David W. Manner's Blog: Worship Evaluation, page 14
June 1, 2020
How Can Social Distanced Worship Be Good?
Even before the COVID-19 physical shutdown of gathered worship services, congregations were constantly trying to discover and create good worship. So, they expanded their song catalogs and adjusted their presentation methods in an effort to find a formula to help them accomplish that goal. Some just bypassed the heavy lifting altogether by imitating the worship practices of other congregations and called it good.
But as congregations are starting to regather with new limitation guidelines, thos...
May 27, 2020
Worship Word Wednesday
May 25, 2020
Do I Have to Wear a Mask at Church? Wrong Question.
Will I be asked to wear a mask when we gather again for worship even if I don’t think it is necessary? Will I be able to sing again in a choir or even congregationally? Will I have to social distance from others even though I need to hug everyone? These and many other questions are being asked as churches begin to gather again for in-person worship. But even though these questions might be pressing, they are the wrong questions to ask first.
If “what’s in it for me” is our first question as we ...
May 20, 2020
Worship Word Wednesday
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May 18, 2020
Regathered Worship: Laying Down Self
Most churches are trying to figure out how to safely gather in person again after a couple of months of online services. Leaders and congregants are realizing how they gather, how many they gather with and what they offer as they gather won’t look the same as it did before. What they will also soon realize is that everyone will be asked to sacrifice something if this new normal is to succeed.
Terry York and David Bolin wrote, “We have forgotten that what worship costs is more important than how...
May 13, 2020
May 8, 2020
If We Can’t Sing
Most of us have seen the articles, blog posts and videos this last week indicating the potential for a higher level of asymptomatic spread and aerosolization of COVID-19 through choral and congregational singing. The emotional responses from music and worship leaders run the gamut of fear and grief to outright denial.
It is obviously still too early to be certain how these theories will play out and influence our musical worship in the future. What is certain, however, is that even if our congr...
May 6, 2020
Worship Word Wednesday
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May 4, 2020
5 Unintended Consequences of Worshiping from Home
Unintended consequences can be positive or negative outcomes in response to unforeseen or unplanned events or experiences. We certainly didn’t choose this season of worshiping from home. But most of us have unintentionally learned some valuable lessons that should influence how we do gathered worship on the other side of this crisis. Here are five unintended consequences of worship from home:
Sermons are shorter, yet more profound
Most pastors have realized that attention spans online are muc...
