Worship Weblog

Schenectady Book Group – Second Meeting

Posted by cicw

Friday, December 4th, 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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As we met, we all resonated with “Intergenerational’ as a Way of Seeing.” “Generational cohorts” with differing and competing values was a concept with which we could all relate. The statement “The assumption is that once the younger people ‘grow up,’ they will behave more appropriately—that is, they will dress better for worship, they will more readily sign on for committee and board responsibilities to help with the work load, they will sign a pledge card, they will . . . .” hit us where we live. Because of their historic nature, leadership in our churches tends to be skewed toward the older generations, with less credence being given to more youthful members.

Given these reflections, we focused upon how we might facilitate intergenerational as a way of seeing as well as being. One important component is the educational piece. Our consistories would do well to read and digest this chapter, since it is more than a matter of worship alone, but rather a way of looking at how we involve all ages in the life of the church. We agreed that too often people think there is a “right way” to be in the church rather than realizing it is not so much a matter of maturity as difference and preference. Because of the possible fall-out from changing old ways, too often leaders unhelpfully avoid confrontation.

Other key components are trust and respect. Without these, suspicion of motives and the consequences of relinquishing “power” within the church impedes change. When things are done transparently, when changes are explained and people are invited to be involved in both decision-making and implementation, people are more apt to accept and embrace new ways of seeing and being. Thus, communication must be added to education and trust-building, and the Holy Spirit must be at work to accomplish them.

We reflected upon Psalm 71 and the importance of bearing the tradition in such a way that generations are “knit together,” with new practices being united with older ones. We asked, “How can we accomplish this knitting,” and we mentioned small ways in which this is being done within the worship life of our churches. We acknowledged that bearing the tradition doesn’t mean passing it on intact, but that it can evolve and change without diminishing the purpose of the traditions. We liked the emphasis on being purposeful as well as relational, though both are important.

One way “knitting together” can begin is through involving all ages in activities like church decorating, food collections for the poor, singing together in special seasons, and participating in various aspects of worship as it currently is configured. As those smaller changes are made, we believe our congregations will become more open and trusting of further changes. Teens could be welcomed to worship planning meetings to give input into how worship may be designed with younger ages in mind.

Intergenerational worship is an act of Christian hospitality, and we are excited about engaging it.

Tags: bgschenectady, Book Groups 2009, intergenerational