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In the youthful days of high school and college I was a hurdler and sprinter. Our high school coach was a distance runner, and although he was a great coach he didn’t have a lot to offer for sprinters. During freshman year of college, the coach at that university knew a good bit about hurdles but was not a very good coach, so I remained self-taught. Before sophomore year I transferred to James Madison University. The coach there was a different story- he specialized in sprints and hurdles, and had coached a five-time All-American hurdler. My year began with him telling me to forget virtually everything I knew as a hurdler. This was difficult, because for years my mind and body were trained a certain way. But the technique was wrong, and no matter how many races I had won, the competition would soon begin blowing by me as they ran with correct technique. I was faced with a choice- hold onto the method of hurdling I had taught myself and that had gotten me this far, or seek wisdom from a coach who knew much more about the hurdles than I did.
We are in a similar place as the Church. Not in the sense of competing, but our knowledge and belief of liturgy is self-taught. @V21Church began as a church plant in Fall 2002. Our congregation has grown from thirty-seven people in their twenties and early thirties to a large community consisting of all age groups and many backgrounds. During this time, the Gospel has grown to become central to every service, system and structure that exists within our church. We literally examine each aspect of the church, whether it’s behind-the-scenes or on a spotlit stage, and seek to bring it in line with the Christ-honoring Kingdom of God. Through the seven-year history of @V21Church our songs have become more centered on Christ, deeper in lyrics, and in my opinion better in their melody and groove. Our current liturgy is well-planned and Christ-centered, so what’s the problem? Why not simply continue on? Similar to my experience with hurdles, if I proudly continue on in my own limited strength when there are wise men and women who have gone before me and those who are currently much further along in wisdom and knowledge, I would be both a fool and a poor steward of the responsibility God has called me to.
“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance…” - Proverbs 1:5
It is with this heart that I eagerly ask for help, in this case through a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. They are graciously supporting our efforts to grow in our understanding of Jesus and the history and application of church liturgy. In studying the history and practice of liturgy past and present, we hope to create a robust understanding in our leaders and congregants of God’s nature, character and works as revealed in scripture. Beginning in July 2010, the band leaders of Vintage21 will begin to read, study and discuss liturgy from many resources – books, essays, and guest speakers.
What Will The Result Be?
For those at @V21Church reading this, you may be worried that our service will drastically change. That next year at this time I’ll be wearing a suit, waving my hand to direct the congregation as only a small organ leads us in “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”. The truth is, I don’t know what the result will be. We may discover elements of liturgy that honor Jesus and help us worship Him more fully in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23). On the other hand, perhaps nothing on the surface changes but the foundational understanding of those in leadership will result in a greater ability to shape our liturgy and lead the congregation in worship on Sundays.
Over the next year I’ll post the progress of our study, share lessons we’re learning and use this site as a preparation for upcoming liturgical elements. Feel free to post or email questions regarding this endeavor.
Matt Stevens is the Worship Pastor for Vintage21 Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Contact him via Twitter: @MattStevensNC
I would be interested in learning more about liturgy merely for the fact that I have never been a fan of it. I know nothing of the history of it, so I can’t speak to it’s origin or intent. All I know is that the church services I’ve been in that include it have turned me off. Why? For the simple reason that reading words off of a screen, seeing them for the first time, without the opportunity to reflect on them and make them my own, always ends up empty. With music, the same is often true with a new song, but you learn that song through repetition. My opinion on liturgy would be that if included, the verses should be repeated regularly for them to be relevant. Growing up in a traditional Presbyterian church where the Apostle’s or Nicene Creed was regularly recited by the congregation became important and purposeful and heartfelt on a personal level b/c I came to know the words and could recite them with my heart. So that would be my suggestion. Either use the same liturgy several times so that it becomes heartfelt before introducing a new one (the way we do musical worship), or give the words to the people well in advance of the reciting so that we can meditate on them and speak them later with our whole heart. Thanks for the opportunity to respond to this.
encouraged by the humility and wisdom it takes to say that even though we are doing well, there could be so much more.
thanks for leading us in this.