ask your pastor to share with the neighboring congregation that we will work together as Christians to reach all peoples of the world with the Gospel.

Lottie at Work - Set a Lottie Moon giving goal based on a missionary need featured in one of the stories at Lottie Moon at Work.

• Variation - Set a church goal based on a missionary’s time on the field, such as a week or a month. Or, encourage each member or family to support a missionary for a day. Here is the average cost to support a single missionary:
• $40,931.64 a year
• $3,410.97 a month
• $787.15 a week
• $112.14 a day
• $4.67 an hour
• $.08 a minute
(Reported June 2009. Support includes housing, food, children’s education, medical expenses, retirement and more.)

Talk to a missionary - Arrange a phone call to a missionary you know during a worship service and broadcast the conversation through the sound system. If you have the technology and people who can set it up, consider a video conference or a Skype conference. Ask the missionary to explain to the congregation how giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will affect their work and the spread of the Gospel around the world.

A dark service - Hold a worship service in the dark or with only minimal light. Use blindfolds for an even greater impact. Have a worship leader explain that more than 1.5 billion people live in spiritual darkness everyday, without an opportunity to hear about Jesus. Emphasize that our gifts to missions increase the chances that the true Light will come into their world.

Lottie Moon drama - Ask someone who enjoys drama to dress up like Lottie Moon and do dramatic readings each Sunday in December. Use portions of Lottie’s letters or a script for material. For added emphasis, leave the congregation “hanging” from week to week. Example: Lottie’s character says, “And do you know what I told them? Come back next week to find out!”

• Variation - Laurita Miller from Alabama presents a 50-min. monologue as Lottie Moon. She has performed in Alabama, Illinois, and Virginia. Churches report that they experience an increase in giving when they see Lottie and hear about her life in this dramatic way. To contact Laurita about coming to your church, write her at christiancloseups@charter.net.

LMCO Media Kit - Make sure your church has a copy of this year’s promotional kit. The DVD segments would be a great addition to worship services in December. Order your free kit or download the video.

Lottie Moon Giving Challenge - Accept the giving challenge described in the LMCO media kit. In Sunday morning worship services, challenge your church members to reach their giving goals. Remind them that churches who meet one of the giving challenges will receive a special certificate.

Sign the world - Have a large globe displayed in your worship center. Ask members who are committed to prayerfully giving to Lottie Moon to sign their names to the globes. Each week invite others to sign it during a special time in the service. Keep the globe displayed as a reminder that all peoples in every nation need a chance to respond to the Gospel.

Banner puzzle - Cut this year’s LMCO goal banner into puzzle pieces. As your church reaches its goal, add pieces to the puzzle. Consider leaving one piece off, even if your church reaches its goal, to remind the church that the work of Christians must continue in order to reach all peoples in every nation. To order your free banner, go to imbresources.org or call (800) 999-3113.

More Ideas for worship services

Ideas for Adults, Students, Children, Families, Whole church, Tracking church giving