I recently finished reading Reinventing Sunday: Breakthrough Ideas for Transforming Worship, a short book by Brad Berglund. I picked it up while I was still in Oneida, particularly with our then-running second evening service, looking for different ideas/directions for worship.Berglaund's book has a simple structure - he goes section by section through a standard order of worship, spends a few pages reflecting theologically on the meaning/nature of that part of the service, and then gives several practical suggestions for this part of the worship service.
I didn't find this book very compelling, although it is a brief read with some good ideas and might work better simply as a resource book than a book you'd read cover to cover.
Some highlights:
St. Francis of Assisi's lesser known prayer, "Lord, who are you and who am I?"
"Jesus is simply turning the Sabbath from law into gift . . . The message of [ancient Israel] is clear - stop working or die. It is also the opposite of modern's society's messages, which is 'stop working and die.' Just as clear is Jesus' message. He asks us to choose the gift of grace." (15)
"The word humble comes from the Latin 'humus' meaning fertile soil . . . a humble person is a nutrient-rich, porous garden of potential." (78)
"Tolerance is a beginning, but it is incomplete. Jesus did not say, "the world will know you are my disciples if you tolerate each other." As Jesus' disciples, love is the virtue we seek." (92)
Most of the suggestions were something that would work in the context of a pretty typical/traditional worship service. As a said, an interesting source book, but otherwise not particularly unique as a worship resource.
Comments
I am being challenged by the leaders in the Boonville church to do a "restart" with them. They are a bit jealous of the energy and excitement surrounding the new church plant in Trenton, and want to dream and stretch too. This is a cool unexpected consequence of the new church start. Had I insisted on change in the church I have pastord for 17 years they probably would have a) yawned, or b) revolted. Now they are pushing!
My question for you is this: would you recommend this book as a tool for a team looking to change worship elements / style? I don't really have a tool to use and this looks good from a distance.
Love Bill