This list of worship leading concepts was offered by Dr. Edith Humphrey of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary at the Ancient Wisdom – Anglican Futures Conference, Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge PA today (June 5, 2009). One of the panelists commented “this alone was worth coming for”.
- Don’t call attention to the fact that you’re worshipping during the worship service (it’s like the characters in Spaceballs watching the Star Wars movie to figure out what to do next)
- Don’t meddle with the historical order of worship. (this is in regard to traditional liturgy – there are reasons things are in the order they are and have been for hundreds of years: it works)
- Avoid novelty for novelty’s sake.
- Don’t interrupt the flow of the service. (She offered an example she witnessed of a communion service being interrupted with a skit encouraging the kids to attend Sunday School.)
- Allow for quiet prior to the service.
- Prepare children (and teachers) to receive. (whether it be the sermon, sacraments, or children’s church)
- Allow calm for reflection after reading the Word, and during and after Communion.
- No imposing joy on others. (don’t try to whip up peoples’ emotions; allow room for God to touch them)
She adds: “Watch! This too is the work of God – we need to get our agendas and presuppositions out of the way.”
To read more about AWAF and the speakers at the conference, check out the blog Ancient Wisdom – Anglican Futures: An Emerging Conversation.
Hi, Peg,
My copy of Christianity Today came yesterday and there is an article by Edith Humphrey. She wrote about naivete in Christians–as in, when to be wise as serpents or innocent as doves. Probably you were all passing it around to each other at the conference. It looks like she has a lot to say, but I wonder if the article was heavily edited because it races a bit. Good stuff otherwise.
The internetmonk was also at a conference (at first I wondered if you had run off together) and he also posted about the speakers. John Piper was there, and it looks like I had better get around to reading him as well as N. T. Wright, because CT also has an article about them in this issue–a debate about justification. I assume that CT timed the articles around the conferences.
Hi Ted,
Sorry for the delay getting back — just finished a June Term intensive on Saturday.
Wow, sounds like a great issue of CT, I’ll have to look for it! The conference was the second time I’ve heard Edith Humphrey speak at Trinity, and she’s dynamic. I’m glad to hear she’s getting national coverage.
I think N.T. Wright is going to be — or I should say continue to be — very influential with the generation coming up after ours. The Emerging Church (Piper et al) just love him even though he hasn’t fully signed on to the Emerging thing. I like the stuff of Wright’s I’ve read so far… hope to read a little more over the summer.
I hope AWAF will make videos of the presentations available — there was some great stuff there!
And as for me and IM running off together…… hmmmmmm…. there’s a certain appeal to that idea!…. I wonder where he is in the RW? LOL!!!