| | | | | | | | | | | | PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As early as the fifth century, the church proclaimed Lex orandi, lex credendi, the law of praying is the law of believing, or more commonly put, "as we pray, so we believe". This means if you want to know what Christians believe, you study what we do and say in worship. And what we say and do in worship not only expresses what we believe, it also forms what we believe. And what we do.
Ideally, worship strikes a balance of awareness of both the immanent and the transcendent nature of God - that God is among us and forever beyond us. At its best, liturgy also forms our individual faith and forms us as a community of people, the church, for ministry in the world.
I wonder if, in a world that is increasingly polarized and detached from the moorings of faith and meaning, God might be calling the church to consider anew how we can more intentionally form faithful people through worship to be witnesses in the world, a witness not just to the teachings of faith, but to the way of faith, engaging with others and offering an alternative to the dominant self-serving, profit-seeking narrative of the world and culture, helping others to find meaning and goodness. If so, how we might adjust our week-in and week-out worshipping practices to that end? Before we get to the liturgical benediction, how might worship strengthen people to engage with others faithfully "out there"?
We can start by finding ways to engage with each other in worship.
Read more from Lisa G. Fischbeck » |
| IDEAS THAT IMPACT: WORSHIP
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As worship leaders, we cannot assume that our dominant way of experiencing God is the best and most effective way for every member of our congregation. Rather, when we understand the four "spiritual types," we can design worship in ways that engage more people where they are.
Read more from P. Alice Rogers » |
Worship is at the center of congregational life. To "go to church" means, for most members of congregations, to "go to worship." Correspondingly, worship is central to the identity -- and health -- of most congregations.
Read more from John Witvliet »
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Worship planning is an art. It's a discipline. It must be done over and over and over again in community order to get worship "under our skin." How we plan worship reflects what we believe worship should be - a transformative, communal experience of observing, trusting, trying, reflecting, and taking chances for the sake of experiencing the Holy One.
Read more from Ashley Goff »
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Encounters with the Holy: A Conversational Model for Worship Planning by Barbara Day Miller
Many churches have active worship committees or planning teams, and an abundance of books and resources guide pastors and laity. Encounters with the Holy offers a conversational model of worship planning that was developed to train practitioners to be more reflective in their planning of worship experiences. The model (planning, ordering, worshiping, reflecting) is a flexible, fluid pattern. It provides a more circular, spiraling practice of imaginative planning, preparing the leaders and the space, and reflecting theologically to understand more fully the experience of worship. It has been tested in congregations, seminaries, and campus ministries amid a wide range of denominational and cultural styles.
An underlying theological assumption of this approach is that we are engaged in holy work when we plan and prepare for worship. Leaders' study, preparation, and training are themselves an encounter with the Holy. Therefore, we are called to become more informed and better prepared liturgical leaders.
The language and encouraging style of the book is accessible to student pastors, pastors, and lay people interested in learning to think more deeply about worship.
Learn more and order the book » |
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