Intro to Worship August 8-10, 2016 Kingswood University, Sussex, N.B.

Transcription

1 Intro to Worship August 8-10, 2016 Kingswood University, Sussex, N.B. Instructor: Betty Weatherby Director, Worship Leading Program, Kingswood University Home: Mail: 39 Valleyview Cres., Plumweseep (Sussex), N.B. Course Description: Examining the biblical, historical, theological, and missiological foundations for Christian worship, this course seeks to expand and inform the student s understanding, leadership, and practice of corporate worship which is culturally relevant, yet rooted in the tradition of the Church. Course Objectives: Through participation in assigned readings, class lectures, discussion, and course work, this course will assist students in: 1) Developing an understanding of the biblical, historical, theological, and missiological foundations for worship. 2) Increasing their ability to create orders of worship that are relevant to a congregation s context and culture while also faithful to foundational worship principles. 3) Developing and honing the ability to lead selected elements of corporate worship. Required Texts: Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, Drury, Keith. The Wonder of Worship: Why We Worship the Way We Do. Indianapolis: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2002.

2 Before Class: Reading: The Worship Architect and The Wonder of Worship should be read in their entirety prior to the on-site course. You will be asked to complete a reading report during the first class session. Assignment: Write a 2-3 page summary of your current church s regular worship experience. What happens on any given Sunday in the corporate worship setting? Who is involved? Who plans these gatherings? What are regular components or elements of your worship service? How would you assess your congregation s present worship condition (i.e., vitality, participation, enthusiasm, etc.)? What are your present hopes for the future of worship within your church? Please bring a hard copy of this paper with you to the first day of class. During Class: Participation: Students are expected to collaborate and participate in all class activities, discussions, and on-site assignments. You must attend each class session to receive credit for this course. After Class: Assignment 1: Assignment 2: Select and read one additional book on Christian worship from the bibliography provided by the course instructor (Appendix A); then write a 2-3 page reflective journal, exploring 3-4 key issues addressed in the book and how these items intersect with your congregation s life of worship. Be specific in addressing how you could employ these items in enhancing your worship services in the future. This assignment is due: September 8, Design a four-fold worship service that reflects course learning while honoring your congregation s culture and worship environment. Specific assignment guidelines may be found in the syllabus (Appendix B). This assignment is due: September 10, 2016.

3 Assignment 3: Choose ONE of the following options: (This assignment is due: October 10, 2016) Option 1: Lead/implement (have someone else lead) the worship service designed in Assignment 2. This may be done in your primary congregational worship setting OR alternatively (with a small group 10 people or more. Students choosing this option should submit a 2-3 page reflective journal regarding the service and the experience of leading such an endeavor. Specific assignment guidelines are provided in the syllabus (Appendix C). Option 2: Prepare and lead a 60-minute workshop/seminar or Sunday school lesson on A Foundational Concept of Christian Worship which would be appropriate for introducing your congregants, staff, and/or worship team to at least one key tenant of material learned in this course. All materials prepared for the workshop should be submitted to the instructor, including teaching outline, handouts, and visual aids (PowerPoint presentations, etc.). Additionally, students choosing this option should submit a 2-3-page reflective journal regarding the workshop and the experience of leading such an endeavor. Specific assignment guidelines are provided in the syllabus (Appendix D). Grade Computation: Pre-course Context Summary. 10% Pre-course Reading. 10% On-site Participation... 10% Post-course Assignment % Post-course Assignment % Post-course Assignment % Grading Scale: 100% - 93% A 92% - 85% B 84% - 77% C 76% - 69% D 68% - 0% F

4 Appendix A: For Post-course assignment 1, you may choose from the following reading options: Bartholomew, Craig G. and Michael W. Goheen. The Drama of Scripture: Finding our Place in the Biblical Story. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, Davis, John Jefferson. Worship and the Reality of God: An Evangelical Theology of Real Presence. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, Dawn, Marva J. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn of the Century Culture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, Kauflin, Bob. Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God. Wheaton: Crossway Books, Labberton, Mark. The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God s Call to Justice. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, Reinstra, Debra and Ron Reinstra. Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, Rognlien, Bob. Experiential Worship: Encountering God with Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength. Colorado Springs: NavPress, Ross, Allen P. Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship From the Garden to the New Creation. Grand Rapids: Kregel, Torrance, James B. Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, Walters, Michael. Can t Wait for Sunday: Leading Your Congregation in Authentic Worship. Wesleyan Publishing House, Webber, Robert E. Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God s Narrative. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, Webber, Robert E. Planning Blended Worship: the Creative Mixture of Old and New. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998.

5 Webber, Robert E. Worship Old and New: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Introduction. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Witvliet, John D. Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into Christian Practice. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, Appendix B: Assignment Guidelines Post Course Assignment 2 Designing a Complete Four-Fold Order of Worship I. General Instructions Your Complete Four-Fold Order of Worship is a summative assignment. It should demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of all the material learned from pre-course reading and on-site class time. II. Overall Structure of the Assignment This assignment has three primary parts: the order of service, the explanation of the service, and the appendix. Part One is a copy-ready order of service with everything listed in detail. You should designate each fold of the four-fold order on this list (Gathering, Word, Table or Response, and Sending) and your final product should be such that you could easily make and distribute copies to your team to be used for a corporate worship service. Part Two is an explanation of your choices and any additional information you want to provide about your order of service. This will be about 2-3 typed pages, walking through the service you ve created, explaining the choices you made, elements you included, etc. Part Three is an Appendix which should contain all of the worship materials in order (do not include any sermon script or outline). Footnote EVERY source. The appendix should include such things as: - All song texts (Photocopies of songs are legally allowed for this purpose; use reduced font in order to fit more easily on 1-2 pages) - Written script of all prayers - Content of all spoken elements (except the sermon as is noted above) - Scripture readings - Drama scripts (if used) - DVD Clips, etc. (if used) - Any other included elements in your service design III. Special Components

6 To demonstrate the breadth of your learning this semester, you service should give evidence of: - A fully-developed Response to the Word. For this particular service, do not use Communion as the Response to the Word (or third fold). Rather, create a non-eucharistic Response to the Word as we discussed in class. - The use of Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs (use a variety of types); your understanding of the Revelation and Response pattern of worship (i.e. music that proclaims something of God s nature BEFORE music which states a response to that revelation). - Trinitarian thought - A well-developed Gathering: o Complete enough to stand alone and be unified within itself o Containing material appropriate to the Gathering o Utilizing many different types of elements o Logical and demonstrating good flow o Representative of a significant portion of the total service o Representative of the tone and spirit appropriate of the Gathering o Actively engaging worshippers (highly participatory) o Moving from energetic to reflective (bringing the congregation to the point of hearing the Word in the second fold) o Utilizing symbol and/or gesture o Prominently using Scripture o Including Pastoral Prayer OR some form of intercessory prayer o Including at least two originally composed prayers (you may use more/others, including a time of impromptu or spontaneous prayer OR pre-scripted prayers from historical sources) IV. Formatting Requirements This assignment must: - Be typewritten (Part two should be 12-point font, double spaced, one inch margins, all around) and proofread - Include page numbers running consecutively throughout all three parts of the assignment - Be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word

7 Appendix C Post- Course Assignment 3 Option 1 Prepare and lead a 60-minute workshop/seminar or Sunday school lesson on a Foundational Concept of Christian Worship which would be appropriate for introducing your congregants to at least one key tenant of material learned in this course. The course should cover the following: Part 1: Part 2: Lead or implement (have someone else lead) the worship service designed in Assignment 2. This may be done in your primary congregational worship setting OR alternatively (with a small group 10 people or more). If you have someone else lead, you should participate in some aspect of the service (call to worship, prayer, scripture reading, etc.) Submit a 2-3 page reflective journal regarding the service and the experience of leading/implementing such an endeavor. This journal should address, but is not limited to answering the following questions: - What were the greatest strengths of the service you designed and implemented? - How did the congregation receive and welcome this service? - What were your greatest disappointments in leading/implementing this service? - If you were to rewind and do this assignment again, what would you do differently? - How has this project (both the creation of the four-fold service and the implementation of it) impacted the way you will plan and lead worship in the future?

8 Appendix D: Post-Course Assignment 3 - Option 2 Prepare and lead a 60-minute workshop/seminar or lesson on a Foundational Concept of Christian Worship which would be appropriate for introducing your congregants/staff/worship teams to at least one key tenant of material learned in this course. The course should cover the following: - The Biblical (Old and New Testament) basis for this foundation - The Historical basis for this foundation - Theological backing or support for this foundation - Practical application of this foundation (how do we implement this in congregational worship?) - The workshop s content should be interactive and participatory. - The workshop should be thoroughly outlined in preparation for presentation. - The workshop participants should be provided some sort of handout or printed aid. - The workshop should include some type of original visual presentation (PowerPoint, Video content, etc.). All materials prepared for the workshop should be submitted to the instructor, including teaching outline, handouts, and visual aids (PowerPoint presentations, etc.). Printed materials and reasonably sized media files (PowerPoint presentations, etc.) may be submitted electronically. Any large media files should be submitted via Dropbox or some other type of easily-accessible internet storage system. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor where such files are located and how to access them. Students choosing this option should submit a 2-3 page reflective journal regarding the workshop/lesson and the experience of leading such an endeavor. Specific requirements for this journal include: - Double spaced, 12-point (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.) - One-inch margins - Cover sheet included - All pages should be numbered - Should be free of all grammatical or typographical errors This journal should address, but is not limited to answering the following questions:

9 - What were the greatest strengths of the workshop you designed and implemented? - How did the participants receive and welcome the information presented in this workshop? - What were your greatest disappointments in leading/implementing this workshop? - If you were to rewind and do this assignment again, what would you do differently? - How has this project (both the creation of the workshop and the implementation of it) impacted the way you will teach your people about worship in the future?