An Introduction to Ministry

A Primer for Renewed Life and Leadership in Mainline Protestant Congregations

Ian S. Markham, Oran E. Warder

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781118779897
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

An Introduction to Ministry is a comprehensive and ecumenical introduction to the craft of ministry for ministers, pastors, and priests that make up the mainline denominations in the United States. Ecumenically-focused, It offers a grounded account of ministry, covering areas such as vocation, congregational leadership, and cultivation of skills for an effective ministry.

• Covers the key components of the M.Div. curriculum, offering a map and guide to the central skills and issues in training
• Explores the areas of vocation, skills for ministry, and issues around congregational leadership
• Each topic ends with an annotated bibliography providing an indispensable gateway to further study
• Helps students understand both the distinctive approach of their denomination and the relationship of that approach to other mainline denominations
• Advocates and defends a generous understanding of the Christian tradition in its openness and commitment to broad conversation

Section Two
Cultivating the Skills for Effective Ministry

4
Worship and Mainline Ritual

Much of this book focuses on the work that the leader of the congregation must do outside the congregation. It looks at careful study of Scripture, the need for a coherent theology, the importance of effective pastoral care, and the challenge of church administration. However, it is worth remembering that a key aspect of congregational leadership is creating an outstanding worship experience.

For Christians, the Holy Spirit is the primary provider of an “outstanding worship experience.” However, the human agent is important. Although it is true that poor preaching and dreadful music can still create an occasion where God is worshipped and the people of God encounter God, it is even better when the people of God work in an imaginative and conscientious way to ensure that the experience offered to God is our best. There is nothing wrong with striving for excellence in worship. It is not incompatible with faithfulness.

The Basics

We live in an age where there are so many competing options for our time away from work – from reading a good newspaper in Starbucks to sports for your children. When you are working 50 or 60 hours a week (an 8am to 8pm day is very common), the leisurely Sunday morning is very precious. The Church of the Holy Comforter (i.e. the comforter you pull up over yourself as you snuggle back to sleep) is a constant temptation on a Sunday morning.

In addition, expectations for “entertainment” (and in a sense this is where worship needs to be compared – church competes with other forms of relaxation on a Sunday morning) are high. Sporting events are exciting; musical events are polished; lectures are informed, snazzy, and use PowerPoint and Prezi effectively; and the movie theater is just a delight. Meanwhile so much of the time church is boring. Music is dull; sermons are too long, boring, and delivered without any technological aids; and the liturgy is delivered without any passion.

In the mainline denominations, a good worship leader must make sure that the hour (ideally), perhaps 1 hour 15 minutes, is outstanding.¹ If men and women are going to make church their priority, then it is important that we do everything we can to make sure that they don't regret that decision. The worship experience should always strive for excellence: it should always be outstanding. So what are the important priorities?

Worship is about worshipping God. For some it is hard to worship when leading worship. The worship leader has to think ahead constantly; she (for this chapter she is inclusive of he) must prepare for the next stage of the service. Yet such anticipation should not excuse the presider from also seeking to worship. In the end this occasion is about God. Robert Hovda makes the point well when he writes, if the presider “fails to communicate a sense of prayerful performance, of being (first of all) a worshiper and a member of the worshiping assembly, then he or she is not a leader but an intruder. And the gifts of such a one or such a group damage rather than enhance worship.”² One comes to the liturgy as a worshipper seeking to be in the presence of God.

There are three basics that always must be covered. First, it is important that one can be heard and seen. When you join a congregation as the new worship leader, do take several weeks just to sit in different parts of the church experiencing the worship experience as a member of the congregation. In this way, you will notice the pillar that obstructs the view, the way that sound moves around the space (meaning that in some places hearing is easy and in others it is much harder), and focus of those around you (some sections of the church will be especially worshipful, others will be texting on their iPhone). This is vitally important information for the worship leader to have. You might feel that you are “hitting the sermon out of the ballpark,” but if folks cannot hear then no one else will be sharing your feeling.

The second basic requirement is to cultivate a presence. For the mainline, the presider at the worship experience is given some help. Appropriate attire in the form of vestments and the location of the presider at the front and the center are tools to help give the worship leader a sense of presence. Studies have shown that when it comes to presentations, the visual and hearing impact are more important than the content. Typically, studies have shown that the impact of a presentation is weighted 50% on appearance, 30% on delivery, and just 20% on content.³ Dressing right and speaking clearly are really important. All of this creates a “presence.” The congregation should be aware of the person entrusted with the responsibility of leading the worship.

The third requirement is to be interesting, use humor effectively, and rehearse. Voice training is important; one should cultivate a voice that is interesting. Using humor to relax a congregation is a good way to make a congregation receptive. To laugh one must listen. And once a person has started listening, it is likely that they will stay with you. And rehearsal is essential. Everything should be done well. You do not teach a server how to prepare the table for communion during the liturgy itself.

These are the basic requirements for effective worship oversight. The next stage is the organization of the liturgy.

The Basic Mainline Service Structure

Barbara Day Miller helpfully sets out the basic structure of a mainline service. There are four stages: “gathering for praise,” “hearing God's Word,” “responding in faith,” and “sending forth.”⁴

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Images of Contrasting Worship – Traditional vs. Contemporary

Figure 4.1 Source: (a) © Bob Daemmrich/Alamy; (b) © Peter Noyce PLB/Alamy.

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Gathering for praise will include music, a call to worship, a hymn of praise, and a prayer. In the more liturgical seasons, there will be a recognition of the moment in the church calendar (normally marked by a special prayer – often called a Collect). Hearing God's Word is the moment when Scripture is read and the sermon is preached. The precise number of readings from Scripture can vary considerably. The maximum will be four (normally, an Old Testament lesson, an Epistle, a Gospel, and a Psalm), but it can be as few as just one. The sermon will then seek to apply the insights from the biblical texts to the contemporary situation facing the congregation. Responding in faith can include a whole range of activities. For some traditions, it is the chance for a renewal at the altar (an altar call); for others, it is a creed followed by the prayers of the people. Many traditions will include the confession at this stage and the offering of the tithes. In addition, this is the section where there is communion or the Eucharist. The “exchange of the peace” will either happen here or in the gathering section. There are good arguments for both locations: the Lutherans tend to think the gathering is the right place for greeting each other, while the Episcopalians tend to locate the peace after the confession and before the offering. Finally, the people need to be “sent forth.” There is always some conclusion to the liturgy (which is normally a hymn, blessing, and some type of dismissal).

This basic structure does vary across the different traditions in the mainline. The Episcopal Church, for example, makes the sacrament of the Eucharist not simply a response to the Word, but the climax of the liturgy in its own right. And many United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations do not include Holy Communion as part of the response to the Word, but instead concentrate on making prayer the primary response. Nevertheless, this basic order (even if the significance of the divisions varies) is found across the mainline.

Significant Rituals

The first and most important ritual is baptism. Baptism is the rite of initiation into the Christian tradition. Most of the mainline Churches practice infant baptism, although adults who convert or recommit to Christianity can be baptized. It is theologically the moment when the drama of human sinfulness being transformed by the death of Christ is enacted. As a child emerges from the water, the promise of God made possible in Christ is realized. A baptism can be a joyous occasion. Normally, it is the opportunity for a baby to be brought to God; it expresses the intention of families to support that child in the Christian faith; and many parents take it as an opportunity to give a special role to friends and siblings in the child's life by making them godparents.

The symbolism of baptism is rich. In Paul's letters, baptism is linked both to the Jewish practice of circumcision (see Colossians 2:11–12) and the Exodus (1 Corinthians 10:1–5)...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series
• Titlepage
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Section One: Exploring the World of Ministry
• Section Two: Cultivating the Skills for Effective Ministry
• Section Three: Leading the People of God
• Glossary
• Index
• EULA