Re: A Church Service Today

In my recent post about how the common United States, Protestant worship service is ordered, I decried the focus on the sermon.

I do not suggest that the sermon be removed completely from the worship service. I believe it is important for the pastor as the lead visioner (new word?), or someone designated by the pastor, of the congregation to communicate with the congregation as a whole. The preaching/teaching aspect is important. I just think it has become overly central to the service itself.

A friend of mine told me recently that when people at his church know ahead of time that the Senior Pastor will not be preaching, the attendance drops drastically. In his words: "That's why they come, to hear him preach." This is the attitude with which I disagree. People should be coming to church primarily to experience worshiping God in a community environment. Second, people should be coming to church because they are encouraged by the fellowship with other believers. After these two more important reasons, I think it is acceptable for people to attend because they enjoy the pastor's preaching.

Thoughts on how I might re-arrange a Protestant church service in the United States - in response to my friend known as "puddles" - later...