Lent 4: Church Innovators
Today I am thankful for church innovators, those who dare to think outside the institutionalized church service box and dream of alternative realities. Sounds sci-fi, doesn't it?
In most North American churches, the Sunday Morning Worship Service is the holy grail of the week. We don't mess with it. We keep it to a tidy formula. In my current church experience, the pattern is: Welcome, Sing, Pray, Take Offering, Sing, Sermon, Adjourn. Repeat next Sunday. The only exceptions are when guest presenters are added or communion is slotted in between the Sermon and Adjourn. Or it is baptism Sunday. Or the service occurs at an alternative location.
Interestingly enough, I am a traditionalist. Patterns, rituals, and schedules bring me comfort and security. I am more of a church manager than an innovator. Yet, even I can see the benefit of reconceptualizing the way we do things. So, I ask:
What if we spend one Sunday a month serving in our community as an entire church family? What if we visited a local shelter with our cleaning supplies and started scrubbing? What if we gathered in the kitchens of our homes and cooked up pots of soup for those who need something to eat?
What if we dedicated an entire service to reflection, meditation, and prayer? What if we didn't sing that morning? What if we relied on the convicting work of the Holy Spirit to motivate the people of our congregation to exhort, admonish, and worship in ways unimaginable (instead of listening to a 30 minute sermon)?
As a teacher, I understand the importance of planning lessons that met different learning styles. What if we organized our local church to meet different worships styles? Would things look the same? Or would they be different?
Anyway, something to think about.
In most North American churches, the Sunday Morning Worship Service is the holy grail of the week. We don't mess with it. We keep it to a tidy formula. In my current church experience, the pattern is: Welcome, Sing, Pray, Take Offering, Sing, Sermon, Adjourn. Repeat next Sunday. The only exceptions are when guest presenters are added or communion is slotted in between the Sermon and Adjourn. Or it is baptism Sunday. Or the service occurs at an alternative location.
Interestingly enough, I am a traditionalist. Patterns, rituals, and schedules bring me comfort and security. I am more of a church manager than an innovator. Yet, even I can see the benefit of reconceptualizing the way we do things. So, I ask:
What if we spend one Sunday a month serving in our community as an entire church family? What if we visited a local shelter with our cleaning supplies and started scrubbing? What if we gathered in the kitchens of our homes and cooked up pots of soup for those who need something to eat?
What if we dedicated an entire service to reflection, meditation, and prayer? What if we didn't sing that morning? What if we relied on the convicting work of the Holy Spirit to motivate the people of our congregation to exhort, admonish, and worship in ways unimaginable (instead of listening to a 30 minute sermon)?
As a teacher, I understand the importance of planning lessons that met different learning styles. What if we organized our local church to meet different worships styles? Would things look the same? Or would they be different?
Anyway, something to think about.