Usher Responsibilities

Usher guidelines for the traditional worship service

Traditional Worship Usher Responsibilities

Thanks for agreeing to help with ushering at the Sunday morning/Wednesday evening services. As ushers, you play an essential part in making worshipers feel welcome in our church, and in making them feel welcome in our services again.

• Be at the church 20 minutes before the service for which you are ushering. If there appears there are not enough ushers, recruit one or more persons from those who arrive for worship.
• Wear your name tag to encourage others to wear theirs. Dress in a manner that is respectful and appropriate.
• Check the sanctuary to be sure it is ready for the worship service. Check to see that the lights, sound system, and heating/ventilation systems are turned on.
• If there is a baptism, the baptismal font should be uncovered, and there should be a baptismal towel, candle, and candle holder at the font, and a pitcher of water on the altar.
• If there is communion, check to see that there are communion cards in the pew racks. (Communion cards are found on shelves in the big supply room in the church office)
• Check to see that there are acolytes to light the candles. If there are no acolytes, an usher will need to light the candles as the first hymn begins.
• Welcome worshipers at each door to the sanctuary, and give them bulletins. (Bulletins are found in the church office) Two ushers should be at the center doors, and one should be at each side door.
• Assist worshipers in finding seating if necessary. "Can I help you find a place to site?"
• Assist worshipers desiring the large print service, or children's activity bags, or children's activity folders.
• If worshipers choose to sit on the chairs in the back of the sanctuary, be sure that they have hymnals (both green and blue if necessary) and communion cards.
• If worshipers arrive after the service has started, help them to be seated at times other than prayers.
• Count attendance. Record the attendance number on the pad on top of the hymnal bookshelf on the east end of the narthex.
• If there is a lot of noise in the narthex, close some or all of the sanctuary doors after worship has started. Consider, however, whether it will be more disruptive to have the doors open and closed as people enter and leave from and to church school sessions, etc. If possible, an usher should sit near each of the doors to assist in opening and closing them as quietly as possible during the service.
• The usher nearest the church office should answer the phone if it rings during the service. Most frequently, callers inquire as to service times. If necessary, take a message to have a call returned.
• Receive the offering, front to back. Use as many offering plates as possible, so that the offering can be gathered as quickly as possible. To gather the offering, all ushers walk up the center aisle, and tow then go to each of the side aisles.
• Take the offering to the altar. Place the offering plates on the altar until the offering prayer is completed. Then take the offering plates from the altar, and walk back down the center aisle. On the first Sunday of the month, ask the pastors whether the food cart should be brought to the front with the other offerings.
• Check with the pastor on how to handle the money once the service concludes.
• If there is communion, direct worshipers in assembling at the communion rail. Two ushers should work the center aisle, and one should work each side (the wings and side aisles). Gather communion cards from worshipers.
• Ushers should commune after other worshipers are through.
• Leave communion cards in the church office after the service is over.
• After the service is over, take the welcome pad sheets from the pads, and put them in the church office, with a notation of the service time and date on the group of welcome pads.
• After the service is over, tidy up the sanctuary. Put hymnals back in the racks under the pews or on the backs of pews.
• After the last service, put the microphones away.
• After the last service, turn out the lights, turn the thermostat switch to "auto", lock doors, and close windows.
• After the last service, two ushers should take the money to the night deposit at First National Bank on South Columbia Road and 24th Avenue. Check with one of the pastors about the location of a key necessary to gather the money bags from all of the morning services, and the other key necessary to put them in the night deposit.

Click here for contemporary worship usher responsibilities.