Yesterday morning was my first attempt at changing what we do on sunday morning a little bit.
Typically, ours, like most other churches do a similar sort of "church service" on sunday mornings; some songs, prayer, offering, scripture reading, something different here and there, all moving to the main event; the sermon (where, typically, the teaching happens).
This can look pretty different from place to place, but the package is usually similar. Some places place more emphasis on one or another component. Others place the emphasis on their "people demographic" and their tastes and preferences. Some places focus on presentation and how polished things are. But over all, walk into most churches on sunday mornings, and you'll have experienced sort of the same thing in as far as the components go. You will find different levels of passion, talent, etc...but over all you get the sense that when it comes to the worship service, there are the performers (I use that very loosely - as a pastor & worship leader - I include myself there) and then there is the audience. And it always nags at me that whatever church was meant to be, I'm not sure this package is it?
So what do I think needs to change? I ask this humbly and I say this as a learner and a thinker on this - I certainly don't say this as the person who's got all the answers for everyone, actually, I believe there is no such thing. Different communities require different models. Also, everything I say here is primarily related to what has been historically known as "the worship service". I speak on this because I think there are churches ready to make some changes, even though they're not ready to close up shop and go to house churches, or whatever will be best for that particular community, tomorrow or anytime soon.
This is simple stuff, I'm writing it more because I'm someone having to deal with it personally in my setting, and I have to continue working this out both for our church community, and myself. I might be out to lunch on some of it, so, that's ok too.
In light of that, I changed some things for yesterday morning's "gathering". I'm being pushed by several principles;
1. Provide meaningful opportunities for people to meet with God where they are.
2. Use the whole time as a teaching experience, not just the sermon (this is probably the biggie in terms of the gathering and spiritual formation).
3. Break the barrier between performers and audience.
4. Use whatever means possible to communicate.
5. Making the praise time more our own (meaningful to us as a local body).
Maybe those things are more important principles for me right now, than the actual specifics of what we do on a sunday morning (it's sunday for us, might be other for you). Yesterday I also realized making changes means learning and adapting. It means great communication between the people making decisions. And it means not holding to any one specific thing as the next mold. Finally, it means getting feedback. And no, not all of it is positive.
In light of that, here's some simple changes...
There was an intro to the morning (Ie. what is God after today...)
There was much more audience participation. With that came uneasiness, and uncertainty. When you're used to being the audience you're not used to being given control. There was more silence as well, and more personal prayer time, although some people didn't listen to the instructions well and prayed outloud, I think because they were uneasy with the silence, although if they were led to pray outloud, I think that's a good thing too. (this was done rather than having one person come and do a prayer for everyone). There weren't as many songs and the songs we did do were very much in line with several themes we had going. And finally, when we couldn't find a song that really said what we wanted to communicate, we wrote one that did. As an aritist, I'd love to see more and other expressions like this happen more often, but in order for it to take place, I think it will take lots of effort, trial and error, and patience.
Ok, not earth shattering stuff, awkward even, at times, we ended half an hour early, something no one complained about. There was a million things I wanted to do we didn't (also a lesson in changing).
Are we there? No way, are we travelling? Yes. And that's what matters! And the traditional church needs to start travelling. And it needs leaders, men and women who will chart a course for it. Both men and women who will step out unto unchartered territory and do new and different things. As well as men and women who will stay home and help the traditional church to, both, have meaningful and life-changing worship gatherings, and also become a life-line to it's community...but that's another post...
Posted by edExcellent, excellent post. It completely mirrors so much stuff going on in my head. Unfortunately I'm not high enough up the food chain at church to be able to implement anything that needs a change... :)
Posted by: MichelleHere's the question for you, this is after reading your own post on worship at your site...been there...know how you feel...if you speak, will the people up the food chain listen. Or maybe a better question is, how can you speak in a way that will help them to listen. Obviously I'm speaking in the dark, I don't know your situation, but if there's any chance people might listen, I've found it's in the suggesting of the little things that change begins. I guess I look at it from a perspective of stretching rather than replacing. Meaning...I stretch them within acceptable boundaries, once they've been stretched a few times, they will have undergone some major changes without kicking and screaming. But if I don't take baby steps, there's lots of screaming. I guess I'm up the food chain, but any change involves a lot of talking and listening, to everyone on the food chain, regardless of where they are.
So anyway, can you be heard? If you can why not begin suggesting little things. Most of the changes I'm making come from a lot of reading on the emerging church, principles on what people are crying out for, and then trying to find a way to make it relevant to our community. Anyway, I hope you'll begin to feel it again, nothing worst than just doing something.
I've wondered the same thing myself, I am helping with a church plant and we have had people say the things we are doing are too "psychological". Our vision statement includes "meeting the needs of people" and that is the "too psychological" part... It has been really hard to do things out of the box here, its draining. But to relate more to the post, I have had an idea for worship for quite a while... In terms of the order of service, I thought about having our worship team only do 3 songs to "open" the service, then we have our learning time, then at the end of that time we have worship. This way we could include things for people to draw, paint, etc, have the lights dimed, or whatever... just my thoughts, not very coherent, but its something.
Posted by: TravisMsounds good, I think it's in getting these ideas out on the table that we can help one another...
thanks for sharing - I think it's a great idea.
Posted by: edTo respond to your response Ed, I try say things now and then, but often feel I'm speaking from so far out the box that no-one knows what I'm talking about. Although I'm a worship committee member, involved in planning etc, I'm not an official church member there - and those who ARE members do things a certain way, have a certain mind-set. I'm not sure they're ready to think about any dramatic changes, and even the small ones being made are within their current mind-set, nothing more than cosmetic changes here and there.
My best friend is also on the worship committee and keeps urging me to say things at the meetings that I've told her, but when I do I feel they're either not coming out right, not making sense, or actually have no relevance to this group at all!
I'm longing for something more, deeper, more inclusive. I have to admit there is a lot of participation by the congregation, but we seem still stuck in the usual model that everyone else is doing.
I've generally always been the odd one out when involved in a church, a few steps ahead in thought and craving than where that group is at - I don't know if I should move on or stick around, if there's a learning experience in holding out where I am, or if I actively need to go seek what my soul is longing for.
Posted by: MichelleMy goodness i can relate. I have always had the role I have where I'm able to make decisions. I've sat in the valley, in the dry places, believing the things could be so much more and wondering whether the time was right to move on, many a time. I say that not offering an answer but to say that I know what that feels like, as to what God would call you to do, that's a different story. I would say, as I usually tell people, if you really have a heart to serve, and ideas and dreams and all the rest, and those dreams are God's dreams, then do what it takes to see those dreams live. And you might find that might just mean moving on, but be sure (as sure as you can) moving on isn't always as easy as everyone makes it sound, there are other valleys to walk through, having said that, sometimes it's exactly what God wants you to do, because the longing in your heart, is put there by him. So, listen carefuly to his heart and take steps, who knows try something else, somewhere else, as you mentioned, seek what your soul is longing for. That's a beautiful line, belongs in a song somewhere. People have differing opinions on this one, I believe that as long as your heart is to seek and serve the master, where you chose to do that and can do that is fine with him. If the doors aren't open there go somewhere where they are.
One word of caution, make sure you're not the one with the obstacles, if you are the obstacles will follow you. I don't know you michelle, that's why I say that, because I know it's easy for myself to find everyone else wanting and miss the areas in which I'm holding myself and others back, even when I want good things. Still having said that, again, "Seek and find what your soul is longing for" whether there or wherever else God leads you.
PS. this should work fine...but I will put in a post asking if anyone's having trouble posting. Thanks for the heads up
Posted by: ed