Seekers’ Service Model

The seeker services, on Saturday evenings at 5 and 7 and on Sunday mornings at 9 and 11:15, are meant to provide a safe place for unchurched visitors to hear the gospel in ways relevant to their lives. This is not primarily a worship service for Christians. A free-will offering, directed to members and believers, is taken at some point in the service, usually before the message. The program for a weekend service is more detailed than that for "New Community" because seekers and visitors are more interested in seeing the order unfold. The following is an example of a service that took place at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. The Basic Pattern Prelude. The band plays some light jazz as people enter to talk and take their seats. Welcome. A vocal team member welcomes and greets everyone. He or she leads the congregation in singing a short chorus that is printed in the bulletin for convenience. Vocal Duet. A duet and small ensemble perform music ("Good …