I especially resonate with the inside and outside. A lot of my Community as church, church book held this out as a way forward. With all due respect, I mean that I don't accept that we scrap everything as Anglican and other evangelicals do, empty the church of cross, candles, altar, vestments, the liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer, in favor of lite,
entertaining" worship that already is time locked and obsolete. There is something to a shape of worship that's been around for well over 1500 years. There is a centrality of the Eucharist. There is a worth to the scriptures and preaching on them as opposed to "messages." Don't misunderstand. This is not a retrogressive yearning for the past, down to the cut of chasubles, the maniple, biretta and number of candles on the altar and whether you face east or the people. I think the liturgy we and many other churches have come to over the last 30 years or so, the result of years of study and writing about sources is solid, with a foot here and the other in the kingdom, a real incarnational encounter. And I absolutely agree it's the "inside" where some serious transformation is needed by laity and clergy alike.
This stays on my mind and I don’t know what to do with it. Many of the ideas for personal growth, faith development, and the inner life you describe seem so dependent on leadership. As you rightly observe, the pastor provided this when such a person could be hired. But now, in the arena of “shared ministry” it sure seems that no one is at the helm. I’m on the Ministry Development Team, which is what the Covenant Group becomes after the potty break halfway through the evening. I’ve been at our church for just over two years, but it seems I’m not yet a member of “the club.” Let’s hear from other small churches about how they make shared ministry work!
I think you are right that these things depend on leadership.
What I'm thinking about is basically how to equip lay people to be the ministers they're called to be. I think we often just call any church work 'lay ministry', and at the same time, I don't think there is a lot of formation or guidance happening for them.
this is how I see digital ministry working to support the church as it grows in new ways!
we can use digital tools to bring formation and guidance to lay leaders - to ministers of all kinds. We can support them to create more of the 'inside' of church in their specific communities.
I especially resonate with the inside and outside. A lot of my Community as church, church book held this out as a way forward. With all due respect, I mean that I don't accept that we scrap everything as Anglican and other evangelicals do, empty the church of cross, candles, altar, vestments, the liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer, in favor of lite,
entertaining" worship that already is time locked and obsolete. There is something to a shape of worship that's been around for well over 1500 years. There is a centrality of the Eucharist. There is a worth to the scriptures and preaching on them as opposed to "messages." Don't misunderstand. This is not a retrogressive yearning for the past, down to the cut of chasubles, the maniple, biretta and number of candles on the altar and whether you face east or the people. I think the liturgy we and many other churches have come to over the last 30 years or so, the result of years of study and writing about sources is solid, with a foot here and the other in the kingdom, a real incarnational encounter. And I absolutely agree it's the "inside" where some serious transformation is needed by laity and clergy alike.
thank you. I completely agree.
This stays on my mind and I don’t know what to do with it. Many of the ideas for personal growth, faith development, and the inner life you describe seem so dependent on leadership. As you rightly observe, the pastor provided this when such a person could be hired. But now, in the arena of “shared ministry” it sure seems that no one is at the helm. I’m on the Ministry Development Team, which is what the Covenant Group becomes after the potty break halfway through the evening. I’ve been at our church for just over two years, but it seems I’m not yet a member of “the club.” Let’s hear from other small churches about how they make shared ministry work!
I think you are right that these things depend on leadership.
What I'm thinking about is basically how to equip lay people to be the ministers they're called to be. I think we often just call any church work 'lay ministry', and at the same time, I don't think there is a lot of formation or guidance happening for them.
this is how I see digital ministry working to support the church as it grows in new ways!
we can use digital tools to bring formation and guidance to lay leaders - to ministers of all kinds. We can support them to create more of the 'inside' of church in their specific communities.