Three distinct paradigms have been evident for Sunday morning services in the past 30 years. These designs are not about style of music or teaching. I am not referring to whether the hour is traditional or contemporary, boomer or postmodern, free flowing or liturgical. These paradigms pertain to how integrated the arts portion of the service is with the teaching or sermon portion. To understand the differences, consider Sunday morning a meal we prepare and serve to the congregation, longing for God’s Spirit to use it to transform human lives.
An a la carte meal
The church of my youth was an a la carte experience. If the sermon can be described as the main course, whatever preceded it was a random selection of menu items. The congregation sampled one distinct taste after another, without any intentional connection between them. I doubt whether the worship leaders who prepared songs, solos, segues, and readings had even communicated with one another. Rather, individual cooks each whipped up their course, and surprised all of us who gathered with their portion of the meal.
God still showed up in that church, and we were sometimes moved. We loaded our worship plates with the assorted foods of a potluck in the hope the diverse elements would somehow work together and some transcendent truth would become evident. But walking back to our cars afterward, we had no sense that we had been guided through an intentional, integrated experience.
The two-course meal
My second experience was more like a two-part dinner. The arts portion serves as appetizer and side dishes coordinated to come alongside the main course, biblical teaching.
This approach certainly is more cohesive. The pastor offers information in advance to the arts team, who view their job as preparing the congregation to receive the truth of the Scripture. Assembling their artistic chefs, they seek to discern what courses will best support and enhance the main course.
The congregation usually leaves grateful for a meal that shows planning and direction. It is definitely a more satisfying experience than the a la carte approach.
A Sunday morning feast
These days, I’ve experienced in several churches an even more delightful hour on Sunday. From beginning to end, this banquet is clearly designed by a team. The teaching and the arts support one another in every part. Words such as organic and holistic come to mind.
Such feasts require a far greater investment of a pastor’s time with the artists. Together, they craft an experience that joins every course in an intentional progression. The congregation does not discern separate parts, but rather savors a fine mix of distinct and yet wonderfully connected flavors. Often the teaching portion is divided into two or more sections, with the arts in between.
Though such services are more challenging for the chefs to coordinate, attenders, served with great care, head into their everyday lives with greater passion and focus.
Nancy Beach is teaching pastor and creative arts director at Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Illinois.
Quiz: 6 Serious QuestionsHere are the questions students in my class on public worship at La Sierra University use to evaluate the church services they attend for the course: 1. Did I meet God there? God comes to us in unanticipated ways. In this environment, how open can I be to God during public worship? 2. Do the worshipers love each other? Two key measurements: laughter and hospitality. 3. Do they care about the community? Look for people from the neighborhood in attendance. 4. Is there energy? Not necessarily fast and loud, this asks when the presence of the Holy Spirit became apparent. 5. Did I learn anything new? In addition to the sermon, did the elements of worship, including silence, convey a message? 6. What is the barf factor? Seriously, was the service thoughtfully planned, or was it casual, careless, rote, or thrown together? —William Loveless in Ministry (Oct 2004) |
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