Guiding Worship
For those who plan and lead worship events.
Welcoming words
By Cindy Massanari Breeze
On a Sunday morning while vacationing in Florida, my husband and I walked to a little church down the street from our hotel. A team of friendly people greeted us as soon as we entered the church yard, and once we were inside the building another set of greeters offered us a bulletin and ushered us to our seats. Since we are not often able to visit other congregations on Sunday morning, it was a treat to settle into our pew in anticipation of this new worship experience.
After an inspirational sermon, the pastor warmly welcomed all of us to share the Lord’s Supper. However, after reading sixteen lines of written instructions in the bulletin on how to partake in communion, we chose to remain in our seats because we were not sure we could “correctly” participate. This congregation surely intended to create a cordial environment for all who came through their doors, but the lengthy and confusing instructions about communion were a reminder that language—either written or spoken—can be an enhancement or a barrier to hospitality in the worship setting.
For a newcomer, becoming part of a congregation can be a lonely, uncomfortable, and even overwhelming experience. Periodic assessment of how we use language in worship is a valuable tool for making our congregations places of inclusion rather than exclusion, especially for those who have previously been unchurched. There are at least four areas where congregations might choose to monitor language and hospitality during worship.
Assessing how we use language in worship is a valuable tool for making our congregations places of inclusion rather than exclusion.
1. “Insider” sharing.
Healthy congregations share intimately and easily with each other, but there is a fine line between this familiarity and making sure everyone in attendance understands and feels included in what is shared. For example, when someone asks for prayers for Lottie because next week is going to be a tough one for her, a visitor might well wonder, “Who is Lottie and why is this week going to be a difficult one?” If a committee member announces during worship, “See me for more information about making soup for the TIMES Center,” a newcomer could justifiably respond, “who is ‘me’ and what is the TIMES Center?” Effort by the entire congregation to share appropriate and detailed information conveys to newcomers: “We’re glad you’re here, and we want you to be included in what we are about.”
2. Too much alphabet soup.
MCUSA, IMC, CDC, MYF, JYF, MMN, MEA, MPN, MDS … This list is not exhaustive, but by now you likely get the point. The ease and quickness of speaking or writing the acronyms of these local and broader Mennonite organizations and groups is tempting, but their frequent use in public worship is both inhospitable and exclusive.
3. Religious language.
Kathleen Norris, in Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, wrote that we run the risk of intimidating and distancing people who are new to the church when we use inhospitable language that they neither understand nor embrace. Norris writes that when she returned to Christianity after a 20-year absence from church, she found that she was out of touch and out of practice with religious language. Without succumbing to what Marva Dawn calls dumbing down (see Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time), congregations might consider identifying those places and times where their religious vocabulary is understandable and inviting and where it is off-putting or obtuse.
4. Instructions for worship.
Every congregation has unwritten instructions for worship. In our church, for example.
- Adults remain in their seats for the offering, but children bring their dimes and dollars to the front of the sanctuary.
- Sharing prayer requests and praises takes place in one part of our service, but announcements come at the end of the service.
- During communion, one of the pastors serves grapes or crackers to the children while the rest of the congregation gathers around tables.
- At the end of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Taizé services, the congregation leaves the sanctuary in total silence.
- We generally say “trespasses” (rather than “debts” or “sins”) in the Lord’s Prayer.
What are the unwritten practices and expectations of your congregation? How well these are communicated will likely determine how comfortable newcomers will feel in your midst.
If we believe we have good news to share with whoever comes to worship with us—and of course we do—let us continually monitor our use of language so that all are invited to experience welcoming and hospitable worship.
Cindy Massanari Breeze is associate pastor of First Mennonite Church in Urbana, Illinois.