Fredericktown Book Group – First meeting
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Book Groups
We invited 34 book groups across the U.S. and Canada to meet and discuss The Church of All Ages and its implications for their worship, and to share their notes here.
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Report from Mary Elder’s book group in Fredericktown, Ohio on August 9:
In our first meeting, our group was small but diverse. It included a female Baptist minister, a Methodist mother-to-be who worships in a contemporary service, a female Methodist lay leader who worships in a traditional service, a middle age man who attends a non-denominational church, and an elderly gentleman who is a former choir director in the Lutheran Church.
Our conversations touched on many aspects of worship but focused mainly on three topics.
Here are some highlights from those discussions.
Congregational Attempts to be Intergenerational:
Jack – Young children who can’t reach the altar candles light them on the communion rail and an adult will place them on the altar.
Offerings are collected by adults and children.
Mary M – We use multi media in worship. We might scan in children’s art work to tie in with a service.
We might make a short video of “man on the street interviews”. For example, if there is going to be a sermon about holiness, we might ask ( and record) several people of all ages what their definition of holy is. Those clips would then be edited into a two minute video clip to use during a service.
We have opened membership in our handbell choir to include youth as young as junior high. This used to be an all adult choir.
Ed – We vary our music styles every week.
When our new building is dedicated next week, the children are going to lead the congregation into it with a special song.
Mary E Special music is provided by vocalists and instrumentalists of all ages.
Children/Youth present songs, dramas, or dances, often during services.
Prayer requests can and are made by persons of all ages.
Jack – Young children who can’t reach the altar candles light them on the communion rail and an adult will place them on the altar.
Offerings are collected by adults and children.
Mary M – We use multi media in worship. We might scan in children’s art work to tie in with a service.
We might make a short video of “man on the street interviews”. For example, if there is going to be a sermon about holiness, we might ask ( and record) several people of all ages what their definition of holy is. Those clips would then be edited into a two minute video clip to use during a service.
We have opened membership in our handbell choir to include youth as young as junior high. This used to be an all adult choir.
Ed – We vary our music styles every week.
When our new building is dedicated next week, the children are going to lead the congregation into it with a special song.
Mary E Special music is provided by vocalists and instrumentalists of all ages.
Children/Youth present songs, dramas, or dances, often during services.
Prayer requests can and are made by persons of all ages.
Which age group do you think feels most overlooked or left out?
Our group had a consensus that the young adult group is not there in our congregations.
Laura – The population (YA’s) is just not there. Any who are there…..there just aren’t many of them.
Ed – Nineteen and Twenty some-things—we have a void there.
Mary M Everyone from age 12 on up gets our church information on email if they have email
We pray each week for a homebound member, a college student, and a missionary. Their pictures are put up on the screen. Even though they may not be physically present, they are still included in the service.
I’m starting a facebook page for our church. It is attracting those 20-25 yr. olds. I hope to throw out to them what our upcoming worship themes will be so it could be interactive and I could tie it in to worship.
Mary E I think another overlooked group are single adults of any age.
Ed – We have lots of family units—not too many singles.
Jack – Widows don’t participate so much in our service but are active in groups.
Our group had a consensus that the young adult group is not there in our congregations.
Laura – The population (YA’s) is just not there. Any who are there…..there just aren’t many of them.
Ed – Nineteen and Twenty some-things—we have a void there.
Mary M Everyone from age 12 on up gets our church information on email if they have email
We pray each week for a homebound member, a college student, and a missionary. Their pictures are put up on the screen. Even though they may not be physically present, they are still included in the service.
I’m starting a facebook page for our church. It is attracting those 20-25 yr. olds. I hope to throw out to them what our upcoming worship themes will be so it could be interactive and I could tie it in to worship.
Mary E I think another overlooked group are single adults of any age.
Ed – We have lots of family units—not too many singles.
Jack – Widows don’t participate so much in our service but are active in groups.
Who Does Worship Planning?
Mary M We have a worship team that meets about every six weeks…very informal. We have a blended service. Different people select the praise music, hymns and special music. I usually work with the tech person to do any multi media.
Ed – Our pastor, music director and a deacon meet each week to plan the service.
Jack – About once a month a team consisting of the pastor, choir director, organist, and an adult and a teen member meet to plan.
Mary E We have a long range planning team that meets twice a year to brainstorm ideas following the pastor’s lead. Short term planning goes to the pastor, and music leaders on a more weekly/monthly schedule.
Mary M We have a worship team that meets about every six weeks…very informal. We have a blended service. Different people select the praise music, hymns and special music. I usually work with the tech person to do any multi media.
Ed – Our pastor, music director and a deacon meet each week to plan the service.
Jack – About once a month a team consisting of the pastor, choir director, organist, and an adult and a teen member meet to plan.
Mary E We have a long range planning team that meets twice a year to brainstorm ideas following the pastor’s lead. Short term planning goes to the pastor, and music leaders on a more weekly/monthly schedule.
Other Comments to Note
Jack – I find that it’s not how we worship that’s important but who we worship.
Ed – Worship isn’t liturgy and songs. It’s celebrating God.
Mary E Here are some observations I made as the group leader–1. It was hard for participants to focus on intergenerational corporate worship. Everyone wanted to tell about other programs, activities, and how they “had something” for every age…..but I had to steer the conversations back to talking about the actual worship service. 2. In worship planning, every church does their own thing. The only thing I saw in all of them was that the pastor was involved. Others may be involved but ultimately the pastor has a lot of influence or should I say potential to influence the planning of worship services.
Jack – I find that it’s not how we worship that’s important but who we worship.
Ed – Worship isn’t liturgy and songs. It’s celebrating God.
Mary E Here are some observations I made as the group leader–1. It was hard for participants to focus on intergenerational corporate worship. Everyone wanted to tell about other programs, activities, and how they “had something” for every age…..but I had to steer the conversations back to talking about the actual worship service. 2. In worship planning, every church does their own thing. The only thing I saw in all of them was that the pastor was involved. Others may be involved but ultimately the pastor has a lot of influence or should I say potential to influence the planning of worship services.
Tags: bgfredericktown, Book Groups 2009, intergenerational
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