This week, I begin the second residential session of work toward the Doctor of Worship Studies degree at the Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Orange Park, Florida. This session highlights the role of music and the arts in worship and spirituality:
Corporate worship of the triune God is the central, ongoing occupation of the Christian community. Yet worship is always offered in changing times, places and cultural contexts. Therefore worship renewal that is grounded in sound theological reflection is often necessary. This is especially true today as churches seek to take into consideration the shift into a postmodern world.
This course explores how the content, form, and styles of worship are enlivened through intentional worship design and the expression of the arts. Special attention is given to the ministries of music, the performing arts and the fine arts.
As part of this work, I did an assessment of our congregation’s worship planning and leadership practices. The following is an excerpt from that assessment:
The order of our worship gathering serves to orient the assembly around the values of our heritage and the story of God. Emphasis is placed on peace, togetherness, and obedience to the ways and example of Jesus. Our printed order of worship details the work we do together. We utilize written prayer and readings, pay close attention to the flow of the worship events, and delineate the various components of the service (the folds).
The order of our worship has a consistent routine. The prayers, song selections, and Scripture readings change weekly (we partially follow the Revised Common Lectionary). Our thematic emphasis for each liturgical season also determines the placement of certain elements in the service. Usually, the elements in the “gathering” portion have the most fluidity in their internal placement. The pastor (myself) is responsible for week-to-week worship planning, and our team of lay elders (led by the pastor) work to develop the annual and season thematic emphases. The small size of our parish enables us to informally engage in conversation to improve various components of the worship service as needed.
Our worship-style is Anabaptist-ecumenical. We have a highly communal approach to corporate worship with emphasis placed on the work of all the people (Anabaptist). Our various components of worship also reflect the core values of Brethren heritage: peace and obedience to Jesus. Because many in our parish bring a variety of samplings from the Christian traditions from their experience, our worship has ecumenical influence. Our pastor (myself) wears a robe and stole, our meetinghouse is an early 20th-century stone and stained-glass building, we pray responsively, and we gather at the Table every month. Musically, we use the giftedness of our entire group. Banjo, guitar, mandolin, piano, organ, and keyboard will be used throughout the year, blending songs from the past 30 years with hymnody that is centuries old. In every aspect of worship that is incorporated, we work diligently to ensure it is consistent with our tradition’s core values in peace and obedience to Jesus.
Friends, be in prayer for our studies this week. Though the communal worship and fellowship here are refreshing, the daily grind of doctoral work is mentally and physically draining. It requires thinking in different ways, pressing you to push beyond the limits of your preconceptions to ask probing and transformative questions. It’s taxing, but it’s an environment where I thrive!
More to come this week…
Christopher
