mdpcbarnabas - Beginning Worship First Year

Beginning worship in the first year of the life of a new church can perhaps best be�illustrated by stories of the experience of others.� Here are several stories.

Situation #1.� In the mid 90's, in an�office building, a group of Presbyterians, about half with young families and half empty-nesters,�in a fast growing�suburb�began a Bible study.� After about three years, they gained the approval of Presbytery to hire a pastor.� The pastor arrived; the group chose a name; and�four months later worship services began in an elementary�school near the property that the group hoped to purchase.�

Worship with about 30 to 50 attendees,�was basically traditional but on occasion was a blended service of contemporary style and music.

Presbytery purchased the property, a new name was chosen and worship moved to a near-by school building.�The first pastor moved on after serving for about 17 months.� A variety of visiting pastors led mostly traditional worship for the next 11 months with about the same number of participants, while a search committee looked for another pastor.

A pastor was hired,�traditional worship continued in the school while the task force and the new pastor raise money to begin a building.� At this time attendance and potential membership increased to about 130.

Situation #2.��In the late 80's,�a presbytery gathered a group of interested�persons and immediately set them up for worship�in a school common area on Sunday mornings at 10:30.� The idea was that this group�would be the beginning of a NCD worshiping community.� A�counselor-type minister was assigned to lead the worship�and a different pastor, one with successful NCD experience in the 70's was asked to design the worship service.

The service was traditional and continued for 8 months, while�the presbytery searched for and found a pastor.� When the pastor arrived he felt the worship was not appropriate to the community and with the� help of the leaders, he began organizing a "restart," which�caused needless strain on both the organizing group and the pastor.�

The experience of the latter organizing pastor led to�3 ideas.� First: an NCD needs one good clear start when it goes public with an invitation to worship.��Second:� Presbyterians�can better begin this community with�Bible study-discussion-prayer group which continues until the mutual feeling of the "right" time for�beginning worship.� At this time, the committee for worship will have�community of interested worshippers who are enthusiastic about the start-up.� Third:�the first public worship should be carefully based in good theology with an eye to how the new church will position itself.

There are�several types of worship services�normally offered:��1.� a contemporary/seeker service with alternative type music, with no explicit Christian art or symbol; a�worship that suggests suburban casual�with messages that are life-helpful in general.� 2.� a Word and Sacrament order with weekly Lord's Supper, traditional hymns and an expository sermon.��3.�some agreed upon combination of contemporary and traditional, e.g. reformed elements of�creed recitation and�confession with assurance of pardon followed by contemporary songs lead by a singer who teaches as he/she leads.��

The Word and Sacrament model is very powerful.� But it must be developed by the original NCD committee with their organizing pastor.� Study and prayer together ought to be the context in which a shared understanding of why and how we worship. Before the public service is announced, the worship should be planned and practiced with participants who understand that worship is not a means to an end, but the primary statement and experience of who we are called to be as a congregation.� This worship becomes the curriculum of the new church.� The first group should be able to welcome visitors warmly and to share personally�and explicitly why we worship as we do, how this way of worship is Christian, truly Presbyterian, evangelical and a way people learn to know God and follow Christ.�

With the contemporary (emergent) worship, the range and nature changes very rapidly, and is prone to vulnerability to competition in ways the more classic order of Word and Sacrament worship is not.

But, whatever model is chosen, excellence is necessary. For the visitor, clear, strong enthusiastic participation on the part of the people is the strongest sign of the gospel.� And focusing on worship will always keep the group oriented to God and our discipleship.

Situation #3.� This one�would best�be written by Jim, who has his own experience from which to speak.

Comments:

What's different about worship in a church of new believers or where many visitors are actually non-believers?� Where many are unchurched or have not been in a church in years?� There is a greater need to educate the congregation about the components of a service, especially those of a more "traditional" nature like liturgy, responsive readings, creeds, etc.