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Holy Week resources and reflections

Worship Matters

by Jane Rogers Vann
Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Ky. 152 pages
REVIEWED BY JUDITH FULP-EICKSTAEDT


“People of faith are hungry for encounters with God in their congregations and for ways more thoroughly to absorb and be changed by those encounters. It is for these congregations that I write.”

These  words from the preface of Vann’s book reveal the intended audience and her purpose in writing it — to facilitate deeper conversation about worship in churches that are by and large not talking about worship. There are a number of reasons for this silence, according to Vann, including busy-ness (who isn’t tired of hearing this excuse for not being intentional about what we do in church, family, and every other aspect of life?), reliance on already existing structures such as worship committees, and a desire not to question clergy, staff or worship leaders for fear of offending them.

Once these and other excuses are identified, Vann outlines the value of actually talking about worship and especially asking questions that help congregations focus on what “works” and “doesn’t work” in their established worship services. So often the conversation revolves around the question “what do you like?” and ends up focusing on superficial issues such as where announcements are placed and how fast or slow the hymns are played.

The conversation Vann opens up for those who are willing to take the time and risk the possibility of change is a conversation around the verbal and nonverbal “languages” of worship. There is much more to be said about the words of worship than Vann covers in this book, but that is not her main focus. She is interested in getting her readers and their congregations thinking about the nonverbal languages of worship — including the language of space, the arts, the way we use our bodies, liturgical time-keeping and music. All of these in conjunction with the spoken word contribute to what is communicated in worship and where our focus is directed in worship.

For each of these languages, Vann offers rich reflection punctuated by examples of churches that incorporate that form of communication into worship. Some of these examples will provide worship leaders with new ideas or elicit more brainstorming. Others will be “aha” moments, showing how elements these readers already incorporate in worship communicate in ways they had not identified.

Beyond new ideas and “aha” moments, the most valuable part of this book is its guidance for facilitating congregational conversations. There are a number of discussion questions for each chapter so facilitators will be able to tailor the discussion to their congregation. The questions are in four parts. First, they highlight a principle or ideal drawn from the reading. Participants are then asked to describe an element of their own congregation’s worship service and then to reflect on how and what their current worship practice communicates. Finally, participants are asked to imagine ways these practices might more fully express the gospel. Using this pattern of discussion congregations, sessions, worship planning groups and committees are certain to get beyond the superficial discussions of worship and come away not only with new ideas and excitement, but also with a deeper understanding of their current worship practices.

JUDITH FULP-EICKSTAEDT is pastor of Trinity Presbyterian
Church, Arlington , Va.

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