Offering an Additional Worship Service in 2009
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Offering an Additional Worship Service in 2009
(Translation: Creating a New Congregation in 2009)
by Daniel Benedict
(This is an expanded version of an article I wrote in our Hawaii District Newsletter. Here I have
included additional commentary, resources, and links for those United Methodist clergy and
laity who received that newsletter and anyone else who may welcome this proposal. It is
deliberately more ecumenical in scope in this web version.)
I’ll say it: I am amazed at how few of our churches offer more than one worship service in
English or other language.
as each may be, I don’t think they are ironclad and impenetrable! Indeed, our reasons may not
be missional or faithful.
Whatever the reason for your congregation’s current reality, I’d like to propose that you
consider adding a service in the predominant language of your congregation in 2009. Why?
Research and reflection
So that you think these matters through I am linking to several online sources that are
deliberately chosen to provide differing points of view. Each brings certain
assumptions/presumptions to the table. Some may be more relevant and helpful in your
setting than others. The bottom line is that your congregation needs to be clear about the
ecclesiology, theology, missional aims and resources that will support your decision to make
this change.
Going forward
So what steps might you take and what would the additional worship service your
congregation might offer look like? I’ll step up to the plate and be bold in answering:
1. Listen deeply to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Is there a missional call here? My
proposal and urging is insufficient reason to move forward. Offering another service/starting
another congregation for utility doesn’t warrant it. This is about conception as in dreaming a
new dream; the Spirit overshadowing something that can gestate in heart and mind toward
becoming incarnate!
2. Envision who this service would be for: people who work on weekends, young families for
whom Sunday morning is difficult, people for whom mid to late Sunday morning is not timely,
etc. When and in what setting would an additional service best serve these persons? Are there
people for whom the current “congregation’s” style seems or is exclusive or opaque?
3. Get support from your Administrative Council and from members who share your vision of
expanding mission. Invite others into the visioning process. Identify those who have excitement
and perhaps particular gifts or energy to invest in the venture.
4. Make it a service of Word and Table—a return to our roots as Methodist Christians—a
service of both preaching and Holy Communion. Anything less may be a starvation diet! What
ever out history in America, the long sweep of Christian practice on the Lord’s Day is Word and
Table. Study This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion and the
benchmark document of the World Council of Church's, Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry (BEM).
This recovery in the churches is grounded in a desire to manifest and express the fullness of
the church as a communion of God’s people.
The General Conference of The United Methodist Church, with the 2004 adoption of This Holy
Mystery, strongly urged our churches to practice weekly Eucharist (Word and Table).
Consider including prayer stations for healing prayer. People are hurting in our North American
culture. Enact the gospel in caring touch and compassionate attentiveness to people's hurts
and hopes.
5. Decide on what style of assembly it will be: traditional music, “contemporary” song, Taize,
and contemplation—the range of possibilities is wide and can be what you and the team who
have a passion and gifts for doing. Make it a picnic—not a food pantry. By that I mean, don’t try
to give something that you think others want as much as you enact your faith community’s
praise and prayer. Worship as liturgy--the work of the people--is not a show "for them." It is a
full, conscious act of participation "with" all who are present.
Weekly celebration of the Sacrament is not style specific. The ordo or basic pattern of Word
and Table is adaptable to the cultural and racial/ethnic context of the local community. Your
people’s heart language may be oral, informal and oriented to contemporary music and
instruments. Or, it may be that a very liturgical style with piano or organ with traditional and
contemporary hymns would be their style. The variations on the pattern will be unique to your
faith community and context.
6. Begin with a core of folk from your current congregation. Find your rhythm, center of gravity
and style. Get comfortable with enacting this service and work the bugs out. Reach out and
recruit youth and others who may have musical skills and other gifts and resources you may
need to create the planning and leadership team. Then…
7. Publicize the service (new congregation) within and beyond the (existing) congregation.
Word of mouth invitations may be most effective, yet everyone in range should at least know
about it. If the concept of starting a (new) congregation is how you see this venture, then the
invitation could be to “Come be part of a new congregation that meets at.... o’clock on
Saturday/Sunday/Monday."
I remember a Lutheran congregation years ago in San Gabriel California that celebrated the
Eucharist at an additional time on Monday evenings because so many members were out of
town on the weekends.
8. Be prepared to adapt: If the effort doesn’t meet a need, regroup and try another time and
style. Not succeeding at first is better than not trying!
Good pastoral, liturgical and theological understandings, resources, discernment, and
passion will take you on the journey. Consult with your diocesan, district, annual conference,
presbytery, or other judicatory staff for resources and addressing questions.
Copyright © 2008 Daniel T. Benedict Jr. “Offering an Additional Worship Service in 2009” may
be reproduced in whole or in part for non-profit educational use so long as no charge is made
to participants and the copyright notice is included. Any other use must have permission of the
author. Links to it from other websites are welcome.
(Translation: Creating a New Congregation in 2009)
by Daniel Benedict
(This is an expanded version of an article I wrote in our Hawaii District Newsletter. Here I have
included additional commentary, resources, and links for those United Methodist clergy and
laity who received that newsletter and anyone else who may welcome this proposal. It is
deliberately more ecumenical in scope in this web version.)
I’ll say it: I am amazed at how few of our churches offer more than one worship service in
English or other language.
- Is this a church culture thing? (“Let’s all be together at the same time and the same
place.”) - Is it an efficiency thing? (“This meets the basic requirements.”)
- Is it about size of congregation? (“We are so small, how could we think of holding
another worship service by dividing the congregation.”) - Or, is it based on a sound and intuitively good ecclesial principle of “one flock, one
shepherd” (John 10:16; see the Paul Bosch link below.)
as each may be, I don’t think they are ironclad and impenetrable! Indeed, our reasons may not
be missional or faithful.
Whatever the reason for your congregation’s current reality, I’d like to propose that you
consider adding a service in the predominant language of your congregation in 2009. Why?
- Ministry and inclusiveness: An additional worship service time could serve those for
whom the current time and day doesn’t work. One service may be more exclusive than
you mean to be. I will say it categorically: there individuals and families in your
congregation and community who cannot participate in worship at the time of you
current service. Another scheduled time may give them a window that works.
- Freedom and faithfulness: An additional worship service could allow the congregation
to explore another approach to worship that some folk in the congregation and
community may be seeking. The day of one service fits all is probably over in most
contexts.
- And (more importantly) an additional service may open a gathering that the risen Lord
yearns to host with his people. Scheduling and hosting a worship service is more than
a humanistic enterprise; the Holy Trinity as the divine circle seeks to draw humanity into
the divine life and love.
- Growth of the People of God: An additional worship service could just expand the circle
of participation and reach a larger number of people than your congregation now
reaches. One concern I hear expressed by many congregational leaders is fear that
offering another worship service will “weaken” the existing service by “stealing some of
the sheep” away to the new service. OK, but is that so bad? If it happens, what might
careful listening tell you?
- Some from your current worship community will come, but so will new people! In each
of the last three churches I served we added a service and always the total attendance
grew. In one church we added two weekly English language services for a total of five.
Research and reflection
So that you think these matters through I am linking to several online sources that are
deliberately chosen to provide differing points of view. Each brings certain
assumptions/presumptions to the table. Some may be more relevant and helpful in your
setting than others. The bottom line is that your congregation needs to be clear about the
ecclesiology, theology, missional aims and resources that will support your decision to make
this change.
- Adding a New Worship Service. This page on the North Indiana Annual Conference site
relied on Win Arn’s approach. It is not the last word, but worth considering. - An Anabaptist perspective
- A critical look at offering additional worship services in THEOOZE.
- Facts on Episcopal Church Growth (see pages 11-12 and 19 for content that
specifically addresses multiple services) - "The God Business": Multiple Services in an Age of Consumerism. I especially
commend this article because Paul Bosch raises important ecclesiological questions
about the notion of offering “multiple worship services” as conceived by the church
growth mindset. He suggests that instead of seeing the additional worship an
additional time, we recognize it as another congregation, “thus the principle ‘one flock;
one shepherd’ could still be honoured. The result would be two independent but
(surprise!) actually cooperating congregations sharing the same space.”
Going forward
So what steps might you take and what would the additional worship service your
congregation might offer look like? I’ll step up to the plate and be bold in answering:
1. Listen deeply to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Is there a missional call here? My
proposal and urging is insufficient reason to move forward. Offering another service/starting
another congregation for utility doesn’t warrant it. This is about conception as in dreaming a
new dream; the Spirit overshadowing something that can gestate in heart and mind toward
becoming incarnate!
2. Envision who this service would be for: people who work on weekends, young families for
whom Sunday morning is difficult, people for whom mid to late Sunday morning is not timely,
etc. When and in what setting would an additional service best serve these persons? Are there
people for whom the current “congregation’s” style seems or is exclusive or opaque?
3. Get support from your Administrative Council and from members who share your vision of
expanding mission. Invite others into the visioning process. Identify those who have excitement
and perhaps particular gifts or energy to invest in the venture.
4. Make it a service of Word and Table—a return to our roots as Methodist Christians—a
service of both preaching and Holy Communion. Anything less may be a starvation diet! What
ever out history in America, the long sweep of Christian practice on the Lord’s Day is Word and
Table. Study This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion and the
benchmark document of the World Council of Church's, Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry (BEM).
This recovery in the churches is grounded in a desire to manifest and express the fullness of
the church as a communion of God’s people.
- The sharing in one bread and the common cup in a given place demonstrates and effects the
oneness of the sharers with Christ and with their fellow sharers in all times and places. It is in the
eucharist that the community of God’s people is fully manifested. (BEM, “Eucharist,” no. 19)
The General Conference of The United Methodist Church, with the 2004 adoption of This Holy
Mystery, strongly urged our churches to practice weekly Eucharist (Word and Table).
- Congregations of The United Methodist Church are encouraged to move
toward a richer sacramental life, including weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the services on
the Lord’s Day, as advocated by the general orders of Sunday worship in The United Methodist
Hymnal and The United Methodist Book of Worship. (This Holy Mystery, p. 34 print edition.)
Consider including prayer stations for healing prayer. People are hurting in our North American
culture. Enact the gospel in caring touch and compassionate attentiveness to people's hurts
and hopes.
5. Decide on what style of assembly it will be: traditional music, “contemporary” song, Taize,
and contemplation—the range of possibilities is wide and can be what you and the team who
have a passion and gifts for doing. Make it a picnic—not a food pantry. By that I mean, don’t try
to give something that you think others want as much as you enact your faith community’s
praise and prayer. Worship as liturgy--the work of the people--is not a show "for them." It is a
full, conscious act of participation "with" all who are present.
Weekly celebration of the Sacrament is not style specific. The ordo or basic pattern of Word
and Table is adaptable to the cultural and racial/ethnic context of the local community. Your
people’s heart language may be oral, informal and oriented to contemporary music and
instruments. Or, it may be that a very liturgical style with piano or organ with traditional and
contemporary hymns would be their style. The variations on the pattern will be unique to your
faith community and context.
6. Begin with a core of folk from your current congregation. Find your rhythm, center of gravity
and style. Get comfortable with enacting this service and work the bugs out. Reach out and
recruit youth and others who may have musical skills and other gifts and resources you may
need to create the planning and leadership team. Then…
7. Publicize the service (new congregation) within and beyond the (existing) congregation.
Word of mouth invitations may be most effective, yet everyone in range should at least know
about it. If the concept of starting a (new) congregation is how you see this venture, then the
invitation could be to “Come be part of a new congregation that meets at.... o’clock on
Saturday/Sunday/Monday."
I remember a Lutheran congregation years ago in San Gabriel California that celebrated the
Eucharist at an additional time on Monday evenings because so many members were out of
town on the weekends.
8. Be prepared to adapt: If the effort doesn’t meet a need, regroup and try another time and
style. Not succeeding at first is better than not trying!
Good pastoral, liturgical and theological understandings, resources, discernment, and
passion will take you on the journey. Consult with your diocesan, district, annual conference,
presbytery, or other judicatory staff for resources and addressing questions.
- O God of all the nations of the earth: Remember the
multitudes who have been created in your image but have not
known the redeeming work of our Savior Jesus Christ; and
grant that, by the prayers and labors of your holy Church,
they may be brought to know and worship you as you have
been revealed in your Son; who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Copyright © 2008 Daniel T. Benedict Jr. “Offering an Additional Worship Service in 2009” may
be reproduced in whole or in part for non-profit educational use so long as no charge is made
to participants and the copyright notice is included. Any other use must have permission of the
author. Links to it from other websites are welcome.
