Traditional Worship
The Traditional Services support and manifest Young Meadows’ vision by using familiar forms of worship used to reach men and women for Christ through the ages and even in our own day and time.
1. What does a typical order of worship look like?
The order of service includes:
- Prelude of music
- Call to worship God in Christ which reminds us why we have come
- Corporate and personal prayers of gratitude, accession, forgiveness and praise
- Hymns and spiritual songs intended to stir our hearts to praise
- Scripture readings
- A Sermon
- Musical worship
- The tithes and offerings
- The Lord’s Supper on the second Sunday of every month
2. What kind of music is played?
Though the primary focus of the traditional service is on the old hymns of our faith, we are open to the music of all the ages that helps God’s people to know, worship, and serve the Lord. The choir, ensembles, and soloists help us lift up the Lord in worship, prayer, and praise.
3. How should I dress?
The answer to that question is probably much more important to you than it is to us. We would encourage you to wear that in which you believe you can worship God. While we want to bring our very best to the Lord, we believe that the Lord takes us as we are and draws us to know, love, and delight in Him above all.
4. Why do we call the services "traditional?"
This worship service follows in form and substance with the Christian traditions of ages past. The consciousness of many people in our culture continues to remember familiar forms of worship. Many people are drawn to these forms from their own past and memory. It is our prayer that God will continue to use these forms so that even more people would come to know and grow in Christ.
5. What are some of the traditions that are identified?
- Family Friendly: Bringing the whole family together to worship the Lord: young and old, rich and poor, the stranger and weak are all welcomed in the house of the Lord.
- Focused and personal. Just as the vaulted ceiling of the sanctuary emphasizes the transcendence of God (His greatness that is beyond our ability to fully comprehend), we also see His immanence (His closeness) as His Son became incarnate and dwelt among us. While some people have focused on God’s greatness over His love, we seek to display His greatness as well as His love.
- Gospel-driven and Christ-centered. Like the reformers and the apostles before them, we recognize that it is not forms that lead people to know Christ personally, but the Spirit of God working through His ordinary means of spreading grace to His people in a living relationship between the living Christ and His children.
- Biblical roots. We use many of the forms found in the Bible including an elevated platform to honor the word as in Nehemiah’s day (Nehemiah 8:1-8); the choirs like those David, Solomon, and Josiah (II Chron. 35:15) used in the worship of God; and the robes that were for glory and beauty in the worship of God (Ex. 28:2).
- Culturally relevant. We speak to the real needs and concerns of our day in a way that people can hear, receive, and apply to their lives to give them hope and help to live with Christ’s strength in this present world and to be prepared for heaven and eternity.
6. Why does your service start at 11:00?
Many churches begin their worship services at 11:00 a.m. This time was selected by our Session since many guests are accustomed to services starting at 11:00 a.m. all across the country. Thus, people who visit Young Meadows will expect to visit an 11:00 a.m. worship service, and we want our guests to to feel welcomed, expected, and greeted, not embarrassed by being early or late to worship.
