by Regi Stone
For most of my adult life I’ve served on staff in church ministry. It all started with a part-time job as an accompanist during college and thirty years later as a worship pastor. Through the years I’ve seen the order of service decided on the back of a bulletin 10 minutes before we started. And, I’ve also experienced service schedules where every second was accounted for.
Regardless, 2020 changed that for everyone. Some churches didn’t meet for months. Others met outside in the parking lot or a nearby field. Facebook Live was used for sermons, devotions, prayer and more. And now, as we’re a little more than half way through 2021 and churches are heading back inside, there’s something I’m curious about. Are we all going back to exactly what we did before? Or, is there a chance God may want to use this as an opportunity to rearrange how we do church (inside the building)?
If God had a vote, would he opt for the more free flowing approach or would he want to keep the service at 58 minutes? Would he insist on a choir? Would the style be traditional or modern or blended? Would he want lights and fog machines or a few candles and communion? What I’m asking is this; is the plan to just pick up where we left off? I’m not saying that’s not a great starting point. I’m just curious if this could be more of a reset and a shift to something new God wants to do. Here’s a few questions for leadership and those of us who attend a worship service.
Leadership: If God wanted to show up in ways we’ve not seen before, is there room in your typical service for that to happen? What could that look like? Do you plan for that? Are you praying for that?
Congregation: If the worship service you attend looks or sounds different than it did before or goes longer than you expected are you cool with that? What would you do if you arrived for second service and the parking lot was still full because something was happening inside like never before? Would you drive away frustrated? Or, not to be snarky, would you find a parking place anywhere you could and walk? Like you would if it were another NFL game day.
It’s time we prepared and prayed for the unexpected. Anything could happen. I’d love to hear your thoughts.