The word is 'innovate'.
From Merriam/Webster: : to make changes : do something in a new way
There's a little dialogue - between Debbie and I - that has played out in church quite a few times over recent years:
DEB (as she joins me in the pew): "Did you pick up a bulletin?"
ME: "No. I read it last year!"
She rarely sees the humor of my response and typically gives me 'the look'! 😆
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A number of years ago [when Jon and Tracie were still living in Connecticut], we were visiting and attended their church-plant on Sunday morning. It met in a school, so a lot of set-up was involved. As we arrived, we were greeted and made our way to the middle of the auditorium and found seats.
We waited a bit for the time of service to arrive. Just as the worship team members moved to the front, Coltin [probably about eight at the time], leaned over to me and said:
"They'll start with a song. Then there'll be announcements and a time for greeting. Then, we'll sing three more songs. After that, the pastor will pray. Then he'll preach and have another prayer. One more song and then we'll leave."
He nailed it! Spot on! An eight-year-old had noticed and memorized the pattern!
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Is there anything wrong with this?
I suppose not - technically. For many people, predictability is a good thing.
Obviously, I wrestle with this pattern. Here's why...
1. I think that predictability leads to boredom!
Everyone knows almost exactly what's going to happen before it happens. All I have to do is stick it out until 12:00 PM.
2. This pattern of consistency tends to turn worship into a ritual!
Rituals can be [and often are] followed mindlessly!
3. Who plans the details of the 'Detail Sheet'?
Is it the pastor? the church secretary? the worship team?
I've seen 'Detail Sheets' that actually listed time components for each segment of the worship experience.
4. What role is prayer, discernment and the Holy Spirit given in the process of preparation for worship?
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Let me diverge for a few moments:
Consider the expansive creativity of our God!
For many of us the year is divided into four very different seasons that even dictate how we dress.
The rough estimate of all the tree species in the world currently stands at 65,065, distributed in all countries worldwide.
The Clements checklist of birds of the world lists 10,906 bird species that live in practically every habitat from open oceans to arid deserts!
I'm not going to wear you down with more; you get the idea.
God has so wonderfully illustrated creativity, diversity and curiosity in the making of our world. Why can't we do the same with our worship?
Have we pandered to a segment of the population who are just interested in checking off the box ☑ Have attended worship today.
Have we ignored and omitted those who would be prone to add color, fun, humor and engagement to our worship?
Does anybody in the church ask these questions? Are they relevant? Are they appropriate?
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For nine years, I led a church where I was set free to tamper with the traditional forms of worship. I wrote skits to illustrate my messages. My sister-in-law [Laurie Mahosky] took those skits and recruited and trained people to present them on Sunday mornings. Some were humorous and others were quite impactful. A unique and surprising group of people stepped forward to volunteer to be part of this team.
We also used video songs and video clips to supplement worship. Eventually, we took advantage of the videographer skills of a few of our people and featured video testimonies. The advantage of this was that we could control the time and edit the content. I tried to create messages of interest and illustrate them with humor and stories.
Guess what? The church grew from 70 to over 200. Two years in a row, we were recognized by our denomination as a 'Multiplying Church'!
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Dare we allow the church of Jesus Christ to be deemed irrelevant by the world?
Mega-churches draw crowds by creating an environment where everything is provided! You can come here every Sunday and you don't have to do anything. Just sit in the dark in our theater seats and enjoy the show! Is this success? Is this pleasing to God?
I attended a local mega-church a while back. It was great! Everything was done so well! You couldn't help but be impressed. When the service ended, I simply remained in my seat and observed what happened. People got up and filed out the aisles through the foyer and out the doors to their cars. No one talked to one another! There was no recognition of fellow worshippers! No engagement! The show was over - it was time to head home or to the restaurant!
Is this the Church we want to model for our world?
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I'm just finishing an eight-month role as an interim pastor. I've enjoyed the opportunity to lead a church again. However, as an interim, there were obvious limitations on what I was allowed to do. Prudence also created barriers regarding how much change it would be appropriate for me to instigate. I restrained myself appropriately!
I spoke candidly to the staff on a few occasions indicating things that I would love to see happen. I mentioned that if I was assigned to lead the church, the first thing I would do would be to remove 100 seats from the sanctuary!
To my surprise, a couple of men did just that one week!
Surprisingly, the congregation took it in stride the next Sunday and I never heard a complaint about it. As a result, we sit closer to one another now and tend to have more interaction with one another. Pretty cool!
Why are we so afraid of change?
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The 15th century reformer, John Calvin, proposed that there were three ways that we could know about God: reason, revelation and tradition.
A couple of hundred years later, John Wesley suggested that there was a fourth: experience.
REASON - I can use the brain that God has given me to make observations and think things through, enabling to understand better the nature of God.
REVELATION - God has revealed Himself through Christ and through The Word! I must give precedence to these revelations and allow them to influence and guide my life!
TRADITION - The collective voice and practice of generations of believers trickle down to us through the centuries. We must revere these traditions, evaluate their effectiveness for our age, and employ them wisely to provoke, inspire and guide our people.
EXPERIENCE - God may choose to reveal Himself to me in intimate, personal ways that will guide and influence me throughout the course of my life!
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
- How much should I allow tradition to influence the way I worship?
- Shouldn't it be balanced with the other four sources?
- Is there new revelation since we live in the age of the Spirit that could liberate us in our worship?
- What does it mean to worship Him in Spirit and in truth? [John 4:24]
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