In this insightful post Kenny Lamm looks at the good and not-so-good of a worship service he recently attended. Brilliant food for thought.
This past Sunday, as my family was out of town for a few days, we had the opportunity to worship in an established Baptist church in another state, choosing their contemporary service that was held in the family life center. My ministry calling has wired me to evaluate worship services with an eye for what needs improvement. Unfortunately, last Sunday was no exception. As my family worshipped together corporately, my “consultant” hat was frequently appearing on my head. As I have reflected on the experience, I felt it would be helpful to provide a synopsis of the evaluation with hope that it will encourage others to evaluate their own services in several of these areas.
As we entered the building, we were warmly greeted by a couple of folks at separate times that made us feel at ease. The environment was simple, but pleasant in the lighting and visual elements. The band consisted of an acoustic guitar, lead guitar, drums, and a keyboard. In addition to the main male worship leader (acoustic guitar), there was a female singer. Thankfully, all of the songs were played in congregationally-friendly keys.
The areas of concern in this service were:
Kenny Lamm, senior consultant for worship and music for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, is a frequent worship conference leader with a strong focus on equipping leaders in North Carolina (USA) and Southeast Asia. His blog, Renewing Worship, features posts that explore ways to renew–impart new life and vigor to–the worship in the local church.