Invitees included representatives of fourteen seminaries related to the Reformed heritage, ecumenical guests, and the keynoter
Gregg A. Mast, president of New Brunswick Theological Seminary and presiding member of the AR&LW Steering Committee, outlined the three-year plan, which seeks to nurture the covenant relationship of congregations, seminaries, and denominational judicatories in providing the formation of worship leaders. In the initiative’s first year the focus is on seminaries, shifting to congregations in the second. The third year will produce a report to be shared broadly with all parties.
In her keynote address, Kristin E. Saldine, assistant professor of homiletics at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, cited the Duke University Congregational Life Survey. The data suggest that laity and clergy agree on the high importance of worship leadership and that pastors indicate it is what they do best of all. How this value relates to seminary education, however, is not always clear. She cautioned that negative criticism of the seminaries is less likely to produce desired results than appealing to them for a closer partnership in improving the formation of worship leaders.
“Speaking is becoming a lost art,” she warned in one of her examples. Basing some of her insights on Doing Our Own Thing: the Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care by John McWhorter, she distinguished between “speaking” and “talking.” “I want worship leaders to love good language and use it well.” For this reason, she “teaches the language of prayer as the first step to public speaking and preaching.” She laments the casual talk that e-mail, text messaging, and slang have fostered. In one instance, “hey” greeted her on the screen when she opened an e-mail message from a student.
The seminary representatives reflected on their key role in providing not only academic courses in liturgical theology but also supervised experiences in the planning and leading of worship both in campus chapels and local congregations. They shared similar accounts of tight curricular space for worship as an academic discipline, due to external requirements from accreditation bodies and internal competition from other disciplines. In some instances, the study of worship is limited to one course or a part of courses in preaching and is not required. Although seminaries encourage field education that includes worship leadership, the standards for credentialing local supervisors vary widely.
The three ecumenical guests, representing the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Evangelical Covenant traditions, offered insights through a panel discussion. Msgr. Alan Detscher noted that in the Roman Catholic tradition formation of worship leaders is not separated from their inclusive spiritual formation during their seminary years. He cautioned that the separation of theology courses from shared communal prayer and worship seemed artificial.
During the meeting, considerable time was given to small group discussion. In a similar way, regional cluster groups (8 to 12 persons), meeting over the coming year across the nation, will explore generative questions raised by the meeting in Decatur, as preparation for 2009 AR&LW meeting. For more information on the cluster groups go to: https://arlw.worshiprenewal.googlepages.com
Throughout the meeting the gathering experienced diverse worship rooted in Scripture and tradition and reflective of contemporary culture. From the visual arts in the worship space to the music, incense, water, bread and wine, the worship spoke of the nexus of daily life and the mystery of God’s love for the world.
The AR&LW is a voluntary association of congregations and individuals of the Reformed heritage that promotes “worship that is Trinitarian, ecumenical, incarnational, and sacramental; it is both universal and local and sends the church to live its liturgy, bringing God’s justice and grace to all of God’s creation.” Information may be found at www.arlw.org
