The Call to Worship — An Introduction

Step back in time to when you weren’t leading worship, but to a time, whether as an adult or a child, when you arrived a few minutes early to church. Maybe you began to pray for God to help you focus on the Bible. Maybe you asked God to prepare your heart to hear the Gospel in a fresh way. In the background, some music was playing, but eventually it stopped, and a church leader walked forward. Everyone stood, and the leader offered an invitation like this (with the people replying):

Leader: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
People: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
Leader: Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord:
People: Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

(This call to worship from Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois)

Following the invitation, the church begins a hymn of praise, reminding you of the goodness and worthiness of God. That stress and insecurity you felt entering the building—it's being replaced by awe and gratitude as you are lifted into God's presence, joining the congregation in song.

The Call to Worship Explained

That is what we aim for when we include a call to worship at the beginning of a service. But it doesn't always go that way: they can be rote, passing by without actually affecting the hearts and minds of the congregation, on the other hand, they can forget the purpose of a call to worship in the first place and just become some nice words we say together.

But why it exists matters. And understanding that will help us avoid the problems that can crop up. So, what is a call to worship?

What is a Call to Worship

A "call to worship" wears its meaning on its sleeve. It is a call from God to the people to worship him.

Following N. T. Wright, I am thinking of what we are being called to as "acknowledging the worth of something or someone... celebrating the worth of someone or something far superior to oneself" [Wright]. This reminds us that (contrary to the way we sometimes speak in "Christianese"), worship is more than the singing we do in church. And only God is worthy of worship because he is in a category beyond all other things—the creator and perfectly good and holy God.

That is why I like this description from Harold Best:

Worship is
the continuous outpouring of
all that I am,
all that I do, and
all that I can ever become
in light of a chosen or choosing god. [Best]

That outpouring certainly isn't just when we are singing. It isn't even confined to church. But we do have a specific time set aside to do it together in community with other followers of Jesus (usually on Sundays).

Scriptural Foundations

While as a piece of liturgy, a call to worship is relatively new (coming primarily from the English Reformation and the Presbyterian tradition), it appropriately has its roots in Scripture.

In the Old Testament, worship was often initiated with a call or invitation to praise God. Psalm 95:1-2 declares, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song" (NIV). Similarly, Psalm 100 begins with, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (NIV).

By beginning the worship service with a word of praise, we correctly place God first–not us. We become the focus later in the service, but we start with God and the many works He has already accomplished and will continue to do for us.

The psalms tell us something else about worship. They are not merely poetic expressions of faith—which were compiled into a book for people to read. They were meant to be sung by worshipping people — they are a reminder that Christian worship, properly conceived, is always participatory. We do not merely sit back and watch as a worship service is performed. No! We participate, often by reciting the call to worship responsively in a back and forth that creates a dialogue between us and God.

The psalms also remind us that worship is communal. We can worship by ourselves. But that's not all we do. God's people come together to profess their faith and worship God in community. We know less about the earliest churches in the New Testament, but what we do know about early Christian gatherings (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 14:26) suggests a rhythm of communal participation, teaching, and praise. The Call to Worship stands in continuity with this biblical pattern of inviting God’s people to turn their attention toward him.

The Theology Behind a Call to Worship

God calls us. That is the most important theological foundation for the call to worship. We don’t call on God to join us in worship, but rather, God calls us to worship him.

When we get that order wrong, we create God in our image–summoning the God of the universe to do our bidding, rather than responding to God’s call in our life. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (NLT). That holiness, that set-apartness, includes worshipping God by proclaiming the truth of who God is, and who we are as God’s children.

The call to worship isn't just a call into singing, praying, or speaking. It is a call into a reality beyond the material world. Eugene H. Peterson writes, “Every call to worship is a call into the real world.” (Eat This Book, Eerdmans, 2009). The real world is defined by a different set of rules than the one this world imposes. In the real world, the kingdom of God, a different set of rules mark the community. In this other world, it is the poor in spirit who are blessed and those who mourn will be healed (see Matt. 5).

I like this quote from Harold Best:

We must conclude that the Christian needs to hear but one call to worship and offer only one response. These come exactly coincident with new birth and, despite our wanderings and returns to the contrary, they suffice for all our living, dying, and eternal outpouring. We do not go to church to worship. But as continuing worshipers, we gather ourselves together to continue our worship, but now in the company of brothers and sisters. [Best]

Our call to worship can then be seen as a reminder of that bigger call to worship and response which frames our whole Christian life—but carried on in community.

Practical Benefits of the Call to Worship

The call to worship has endured and spread, in part, because it has several clear benefits for our worship beyond reflecting the reality of God's call to us.

1. Orienting the Congregation: A call to worship helps the people of God to refocus their hearts and minds. Most congregants enter the worship space carrying the weight of their daily lives—anxieties, distractions, joys, and sorrows. The Call to Worship helps them set those aside and fix their gaze on God. It acts as a recalibration of our spiritual compasses.

2. Creating Sacred Space: While God is present everywhere, the call to worship sets apart the worship service as a distinct, sacred time. It reminds us that we are taking part in something different—It is not a concert, or a lecture, or a social gathering. This is holy ground, a time to encounter the living God.

3. Establishing Liturgical Rhythm: The structure of the liturgy provides order and meaning to worship. The call to worship acts as the first note in what will become a symphony of praise. It signals the start of a journey—from gathering to confession, from Word to Table, from benediction to being sent into the world. Like the opening curtain of a play, it invites everyone to enter into the story.

4. Scriptural Immersion: Most calls to worship are drawn directly from scripture, setting a tone for the entire service. Liturgists, those who put together the worship service, can choose either one scripture, or a few different texts to articulate a main theme. When drawn from scripture, we have the opportunity to invite hearers to enter into God’s Word in a profound way.

5. Emotional and Spiritual Preparation: The call to worship prepares our minds and hearts for the message that is to come.

Types and Forms of Call to Worship

Because calls to worship have spread across many different denominations, they can vary widely. They also often reflect the season of the church year or theme of the service. Broadly, they take three different (overlapping) forms:

• Scriptural Readings: Often straight from Psalms, prophetic books, or combining different scriptures.

  Shout for joy to the Lord, all you lands!
  Serve the Lord with gladness.
  Come before his presence with singing.
  Know that the Lord, he is God.
  It is he who has made us, and we are his.
  We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
  and into his courts with praise.
  Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
  For the Lord is good.
  His loving kindness endures forever,
  his faithfulness to all generations.
  —Psalm 100 (Adapted from WEB translation)

  Psalm 100 is a classic call to worship for obvious reasons. When a single speaker—the pastor or a member of the congregation—speaks these words, it's an engraved invitation to joyful worship!

• Responsive Readings: Leader and congregation alternate lines or speak in a call-and-response. Here's another example from the TPW library:

  Leader: Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
  People: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
  Leader: Let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
  People: He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
  Leader: Let us worship the Lord!
  —Adapted from Psalm 98 (ESV)

  This is a great example of the way in which a call to worship can both issue the divine call to worship and create a conversation that pulls people into participating in worship and builds to the leader's exclamation of invitation.

• Spoken Invitations: A pastoral welcome to the congregation that includes some theological reflections appropriate to the season or day. Here's an example:

  We are gathered here by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  We are gathered here to rest – to find the refreshment the Spirit offers us
  We are gathered here to hear again Christ’s words of life
  We are gathered here because the Father has had compassion on us.
  Come, let us worship our God.
  —Jacob Traeger

  This one is on the more poetic side, but it doesn't have to be. If your church is used to a more free-flowing invitation into worship which is either spontaneous or more of a welcome and introduction, that can be effective, too.

Regardless of style, what matters is intentionality. A Call to Worship should not be "filler" but a meaningful invitation into participation with the Triune God in worship.

Challenges and Best Practices with using a Call to Worship

Like any liturgical element, the Call to Worship can become rote or neglected. To guard against this, worship leaders and pastors should:

Choose Wisely

There are a number of considerations to make when choosing a particular call to worship for a service. One question you might ask is, “what message do I want to convey with this passage?” What sort of experiences are your congregants going through right now? Is it a season of joy or a season of lament? Is it a special season (Advent, Lent) when your congregation will expect the service to be centered around that theme? What types of emotions do I want to stir within the congregation?

These are all significant questions that can help you choose a call to worship, but, as with many other elements of the worship service,  the main way to choose a call to worship is to first decide the main theme of your sermon and service, and then work backwards to each of the liturgical elements. This will enable you to offer a coherent message throughout the entire worship service, which will ultimately help you convey your message more effectively.

Use Varied Voices

Having the head pastor or worship leader give the call to worship is fairly standard practice. However, including others from your congregation can be a powerful choice—especially when there is a racial, gender, or age gap between the congregation and leadership.

However, it's wise not just hand someone a microphone and say "go." Taking some time to offer pointers (and practice) including teaching speech dynamics like varying tone, volume, and speed will make them feel more confident and comfortable.

Conclusion

In a world of ever-increasing noise, distraction, and fragmentation, the call to worship offers clarity, focus, and unity. It reminds the Church that worship is not about personal preference or performance, but about meeting with a holy, gracious, and loving God—A God who has made himself known in holy scripture. It is a theological anchor and a spiritual threshold into the sacred space of public worship. 

Used wisely, the call to worship can elevate a congregation’s understanding of what it means to gather in the name of Christ. It is not merely an introduction; it is an invocation, a proclamation, and a sacred summons. In calling the people of God to worship, we echo the voice of God who first called us to himself. And in that holy calling, we are drawn into the heart of worship—the glory of God and the joy of His people.

References

N. T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense (HarperOne, 2021).

Harold Best, Unceasing Worship (IVP, 2003).