What Does An Entrance Do?

The acts of worship in the Entrance assemble the people and prepare them to hear the Word of God.

In the Entrance the people are gathered together through acts of worship that represent both the beginning of worship and the formation of the people of God into a worshiping community. The commonly accepted parts of the Entrance in worship renewal today, in liturgical and most traditional Protestant communities, include: the gathering, the Entrance song, a greeting, call to worship, a confession of sin (optional), an act of praise, and opening prayer of the day. Because the spirit of Entrance is doxological (joyful) and not instructive, care should be taken to preserve the joyful spirit of the Entrance through acts of worship that emphasize the act of coming together. Even in Lent, when the Entrance may be silent, the spirit of joy can remain as an inward flame of expectation and longing. The order and content of these acts of opening may vary from church to church and the content will change slightly from one season of the Christian year to another. The purpose of these Entrance acts must always be kept in mind. Their function is narrative. They order the experience and story that brings the people into the presence of God and forms them into a joyful people ready to hear the Word of God. For this reason the Entrance is usually brief and moves quickly, with the people standing for the entire time (except possibly for the gathering).