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10 Bucket Wishes for Worship Before I Die
10 Bucket Wishes for Worship Before I Die
These ideas are much cheaper than a new digital lighting board!
I've never actually tried these ideas in the planning of a worship service, but, I sure hope to get a chance to someday. You got any bucket wishes for worship?
1. Stop the 11 o'clock service after the first hymn/song—tell people to leave and collect one of the $10 bills at the rear door and go out and be Christ-like for half an hour, or, alternatively, bring back a story of observing an act of grace and put the leftover $10 in the offering plate the following week. (Yeah, I know it's kinda been done before...)
2. Sing one song, then have someone tell one 3 minute personal story that supports the text of the song, then repeat until it's time to go home. Stories are at the heart of real faith.
3. Have the pastor or lead teacher shake every hand in the sanctuary and give a blessing to every person attached to those hands with his lavaliere microphone on (yes...have everyone wear name badges—he/she is NOT Superman!), then bless the whole gang and say, "Bye for now." There will be weeping...
4. Make a Ken Burns-like video of the oldest person in the church talking about God's faithfulness. Show it just before the offering and suggest that giving is not a payment plan, it's a recurring thank you!
5. Give the pastor's wife or husband 5 minutes in the service to affirm their spouse for the things the congregation rarely sees. This could possibly humanize the person congregations often demonize! Watch this, and thanks Walt Harrah! Video
6. At the close of the service, enlist everyone to pair up for lunch and give them the clear assignment of finding at least one other non-attendee with whom to share it. Tell them a secret donor in the church is willing to pay $10 of the bill if they can provide a picture in the restaurant or in your own home. Asking people to lunch is not as hard as asking them to church.
7. Have everyone sing a song or hymn absolutely as loudly as they can, and then have them sing the same song or hymn as quietly as they possibly can. There are wonderful things to be learned in those two extremes of expression. Ask for volunteers to share their reaction to the happening.
8. Have everyone in the congregation turn away from the pastor while he reads Scripture. Instruct them that when they start to understand what the words mean, they are to turn back one at a time toward the pastor and make eye contact. My guess is, it will change how they hear Scripture forever.
9. Ring a large bell once every 30 seconds for an hour (you might want to record this on a loop) and instruct people to remember someone they've lost including people they didn't know personally, but with whom they had made a deep connection by influence. The second part of the exercise is to think of someone you would like God to speak to and bless. Grieving the loss of someone is sweetened by the thought of gaining a soul for the kingdom.
10. Have everyone enter the worship area as usual with full lights, sound and "holy hubbub," and then slowly turn off all sound sources and lights one at a time. Then the pastor should say something like, "Be still or be noisy, but whatever your choice, this morning we are going to worship God without our usual tools and customs. I want you to just fully enjoy the presence of the living Creator of all things. Honor Him and Him alone by whatever you do." This is really awkward, but, then again, so are worship doldrums!
These ideas are much cheaper than a new digital lighting board!
I've never actually tried these ideas in the planning of a worship service, but, I sure hope to get a chance to someday. You got any bucket wishes for worship?
1. Stop the 11 o'clock service after the first hymn/song—tell people to leave and collect one of the $10 bills at the rear door and go out and be Christ-like for half an hour, or, alternatively, bring back a story of observing an act of grace and put the leftover $10 in the offering plate the following week. (Yeah, I know it's kinda been done before...) 2. Sing one song, then have someone tell one 3 minute personal story that supports the text of the song, then repeat until it's time to go home. Stories are at the heart of real faith.
3. Have the pastor or lead teacher shake every hand in the sanctuary and give a blessing to every person attached to those hands with his lavaliere microphone on (yes...have everyone wear name badges—he/she is NOT Superman!), then bless the whole gang and say, "Bye for now." There will be weeping...
4. Make a Ken Burns-like video of the oldest person in the church talking about God's faithfulness. Show it just before the offering and suggest that giving is not a payment plan, it's a recurring thank you!
5. Give the pastor's wife or husband 5 minutes in the service to affirm their spouse for the things the congregation rarely sees. This could possibly humanize the person congregations often demonize! Watch this, and thanks Walt Harrah! Video
6. At the close of the service, enlist everyone to pair up for lunch and give them the clear assignment of finding at least one other non-attendee with whom to share it. Tell them a secret donor in the church is willing to pay $10 of the bill if they can provide a picture in the restaurant or in your own home. Asking people to lunch is not as hard as asking them to church.
7. Have everyone sing a song or hymn absolutely as loudly as they can, and then have them sing the same song or hymn as quietly as they possibly can. There are wonderful things to be learned in those two extremes of expression. Ask for volunteers to share their reaction to the happening.
8. Have everyone in the congregation turn away from the pastor while he reads Scripture. Instruct them that when they start to understand what the words mean, they are to turn back one at a time toward the pastor and make eye contact. My guess is, it will change how they hear Scripture forever.
9. Ring a large bell once every 30 seconds for an hour (you might want to record this on a loop) and instruct people to remember someone they've lost including people they didn't know personally, but with whom they had made a deep connection by influence. The second part of the exercise is to think of someone you would like God to speak to and bless. Grieving the loss of someone is sweetened by the thought of gaining a soul for the kingdom.
10. Have everyone enter the worship area as usual with full lights, sound and "holy hubbub," and then slowly turn off all sound sources and lights one at a time. Then the pastor should say something like, "Be still or be noisy, but whatever your choice, this morning we are going to worship God without our usual tools and customs. I want you to just fully enjoy the presence of the living Creator of all things. Honor Him and Him alone by whatever you do." This is really awkward, but, then again, so are worship doldrums!
Blessings,
Doug
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—Doug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches. You may reach him at dlawrenceconsult@mac.com. Or, if you wish, call 1-650-207-8240 for assessment information and scheduling. Doug now teams with the slingshotgroup.net to place extraordinary worship leaders in extraordinary churches.
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Doug Lawrence
Doug Lawrence, internationally recognized speaker, author, and advisor, helps churches assess and improve their skillfulness in creating engaging worship experiences by utilizing his more than 35 years of "deep trench" worship leadership in prominent mainline churches.
