http://ancienttruthmodernsound.com/what-are-the-essential-elements-of-a-church-service Frank thoughts on our times from the view of the Gospel. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:07:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 http://ancienttruthmodernsound.com/what-are-the-essential-elements-of-a-church-service#comment-7533 Lori Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:17:01 +0000 http://ancienttruthmodernsound.com/what-are-the-essential-elements-of-a-church-service#comment-7533 There is a certain comfort that comes from rituals, as I realized again while watching the funeral of Ted Kennedy the other day. I knew exactly what the priest was going to say, and there was a comfort in that. (I personally miss the offering of peace to one another, instead of just "salutations.") People generally like to know what to expect, and when the unexpected comes along, it makes them uncomfortable. That said, we don't learn and grow from doing the same old thing all the time, and I think that that's what refreshing about CrossPoint, and that comes through the music and the message. You don't quite know what to expect, and that creates a sense of curiosity; "What's the pastor going to say about -----?... How will this help us learn and grow?... How can we apply this to our lives? etc." I think a balance of comforting essential traditional elements (as you outlined) and contemporary original ones (even if they may be disconcerting at times) are what works for CrossPoint Community. There is a certain comfort that comes from rituals, as I realized again while watching the funeral of Ted Kennedy the other day. I knew exactly what the priest was going to say, and there was a comfort in that. (I personally miss the offering of peace to one another, instead of just “salutations.”) People generally like to know what to expect, and when the unexpected comes along, it makes them uncomfortable.
That said, we don’t learn and grow from doing the same old thing all the time, and I think that that’s what refreshing about CrossPoint, and that comes through the music and the message. You don’t quite know what to expect, and that creates a sense of curiosity; “What’s the pastor going to say about —–?… How will this help us learn and grow?… How can we apply this to our lives? etc.”
I think a balance of comforting essential traditional elements (as you outlined) and contemporary original ones (even if they may be disconcerting at times) are what works for CrossPoint Community.

]]> http://ancienttruthmodernsound.com/what-are-the-essential-elements-of-a-church-service#comment-7333 Jason M Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:33:13 +0000 http://ancienttruthmodernsound.com/what-are-the-essential-elements-of-a-church-service#comment-7333 nice work frank. liturgy in practice always seems to allow for laziness or lack of creativity. but in their essence they (the elements you describe) have nothing to do with style, only substance. bringing in additional (or emphasizing greater) elements Could actually allow for greater creativity and more depth. Personally, I like the idea of rotating the emphasis on particular elements. In American churches we always emphasize the sermon, and once a month we emphasize communion. It would be interesting to think about what it would look like to alternate the focus on different elements nice work frank. liturgy in practice always seems to allow for laziness or lack of creativity. but in their essence they (the elements you describe) have nothing to do with style, only substance. bringing in additional (or emphasizing greater) elements Could actually allow for greater creativity and more depth.
Personally, I like the idea of rotating the emphasis on particular elements. In American churches we always emphasize the sermon, and once a month we emphasize communion. It would be interesting to think about what it would look like to alternate the focus on different elements

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