Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church
1948 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
San Jose, CA 95126
From traditional to contemporary, from liturgical to free-form, from fundamentalist to progressive, worship takes many shapes in congregations. However, it is not the content or method of worship that gives power and vitality. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit and the spirit of the congregation, living out their answer to the question: “Who is God for us?”.
Consider the worship services in your congregation. Is the atmosphere striving for warm, friendly, community oriented, informal, spontaneous, and fun? Is is OK to laugh in your church? Members of vital congregations often talk of an energy that is infectious, a spirit that is contagious, a sense of awareness and expectation that the Holy Spirit is present and very much a part of their worship encounters.
What have visitors told you about their worship experience at Holy Redeemer? Do they sometimes feel a vitality that you do not feel? Why do you think that is?
Vital congregations have vibrant, creative, energetic worship that speaks to the needs of the people who gather in their community, that utilizes the available resources in their midst and is experienced as genuine and God-shaped by those who gather to experience it. The key is neither style nor content, in most cases. The key to worship is the involvement of those who have gathered (the people raising their bulletins and singing the hymns and being engaged in the readings and the prayers and in everything else that takes place during the service) and the service being well crafted and done with an expectation of quality.
One of the most important elements of worship is the pastor’s sermon. It takes (approximately) one hour of preparation for each 3 minutes of a sermon. This time is put in so that the pastor might present a sermon that talks to the people (and not at them), which presents a message for the people’s daily lives, and which motivates and empowers the congregation to walk the way of our Lord.
Worship is often the first encounter a guest has with the church community. How are guests welcomed into your worship service? Are they greeted warmly prior to the beginning of worship? Is it easy for them to follow your order of worship. Do some of the antics during worship detract from their worship experience? Do people in the congregation take time to get to know guests and develop a relationship with them.
It has been said, “People are not looking for a friendly church; they are looking for friends.” And there is the difference.