Last Tuesday one of my braver friends called me up to see how I was doing. Given the amount of drugs I take, a phone conversation with me can be a risky proposition.
I know her from church and so of course part of the conversation is always about how much I miss going to church on one level but can’t handle sitting in the uncomfortable pews, playing the human jack-in-the-box as we stand and sit for hymns and (worst of all) shaking myriad hands. I do listen to the sermon podcasts, though. Sheepishly we both admitted that sermons were our least favourite part of church.
And that makes me wonder…
Everywhere I turn in the Christian world, churches are lamenting the drop off in attendance. People, by and large, don’t go to church anymore. I wonder if this would change if we (the Church in general–not just my home church) offered services without sermons. If you think about it, the main reason for assembling as a body is for corporate worship. There’s a specialness about singing and praying in one accord that just can’t be matched. It meets a true need for the Christian and fuels us up to face the week of serpents which lies ahead.
It seems odd, then, to stop the prayer and praise portion in order to sit still and listen to twenty or thirty minutes of speaking. Don’t get me wrong–I have an excellent pastor who is a phenomenal speaker and gives wonderful sermons. His messages were one of the main attractions for us at our church. But what if we gave people the option to just come and sing and praise God with other believers?
I’m betting a lot more people would be there a lot more regularly.
This may or may not be that meaningful for your readers, but the Reformers defined “church” as a community in which “the Word is rightly preached and the Sacraments are duly administered.” By that bare bones definition, church does not exist without both sermon and sacrament.
From my tradition, we have a sermon and Communion each Sunday. This is central to worship. We also have readings from the scriptures, prayers, music, confession, etc. But our main Sunday services don’t exist without those two elements.
So, from my perspective, your question is sort of like asking “in football, offense is so much cooler than defense. What if we just got read of the defense entirely, wouldn’t that make the game more exciting.” I would say, “maybe, but it would be a totally different game.”
I would rather continue the ancient practice of Word and Sacrament than have thousands more people show up for what, from my perspective, would be an even more consumeristic and Self-serving “worship” than we see in many churches today.
I would rather continue the ancient practice of Word and Sacrament than have thousands more people show up for what, from my perspective, would be an even more consumeristic and Self-serving “worship” than we see in many churches today.
You know, that does make sense.
With as much as I’m annoyed by the whole “Seeker-driven”/”Seeker-friendly” church practices, I guess this would be the ultimate seeker-friendly move.
I guess this would be one of my not-so-good ideas. Oh, heck. It’s a bad idea.
Well … different faith and all that, but my favorite rabbi rarely gave a sermon. On the High Holidays and such he did, but the rest of the time we studied/discussed that week’s Torah portion. This wasn’t at all random what-it-means-to-me stuff: he would choose a theme relevant to/drawn from that reading, prepare a sheet with a bunch of selections from Talmud, commentaries, responsa, and whatnot that dealt with the theme, and we’d talk it out. This will work only with a small congregation, of course. But never at any time before or since have I looked forward to the Torah Service so eagerly. And I don’t see why this wouldn’t work equally well in a Christian setting. (I guess the minister would have to choose the text, but otherwise it could be the same sort of thing, no?)
That’s commonly what the Sunday School sessions do – they are small group sessions where that works – although some denominations, and non-denominations, do tend to have them as listening sesssions more than discussion ones.
Really? Because, when I was a kid, I went to Sunday School with some friends a couple of times, and it seemed like it was mostly unfocussed arts & crafts sort of stuff. Now, I may have missed the religious focus since I had no clear picture of Christianity at that age, but I seriously thought it was an activity to keep the kids busy while the parents were in services. I guess it’s different for adults.
nm:
Yeah, I think kids probably do tend to focus on the arts and crafts part of Sunday School [SS], especially if the kids are not currently spiritually attuned to the content being taught.
Also a good SS teacher uses those activities to teach Bible truths… and not merely does arts and crafts with kids to keep the wee ones occupied.
The Children’s SS at my church does do a great job of presenting the Bible content and leading the kids to make life application. Of course, living out the Truth is incumbent on each individual… and really, the primary responsibility of spiritual “rearing” of children is the parents’.
Being partners in rearing children “as unto the Lord” is somewhat of a balancing act for parents and SS teachers. When the effort is successful, the results are beautiful. =)
jim:
Yeah. At our church (Kat and I are members at the same church), we have SS for all ages (birth to heaven!), and the adult classes do vary in teaching/learning style.
I find that the discussion-formatted classes are more beneficial for me. And it’s easier to fellowship in those — you not only get to know people via regular conversation about one another’s lives but you also get to know them through hearing and responding to what they say about the Word of God.
Some teachers are better at facilitating and fostering discussion and at challenging the learners in good ways. Others struggle with these skills — maybe without knowing they are deficient in them.
While a lack of a sermon may appeal to some people, I think the teaching element is important. Since when is doing what gets churches packed the right thing to do? Nevertheless, while numbers aren’t everything, I do see the importance of making sure the church actually reaches people.