An ‘Arlen Salte’ Adaptation to The ‘Six-Phase’ Pattern

I love diversity in worship as expressed in the diversity of the Christian Church. I love everything from “smells and bells” to “dance and dynamos” in worship.  

Because of my love and respect for all these expressions, I lead worship in many different settings.  I will often use the standard Six-Phase Pattern to Worship Song Set Design in more free-flowing and charismatic settings. In more traditional or conservative settings, I usually make one small adaptation.

As you may remember from the last post, the standard Six-Phase Pattern is:

1. Invitation
2. Engagement
3. Exaltation
4. Adoration
5. Intimacy
6. Celebration (Optional)

However, when I am in a more traditional or conservative setting, I will usually switch the pattern to:

1. Invitation
2. Engagement
3. Adoration
4. Intimacy
5. Exaltation
6. Celebration (Optional)

Why?

I find that more conservative gatherings are also more cautious about moving into the full-on, hands-held-high, top-of-the-lungs expression that often takes place in the Exaltation phase. By placing the Adoration and Intimacy phases before Exaltation, I often find that more conservative groups are wooed into the Exaltation phase if they have walked through the more comfortable path of Adoration and Intimacy on the way to Exaltation.

As, always, this may or may not work with your gathering or your style of worship leading. As the advertisement says, “your results may vary.” In fact, “your results may vary” from week-to-week and setting-to-setting and theme-to-theme. But, isn’t this one of the greatest joys of worship leading, variation?

Next posting? Let’s start placing some examples of songs that fit each of the six phases.

I would like to extend an apology to my readers around the world: I have tens of thousands of readers around the world so I apologize if some of my Canadian-English sayings, figures of speech or attempts at humour don’t translate well. I thank you for the grace you extend to me. You are very kind.