Preliminary Syllabus: WS-632: Worship Renewal in a Changing World Hartford Seminary Fall 2015 Instructor: April Stace Vega, Ph.D. Course Description In congregational worship, our joys, sorrows, and hopes as a community as the Church are given their true and proper place, which is at the feet of Christ. We do not come to congregational worship merely to feel good or anesthetize ourselves against the stormy billows of life, but to enter more deeply and honestly into the mystery of God-with-us. Yet, worship is always situated in different times, places and cultural contexts. This class explores how the content, form, and styles of worship are enlivened through intentional and theologically-grounded worship design. We will explore a variety of perspectives on issues such as music, the use of visual arts, the use of technology in worship, the church year, worship and evangelism, sacraments and ordinances, worship and conflict, worship and social justice, and liturgical spirituality. Worship renewal is not about just performing it better but about walking with our congregations into transformative encounters with God and with one another. We ll learn from the past and from each other as we all work towards this goal. Textbooks Required (in course order): Dawn, Marva. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down. Eerdmans, 2010. ISBN: 0802841023 Crowley, Eileen D. Liturgical Art for a Media Culture. Liturgical Press, 2007. ISBN: 0814629687 Duck, Ruth C. Worship for the Whole People of God. Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. ISBN: 0664234275 Ellis, Christopher. Gathering: A Spirituality and Theology of Worship in Free Church Tradition. SCM Press, 2004. ISBN: 0334029678 Other readings will be provided by the professor.
Learning Goals of Course: This course provides students with a forum in which to examine the theological foundations for Christian worship, and develop ways to analyze and create patterns and tools for the practice of worship in a variety of Christian contexts. By the end of this course, students should be able to articulate a theological and aesthetical foundation for the art of public Christian worship, analyze the structure of the order of worship, and ponder the various forms and styles of music and arts that can be used in relation to a given public service. It is also an aim for this course that students relate this knowledge to a practical expression of the ministry of worship in relation to the other ministries of the church in a particular church setting, and gain a distinct cultural sensitivity that will prepare her/himself to respect and value the tradition of others and her/his own. Assessments and Expectations Students will be expected to participate actively in class discussion, give a presentation about a site visit, write regular journal entries about class readings and discussions, and write one research paper on a topic of choice. Office Hours The instructor does not live in CT, therefore, office hours will be limited to class days. However, the instructor is available by email and, if necessary, by phone. Attendance Policy Attendance in class is required. If you know you will be unable to attend a class session please inform the professor in advance. Missing one session will result in an automatic lowering of your final grade by 10%. Missing two or more sessions will result in automatic failure of the course. Email Policy The instructor will use the official Hartsem student email addresses for all communications. Please check your Hartsem email account regularly. Class Schedule September 15. Worship renewal: what is it? Biggest issues with worship in churches? Relationship between worship and culture. Worship and evangelism.
**For this class, each student should bring one article to class about a faith community engaging in new worship practices. The article does not have to be from a scholarly source; newspaper is fine. Be prepared to share with the class and discuss. Duck, Ch. 14 Chicago Spiritual Communities Think Outside the Box Chicago Sun Times Too Busy For Church on Ash Wednesday New York Daily. Donnella, Dunes, and Ward, Worship and Culture: an African-American Lutheran Perspective. Burnim, Conflict and Controversy in Black Religious Music Mann, The Power of Song, excerpts Due: In-class writing assignment October 13 Liturgical spirituality. Worship and spiritual formation. Liturgy and social justice/social transformation. Mark Searle. Images and Worship, The Way (April 1984) 103-114. Margaret Mary Kelleher. Liturgy and the Christian Imagination, Worship 66 (1992) 125-148. (available through ATLA) Virgil Michel. The Liturgy as The Basis of Social Regeneration, Orate Fratres 9 (1935) 536-545. Margaret Mary Kelleher. Liturgy and Social Transformation: Exploring the Relationship, U.S. Catholic Historian 16:4 (1998) 58-70. Kevin W. Irwin. Liturgy, Justice, and Spirituality, Liturgical Ministry 7 (Fall, 1998) 162-174. James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom, excerpts. Marva Dawn. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, ch 10. Due: Reflection Paper #1
October 27 Music, visual arts, architecture, preaching, worship leading, corporate prayers, use of technology. The Blessing and Bane of the North American Evangelical Megachurch, in Worship Seeking Understanding, Witvliet. Chapter 1 in Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down Fitting Technology into Worship, ch. 5 in High-Tech Worship, Quentin J. Schultze. Eileen D. Crowley. Liturgical Art for a Media Culture. DUE: Reflection Paper #2 and presentation about visit to faith community. November 10 Special Services and the Church Year. Baptism and the Lord s Supper/Eucharist. Praise and Lament in the Psalms and in Liturgical Prayer, in Worship Seeking Understanding, John D. Witvliet - Duck, Ruth C. Chs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Ellis, Christopher. Excerpts from Gathering Irwin, Kevin. Excerpts from Models of the Eucharist. DUE: Paper Topics and in-class collaborative worship planning project. December 8 Worship and Conflict. Multi-Cultural Worship. Worship Renewal and Congregational health. Chap 1 in Rivals or a Team (Guenther) Not Rite Now D. R. Whitt An African-American Church? Chapter 3 in Ruth C. Duck Raúl R. Gómez, S.D.S. Beyond Sarapes and Maracas: Liturgical Theology in a Hispanic/Latino Context, Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology 8 (2000) 55-71.
Excerpts from Mek Some Noise DUE: Final Paper