Resources and Comments in Response to “Why Do We Worship the Way We Have Always Worshiped When People Keep Changing?”
In the July 12 issue of Alban Weekly (“Why Do We Worship the Way We Have Always Worshiped When People Keep Changing?“), Graham Standish asserts that forms of worship need to be adapted to the trends that emerge with each new generation. Forms that were vital thirty or forty years ago fail as time passes because congregations forget to “keep the focus of worship on the encounter with the Holy.” Maintaining the status quo begins to take precedence over enabling people to “gain a sense of the Creator’s purpose in their lives, Christ’s presence in worship, and the Spirit’s power working through them.”
What is the alternative? Becoming intentional about adapting worship to the spiritual realities of people’s lives. The core question, says Standish, is this: “Do people encounter the Holy in our worship services?”
What resources might help you and your congregation move toward an adaptive, spiritual approach to worship? In addition to the items listed at the bottom of the article (particularly Standish’s books, In God’s Presence and Becoming a Blessed Church), the items featured in the “Worship” and “Spirituality” sections of the Congregational Resource Guide may prove helpful. You might especially consider Beyond the Worship Wars, and Making Liturgy.
What are your stories and ideas concerning this topic? And what resources do you suggest? We look forward to hearing from you!
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Resources and Comments in Response to “Funding for Today and Tomorrow”
In the July 7, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Funding for Today and Tomorrow“) Dan Hotchkiss points out that many congregations want to believe they serve those beyond their walls, but expect budget outlays to focus on the desires and needs of their members. He compares the congregation with other nonprofits as he explains that [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “Why Blog?”
Lynne Baab, author of Reaching Out in a Networked World (from which “Why Blog” was excerpted for the June 28, 2010 Alban Weekly), argues that blogs can be wonderful communication vehicles for congregations. They can function as newsletters, as stories and testimonies, and as building blocks for communicating “a piece of what the congregation considers [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “The Vision to Embrace Change”
“The Vision to Embrace Change” (the June 21, 2010 Alban Weekly article adapted from Kenneth McFayden’s Strategic Leadership for a Change: Facing Our Losses, Finding Our Future) highlights several components of effective visioning processes. Each component, believes McFayden, needs to be utilized as congregations embrace change and move into a transformational future. The first of [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “The POWR of Planning Worship”
In the June 14, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“The POWR of Planning Worship“), Barbara Day Miller examines the processes that can lead to truly life-giving worship. These processes, which Miller explores more fully in Encounters with the Holy: A Conversational Model for Worship Planning, involve holding in tension two divergent but important movements in [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “Rev. Mackay’s Dilemmas”
The June 7, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Rev. Mackay’s Dilemmas“) demonstrates what can go wrong when sensitive information is not handled in a responsible way. Using the example of a small-town pastor, the authors explain why key questions need to be asked when determining what to do about potentially harmful secrets. Kibbie Simmons Ruth [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “Visions of the Sacred Community”
In the May 31, 2010 issue of Alban Weekly (“Visions of the Sacred Community“), the authors clearly delineate the differences between a consumer-driven functional congregational community and a truly visionary community. While purely functional communities are marked by consumerism, segmentation, passivity, meaninglessness, resistance to change, and nonreflective leadership (which are explained in the article), truly [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “Congregational Management: A Holy Calling”
In the May 24, 2010 Alban Weekly (“Congregational Management: A Holy Calling“), John Wimberly makes some significant points about the value and importance of sound management in congregations. Managers need to think systemically, valuing each part of the system and keeping all parts properly aligned as well as running smoothly. They need to limit risks [...]
Faith, Work & Daily Living: Law Firm
Part of a weekly series of guest posts on the relationship between faith, work & daily living. Written by lay people previously interviewed at their place of work, they come courtesy of The Rev. Canon J. Fletcher Lowe, Jr., Priest Associate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA. “Peace of Mind Matters,” by Russell Palmore [...]
Resources and Comments in Response to “Setting the Welcome Thermostat”
In the May 17, 2010 issue of the Alban Weekly (“Setting the Welcome Thermostat“), Sarah Drummond talks about a church that manages to attract a group not often found in other churches: the post-collegiate young adults who have not yet put down roots but who are seeking a welcoming, inviting church to call “home.” Three [...]
