Planning Vital Weekly Worship - Iaumc
WORSHIPPATHWAYS TO CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY NO. 3SERVING THE NEEDS OF LEADERS IN FOUNDATIONAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRIESPLANNING VITAL WEEKLY WORSHIPVital: life-giving, essential, crucial. Vital and its synonyms describe therole of worship for Christians wherever wegather, and it happens best when we devote the time and energy to plan for it.build and outfit the tabernacle. Chapter28 describes the artistry required to makethe vestments for the priests. In Chapter31 we learn that God has poured the HolySpirit upon the persons who would plan,lead, carry out, and continue all of thesebuilding, arts, and crafts projects (Exodus31:3-5).The worship of our Triune God gives life toall who participate in Spirit and truth. Worship is essential for a people whose firstcommandment is to “Love the Lord yourGod with all your heart, and with all yoursoul, and with all your mind, and with allyour strength and your neighbor as yourself” (see Mark 12:28-30). And Christianworship is literally crucial, centered on andflowing from the cross.God’s people, then and now, are invited,expected, and gifted to plan, lead andcontinue to refresh the people, the spaces, and the things used in worship. Worship planning is a gift and ministry of theHoly Spirit that calls on all the gifts of all ofGod’s people so that in worship we maytruly love God with all we have and all weare--body, mind, soul, and strength.A THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONUNITED METHODIST WORSHIPBY THE SLICEMandates to worship God abound in Scripture. The ancient Shema confesses thatGod is One, and Ten Commandments remind that this one is the only One we mustworship (Deuteronomy 6:4, Exodus 20:26). The Psalms constantly exhort us toworship and praise, even up to seventimes a day (Psalm 119:164). Paul reminds the Christians in Ephesus and thesurrounding cities to worship God with allthe resources they have or can create,with Psalms and hymns and spiritualsongs (Ephesians 5:19). We know we arecalled to worship. Are we as clear that weare called to plan for worship?For United Methodist Christians, our vitalworship may be summarized by theacronym SLICE! Vital worship that drawson the best of our tradition is Sacramental, Liturgical, Indigenous, Connected, andEmbodied.Vital United Methodist Worship IsSacramentalOur General Conference has called onall United Methodists “to move toward aricher sacramental life, including weeklycelebration of the Lord’s Supper at theservices on the Lord’s Day,” (“This HolyMystery,” p. 19). But to say our worship isSacramental is to say more than that weExodus 25—31 lays out in great detail howthe people of Israel were to plan and prepare to worship their God. Exodus 25 liststhe raw and finished materials required to1
celebrate the sacraments. Instead, itproperly identifies that for Methodists, sacraments are at the very center of our wayof being church, both in worship and dailydiscipleship. It matters that we celebratethem, how well we celebrate them, andhow our lives are transformed by God’sgrace because we celebrate them.shall see the Lord,” (Hebrews 12:14) thevows of baptism must be practiced in actual life. The General Rules helped peoplein Methodist class meetings “watch overone another in love” to do just that. Thepractices listed under “Avoiding harm,”“Doing good” and “Attending upon all theordinances of God” correspond to the baptismal vows to renounce Satan, keep God’sholy will, and embrace the faith and life ofthe church.Many United Methodists are aware thatJohn Wesley had always insisted thatmembers of the Methodist societies participate in Holy Communion as often aspossible. (See Wesley’s sermon, “The Dutyof Constant Communion.”) However, starting in 1775, many Anglican clergy fromwhom Methodists in America could receive Communion began to flee the American continent as a Revolution began. Theensuing clergy shortage meant many Methodists here were unable to receive thissacrament for months at a time. This“sacramental emergency” was a majorreason John Wesley authorized the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church inNorth America as a separate church. Byhaving our own church with our own General Superintendents who could ordainelders who were authorized to preside atCommunion, many more Methodists couldparticipate in Holy Communion far morefrequently. The sacrament of Holy Communion is a primary reason Methodistsexist in the US as a church and not, asthey had been, a connexion of societies.Likewise, United Methodists affirm we areto live what we pray at Holy Communion,and not merely pray it.How does your congregation honor thecentral place of the sacraments in yourworship? How do you help people livewhat they promise and pray?Vital United Methodist Worship IsLiturgicalAs you read or hear the term liturgical, youmay be thinking “smells and bells,” orchoir processions, or robed clergy. Theword “liturgical” has often been applied tothe trappings of what is labeled by someas “traditional” worship, but that is notwhat the word actually means.Liturgy comes from a Greek word (leitourgia) which means the work (ergon) of thepeople (laos).The work of the people. Not the work ofthe “folks up front” who “do” worship “for”us. Not the work of experts we hire towrite, design, produce and deliver “theworship experience” each week. Liturgicalworship is the work of the people, thewhole gathered people, prompted but notdominated by the experts or the “folks upfront.”For Methodists, sacraments are at thevery center of our way of being church,both in worship and daily discipleship.What fewer may realize is how vital thesacrament of baptism was to Methodismfrom the beginning. The Wesleys believedthat attention to the ritual of baptism,while important, was not enough. To “pursue that holiness without which no oneHow and how well does worship invite,prompt, and engage all the people whogather where you are?2
Vital United Methodist Worship IsIndigenousVital United Methodist Worship IsEmbodiedFor the past quarter century, Protestantshave waged a worship war about style.Some argue worship must be “traditional”if it is to communicate the gospel faithfullyand express the unity of the whole church.Others say worship must be “contemporary” in its music, communication strategies, and technologies to be relevant tothe people of today.Methodists have been called many ofnames over the years. Some referred to usas “shouting Methodists.” Others accusedus of being “enthusiasts.” In the 18th andearly 19th century American Methodistswere also called “kneeling Methodists.”Unlike nearly every other Protestant bodyon the continent, Methodists regularly kneltas part of their worship--whether on Sundaymorning at the local Anglican parish or after 1784 in their own congregations, onSunday night at their Society meeting, oron Thursday evening at their class meeting.Faithfulness and relevance both matter.God has great interest in our faithfulnessand that we communicate in relevantways. But God doesn’t ask us for a style ofworship. God asks us to offer ourselves—our best gifts— as we worship. That’s whatindigenous means. Vital worship is aboutwhat your particular people, at your particular place in your particular time canoffer best to God here and now.Methodists didn’t mind the names. Theygladly worshiped with their whole selves—spirit, mind, and body.Whoever sings and processes, kneels,bows, or dances prays thrice!How are you identifying and drawing on allthe best gifts of all who worship our TriuneGod with you?Advances in neuroscience in the past 20years have confirmed that what we do withour bodies strongly impacts what we remember and how we live. The adage ascribed to St. Augustine, “Whoever singsprays twice,” turns out to be true. Singingengages our whole brain, including our visual, aural, and motor cortices. What is encoded in one helps reinforce the others.Increasing the involvement of the motorcortex enhances learning even more. Wecould say, “Whoever sings and processes,kneels, bows or dances prays thrice!”Vital United Methodist Worship IsConnected“Religion” comes from the Latin religio,(re-, again plus ligare, to connect or link).Religion’s purpose is to “re-link” humansto each other, to God, and to the earthand all its creatures. Worship is a primaryway nearly all religion “re-links” us.United Methodists pray explicitly for suchre-linking when we ask the Holy Spirit to“make us one with Christ, one with eachother, and one in ministry to all the world”(The United Methodist Hymnal, p. 10)through the sharing of the body and bloodof Christ in Holy Communion.This does not mean that everyone shouldbe moving all the time during worship.Movement helps memory in two situations:when the movement is a change in bodyposition or action and when a given movement aligns with the sights, sounds, words,and feelings of a given action. Kneelingaligns with acts of confession and submis-How and where in worship do you re-linkwith Christ, with each other, and with therest of the world?3
sion to God. Dancing may align with praiseor expressions of thanksgiving. The changefrom what may be random motion to anorganized procession, for example, greatlyenhances focus, memory, and the beginning of worship. Likewise, a change froman energetic praise song with clapping to aslower song sung with hands raised inprayer intensifies the focus on prayerfulintercession and submission to God. Stillness fits with contemplative prayer.Starting a Worship Planning TeamA worship planning team brings togetherpeople in your congregation who arecommitted to Christ, to each other, and toensuring that your worship is as full aSLICE week after week as it can possiblybe. Its members may be visionaries, functionaries, networkers behind the scenes,and leaders in worship.So who’s on the team? One or more artistswith a good eye for designing worshipspace to support what happens in it; yourmusic leader and at least one principalmusician; a choreographer or a dramatist(if you have one); representatives fromgroups that help in worship (usher,acolyte, altar guild member, Communionsteward); people who design and runtechnologies (sound, web, projection,etc.); the pastor or pastors responsible forthe services you are planning; the bestnetworker you have (someone who knowspeople); and one or more people whoseexperience you trust to put the brakes onpoor ideas and give the go ahead for better ones. The optimal size for this group is7-12. The larger and more diverse yourteam, the more you may find valuable tospecify in writing who you need and whodoes what.How is worship embodied where you are?PLANNING FOR VITAL WORSHIPVital worship in The United MethodistChurch happens when all five of theseelements come together in a big, sweet,juicy SLICE! Sacraments center us. Thewhole assembly is actively involved. Theparticular gifts of particular people are enlisted. We use our bodies in ritually andculturally rich ways. There are multiplemeans for people to connect with God, witheach other, and with the whole world.Worship involving all of that requires creative and thoughtful planning! Worshipspace needs to be arranged and outfittedto support what will happen in each service. It takes time to learn and keep discovering the many gifts of your worshipingcommunity. It takes advance notice,sometimes weeks or months, for some ofthese gifts to be offered well in a giventime of worship. A new piece of art, apoem, a new musical composition, adance or a drama—all these take time toproduce and more to rehearse. Momentsof connection and how particular parts ofworship may be best embodied take careful forethought as well.You’ll be working closely with each other inways that demand your best creativity,passion, and theological awareness. Before you begin, take care to developa personal sense of each other asChristians and teammatesa common understanding of what worship is (and is not!) in The United Methodist Church and in your congregationa working plan including meeting timesand who does what, andThis is no job for a soloist! It’s a challengetwo or three people, such as a pastor anda musician, each working in her own silo,can rarely meet. Planning for vital worshipis a team sport!a covenant for how you’ll support andhold each other accountable for your worktogether.4
Taking time to form your team matters.Don’t skip this step! If you did, be sure toschedule opportunities to “catch up.”PBWiki to keep up with each other andyour work between meetings.Here is a meeting pattern your team mayfind helpful to use or adapt:Evening PrayerHow the Team WorksIn most places, the pastor will be the teamleader. As team leader, the pastor’s role isto convene the meetings, to watch over allteam members in love, and to guide theteam to plan worship with a full SLICE.Touch Base and Brief Sharing—1-2sentences per person about wherethey’ve seen God at work this weekLook Far Ahead: Possibilities andvisions for six months outHow do worship planning teams plan?Some pastors and teams prefer to planeverything as a team, including themes forservices and/or series. They may readScripture together, such as the RevisedCommon Lectionary readings, and arrivetogether at a theme or “anchor image,” asMarcia McFee calls it, that then guidestheir more detailed planning. Others preferthat the pastor provide the theme or anchor image and that the team focus primarily on “fleshing it out.” The “right way” todo this is the way you discover works bestfor your pastor and team.Explore Texts/Image for service/ services to be planned in this meeting(typically 6-12 weeks out)Develop the planCheck in on status of plans for upcoming services (1-4 weeks out)Evaluate the planning process for theprevious service/s (how the planworked)Sending forthEVALUATING WORSHIPHow often your team meets and the lengthof meetings depend on the availability ofyour team members and how many services you can plan in a given period oftime. Some planning teams meet weeklyor every other week for an hour. Othersschedule meetings for one full eveningevery month. Still others gather quarterlyin a weekend or overnight retreat setting.If you’re just getting started, you may wantto meet more frequently at first to helpyou get used to your work and each otherand to find your “groove.” After that, youmight meet less often.As heirs of John Wesley, United Methodists continually strive after perfection inlove in this life. Ultimately, the grace ofGod and the power of the Spirit lead usthere. Evaluation is one way we cooperate.Evaluation involves assessing what wehave done and identifying what it takes forus to take our next steps with equal orgreater faithfulness.Make time in every meeting of your worship planning team to evaluate the planning for a given service of set of services.Did the things you had planned to happen,happen? Did they happen as you had envisioned them? If you were depending onseveral different people or groups, didthey all come through? What worked?Why? What didn’t work as you had anticipated? Why? What are you learning tomake your planning more effective nexttime?Whenever you meet, always honor yourteam members’ time. Start and end whenyou said you would. Make your time countby doing there only what you need to doface to face. Take full advantage of freeelectronic and online communications,such as email, Facebook groups, Skype, oronline project management tools like5
Set 1: SLICEYour mission as a planning team is primarily planning. What you do as a team is toplan and seek to execute your plans. Evaluating your planning every time keeps youon task and focused on continuous innovation and improvement.Sacramental: How do these serviceskeep or deepen a sacramental centernot only in ritual but in the lives of yourworshipers?Liturgical: How and how well do theseservices reflect worship as the work ofthe people?Evaluation is helpful only to the degree that you,as worship planners, can do something aboutwhat you measure.Indigenous: How well have these worship services drawn on the gifts of yourparticular worshipers?Connected: Where in these serviceshave you created opportunities forworshipers to connect with God, witheach other, and with the world and allits creatures?About once per quarter (if you meet weekly or monthly; twice per year if you meetquarterly) set aside an additional 30 minutes to an hour to evaluate the vitalityand integrity of worship.Embodied: How have these servicesinvited people to use their wholeselves— spirit, mind and body?Worship is often evaluated using ill-fittingtools. Surveys that ask people what theyprefer or find “most meaningful” prioritizeour own experiences above our duty tooffer ourselves fully to God. Trying to drawinferences about vitality from attendancepatterns is statistically suspect since toomany factors beyond planning and implementation tend to influence the data. Andultimately, evaluation is only helpful to thedegree that you, as worship planners, cando something about what you measureand discover.Set 2: Energy and FlowDraw an “energy chart” for each service. Where does energy build? Whereis it released? Where does energy flatline? Where is energy being drained,leaving an “energy vacuum?”Look carefully at the transitions ineach service. Where does one actionflow seamlessly into the next? Whatmade that flow seamless? Where doesone action move awkwardly into thenext? What might have contributed tothis awkwardness?Here are three sets of questions that directly relate to the vitality of worship, thatare less subject to influences beyond yourcontrol, and that you can act on as worship planners. Distribute them ahead oftime to all team members along with copies of the worship programs from the twoor three specific services you agree to evaluate. Encouraging your team members toanswer these questions before you meetwill make your conversation richer andyour conclusions better informed.Set 3: PassionReview “The Dynamics and Passions ofPassionate Worship.”Identify how and where the servicesyou are reviewing express each of thesix passions listed (Trust, Anger, Ecstasy, Fear, Desire, Hope). How wellwere they expressed and in what waysmight they be expressed better?6
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND PRACTICAL HELPSUse these questions and activities to guide your worship planning team a leadership teamtoward vital weekly worship where you are.A Biblical Foundation1. Read Exodus 25-31 as a small group Bible study. Make a list of all of the arts, crafts, andother skills required and provided for the building of the Tabernacle and used by thepeople as they worship. As you reflect on these two lists together, ask yourselves:Which of these or other arts, crafts, and skills are in our congregation?Which of these are we offering in worship as fully as we can? How will we invitepeople to offer more of their gifts in worship?Vital United Methodist Worship2. Using the SLICE! model described above, walk through a recent worship program andask yourselves how each element is present in the service you are reviewing together.How can you build on your strengths to go deeper or add an element that may bemissing or under-represented?The Worship Planning Team3. Look at the suggested list of participants in a worship planning team (p. 4).Which of these persons or roles participate in your current team?Whom might you invite to provide more of these perspectives in your planning?If you don’t yet have a team, which of these will you invite to join a team first?4. Examine the various media that can be employed for the benefit of the team and itswork.How well is your team taking advantage of electronic and online communications between meetings and for meetings to maximize the value of the time you spend faceto face?Evaluating Worship5. There are two layers of evaluation: for the planning and for the worship experience.How do you evaluate worship planning now? How might you improve it?How do you evaluate worship now? How might you use or adapt the questions aboveto improve your current process?7
RESOURCESThe General Board of Discipleship website has hundreds of articles, presentations, helps,and free music downloads—all constantly updated—to strengthen worship planning, preaching, and music in your congregation or worshiping community. http://www.umcworship.orgThree great books for worship planners:Encounters with the Holy by Barbara Day Miller (Herndon: Alban Institute, 2010, ISBN 9781-56699-398-2). Order HereThe Work of the People: What We Do in Worship and Why, by Marlea Gilbert, ChristopherGrundy, Eric T. Myers, Stephanie Perdew (Alban Institute, 2007, ISBN 978-1-56699-337-1).Order HereThe Worship Workshop: Creative Ways to Design Worship Together by Marcia McFee. (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. ISBN 9-780-687-046348). Order HereOn-line ResourcesThe UMC Worship Facebook Group-- a place to ask questions, share resources, and learnfrom leaders and peers across the UMC connection about all matters relating to worshipplanning. If you have a Facebook account, search for "UMC Worship" and ask to join.The UMC Worship blog-- http://umcworship.blogspot.com - A source for deeper discussionabout worship and up to the minute resources for worship in The United Methodist Church. Ifyou are interested in contributing to the blog as an author, contact worship@gbod.org.The Worship Design Studio-- http://www.marciamcfee.com An annual subscription gives youaccess to creative worship design ideas compiled by Dr. Marcia McFee and a wide range ofartists, musicians, and liturgical theologians in The United Methodist Church and beyondWriter in this issue:Taylor Burton-Edwards, Director of Worship Resources, tburtonedwards@gbod.org This pamphlet is prepared by the Discipleship Group at the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Churchand may be reprinted for use in the local church 2011 GBOD.For more information about the needs and requirements in specific ministry areas, see the leadership seriesGuidelines for Leading Your Congregation, which includes Christian Education Small Group MinistryVisit our websites: Evangelism Stewardship www.gbod.org/education Finance Worship www.gbod.org/evangelism www.gbod.org/stewardshipGo to www.cokesbury.com or call 1-800-672-1789. www.gbod.org/worship8
1 WORSHIP PATHWAYS TO CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY NO. 3 SERVING THE NEEDS OF LEADERS IN FOUNDATIONAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES PLANNING VITAL WEEKLY WORSHIP ital: life-giving, essential, crucial. Vi-tal and its synonyms describe the role of worship for Christians wherever we gather, and it happens
AN OUTLINE FOR WORSHIP PSALM 33 MAIN IDEA There are forms of worship that celebrate who god is and what he does on our behalf. I. A CALL TO WORSHIP (VS 1-3) SINGING JOYFULLY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY IS A NICE WAY TO OPEN UP A WORSHIP SERVICE. A. WHO SHOULD WORSHIP (1) B. HOW SHOULD WE WORSHIP (2) C. WHOM SHOULD WE WORSHIP (3) II.
Come let us worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Give God the honor. Give God the praise. Come let us worship the Lord; Let's give God the praise. Worship God. Worship God. Give my God the glory. Give my God the praise. Worship God. Worship God. Come let us worship the Lord; Let's give God
Worship In The Prophetic Era: Minor Prophets Chapter 12: New Testament Worship 1 170 Worship In The Gospels And Acts Chapter 13: New Testament Worship 2 179 . This manual is a primer on worship for new Believers and an invitation to seasoned Believers to experience biblical worship in a new dimension. For all, it provides instruction in what .
Diamond Touch POS YES Vital/TSYS PC Charge Digital Dining (by MenuSoft) YES Vital/TSYS Digital Payment Tech YES Vital/TSYS Authorize.net. Dina Touch Pos YES PC Charge DINERWARE YES Vital/TSYS DirectTouch YES Vital/TSYS Vital/TSYS NETePay DataTran / Data Cap Dispensary Management YES Vital/
GCSE Religious Studies Christianity Practices Workbook Name: 2 Forms of Worship There are four forms of worship you need to know: 1. Liturgical worship 2. Non-liturgical worship 3. Informal worship 4. Private worship Liturgical Worsh
Family worship is not the only factor, of course. Family worship is not a substitute for other parental duties. Family worship without parental example is futile. Spontaneous teaching that arises throughout a typical day is crucial, yet set times of family worship are also important. Family worship is the foundation of biblical child-rearing.File Size: 432KB
as needed to make it fit. Say “Tabernacle” slowly to help children articulate the word. The Tabernacle was a place to worship God, Worship God, worship God. The Tabernacle was a place to worship God For His people in the wilderness. Our church is a place to worship God, (repea
Arduinos, Lego Mindstorms, Scratch, Python, Sketchup and much more. Pupils can work on their own projects or follow tutorials to build amazing computing creations! Computing Top-Up* Years 7-11 Tailored to both Computing enthusiasts and technophobes, Computing Top-Up provides a chance to reinforce learning done in lesson time and to explore exciting new avenues of technology. Debating Society .
