Reflections on "Dialog Worship" and the Congregational Meeting

Many of you were able to join us for our "Dialog Worship" service last Sunday. For those who couldn't be there, please see last week's blog for a description of what it is.

The feedback so far has been mostly positive, and I wanted to share those comments with you.

• The comments about our guest worship leader, Matthew Orr, were off-the-charts positive. Matthew did a wonderful job leading us in worship, not just leading us in music. It's a very difficult thing to come in as a guest and lead in something as intimate as worship, but the overwhelming sentiment was that the worship music truly helped us worship Christ.
• The discussion time also received a lot of positive feedback. From my perspective, it didn't take long for people to feel free to speak up, ask questions, answer questions, offer new ideas, and so on. Thanks to the youth for breaking the ice! I heard phrases like "it felt more like a family discussion." That's exactly what we wanted to foster. I think that repeating this kind of format would only foster more.
• The time with the kids on the floor was fun for me, the kids were engaged, and the adults said they enjoyed learning by proxy, too.
• The seating arrangement generated more surprise comments than I expected. I expected a few comments, some positive and some negative, but many of you commented very positively on it. Some said that it made a huge difference to be able to see one another. Others said you could hear each other better. One repeated the "family atmosphere" comment specifically related to the seating arrangement.
• The most mixed comments were on the length of the service. Some said it was too short, others said it was a bit long. Technically, it was barely longer than our normal services that would run a little over. We intentionally set it up so that we would not be standing more than three songs in a row, and of course everyone is free to sit down during the music whenever they want. But the duration question is an important one, and must be considered. We can't really conduct a dialog worship service completely in the time slot of a short service. In theory, we're actually spending less time with a Dialog service if you consider the Sunday School time. This remains an issue that needs a good resolution.

Going forward, given the positive feedback, this is certainly a format we would consider doing again, perhaps even to make it our "normal" worship service format one day. For the immediate future, you may see some elements of the Dialog service creep into our normal program.

On the topic of the annual meeting, it was a lightly attended meeting, but the discussion was great. Some difficult issues were discussed openly, and there was a sense of the church body wanting to collectively move DBC forward - to advance our strong points and to shore up the areas that need work. The Elders will have the responsibility to take our conversation and help lead the church forward in those areas, especially in the areas of connecting better with one another and in becoming more missional as a congregation.

The attendance was also discussed, and the point was made that drawing people to DBC is the task of all of us, not just a few.

The budget report for 2008 and proposed budget for 2009 were discussed. The Lord allowed us to give more than budgeted for 2008, and we spent under budget, so 2008 saw a positive cash flow. This means that some deferred ministry expenses can now be taken on. The largest increase in the budget for 2009 is adding $7800 for a part-time worship leader. We are beginning our search to find someone who can lead us with worship music.

Every ministry area also submitted a written report, which were all bound together and distributed in packets. Including in that packet are the budget figures for 2008 and 2009. If you would like a copy of that packet, please request one from the church office.

God has accomplished much in DBC during 2008, and we see several areas where we are praying for His work during 2009. As always, I strongly encourage you to pray regularly for our church. If we're not praying as a church for our church, we will not be the church in the way the Lord wants us to be.

What is "Dialog" Worship?

This Sunday, we will be practicing a different style of worship service than we typically have at Dublin Bible Church - something we're calling a "Dialog" worship service.

The idea is quite simple - turn a normal worship service (which is often mostly "monologue" - someone speaking to the congregation) into a "dialog", where the congregation is free to participate more throughout the worship service. The biggest difference you'll notice is that instead of a typical sermon, the teaching time is much more interactive. Not only will I involve the congregation more, but the congregation should feel free to raise a hand, interject, ask questions, offer helpful insight, and generally share in the teaching and discussion of God's Word. Did I say something you need clarification on? Raise a hand and ask for a clarification! Haven't you wanted to do that on numerous occasions? This Sunday, you will have that freedom.

The "Dialog" is not just between the congregation and the pastor, but between the congregation and the Holy Spirit. We want the form of our worship service to be very open to the leading of the Holy Spirit - sometimes the "agenda" of a worship service can leave little room for the Spirit to work. So, we may find, for example, the worship leader bring in some music that wasn't planned in advance in response to the working of the Spirit.

Feel comfortable in how you participate - you can be very active, or you can sit back and just take it all in. The only time when interaction is not appropriate is when the teacher takes the platform to share some very specific thoughts. We ask that during that brief time, there be no interruptions.

Remember, we're all family, and this is family time.

Also remember that the worship service will start earlier than normal: 10:30 AM.

Please Pray for Your Elders

This weekend, the Elders have their annual retreat. We set aside 2 1/2 days each year for fasting, praying, reflecting on where DBC is and needs to go, and putting together the next year's budget.

We ask that you would be praying for us consistently throughout this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as we seek the Lord's face on behalf of our church.

At the annual meeting on Jan 25, we will discuss with you what has come out of the time of the retreat, as well as review the various ministries of DBC. Please bring a dish or two to share for the covered dish on the 25th, and then stay for our annual meeting.

Headship Questions, Part 5

It's been a few weeks since the last post - with the holidays and odd hours for the church office, we put a few things on ice until after the new year. And here we are, fresh and ready to tackle the next question about headship from the list of questions generated by the men of DBC. (If you are unfamiliar with the headship model of marriage, please refer to previous posts in this blog and to our sermon series Men and Women of God.)

The fifth question for us to handle is: Today's generation looks at marriage as being equal. How do they overcome this thinking if that's what they have been taught?

First, let me be very careful about the wording of the question. This is an extremely important point, and we cannot fully appreciate the headship model until we get this straight. A marriage based on headship is equal! We must be convinced of this.

A dominance marriage is unequal, where the man has authority over the wife apart from the concept of headship. This view has been taught in churches for years, and plays mere lip service to Paul's admonition that men and women are equal in Christ (Galatians 3:28). This view does not ground authority in man's double accountability before the Lord, the servant-leadership taught in Scripture, or the command for men to love their wives as Christ loves the church.

In an overreaction to the dominance model, the egalitarian model teaches that the equality of men and women means interchangeability of men and women. This view teaches that there is no distinction in the roles and responsibilities that husbands and wives may have. Neither one has headship authority over the other. This view takes equality to mean equivalence.

A headship marriage takes seriously both the teaching that men and women are equal in Christ and that there remains a distinction in responsibilities between husband and wife. It took us quite a bit of time in the sermon series to lay out this idea. The man has particular responsibilities as the man, the woman has particular responsibilities as the woman, there is an authority established, but only through the man's responsibility to accurately represent the will of God, and the woman's responsibilities are equally important. A headship marriage is equal, but the roles remain distinct.

I know what the question is attempting to ask, but I want to be very careful with the definitions.

Now, on to the question itself. Perhaps it would better to ask it this way: Today's generation looks at marriage as being egalitarian. How do they overcome this thinking if that's what they have been taught?

Great question!

This question is at the heart of my motivation to discuss this material. We've been wrongly taught by society and by the church, and I ardently want to correct these misconceptions. Too many marriages are in difficulty simply because we do not have widespread understanding and adoption of these principles.

The first step is to understand the model yourself. We cannot expect for our churches or our society to be re-taught unless we really understand the model itself. That means going over the material again and again. (It would help if I would finish my thesis now instead of over the next two years!)

The second step is to live it out in our own marriages. If we know the theory but don't practice it, the best we can do is teach theory to others. This means that wherever our marriages are not following this model, our own marriages need to change. Then we can teach others from experience, not theory. I am still learning how to integrate these truths into my own marriage, and the more I integrate it, the better I can teach our congregation about it. Lynne has also taken up the task of adding these principles into our marriage, and she can tell you some very specific ways that she approaches a real-life marriage differently.

The third step is to teach. And then teach again. And then teach again. This is not something that a single series or Bible study will "fix." To change the way we've been trained to think takes time and repetition. Time and repetition. Time and repetition.

This must start with family first, and then work its way outward. Our families - we endeavor to begin the process of living under these principles before we get too energetic about teaching others. Our church family - as a church, we continually teach and grow in these principles as a church before we expect to impact those around us.

One thing I'm becoming very convinced of is that people come to understand these principles in "layers" - there's a general understanding of the theory, then an understanding of basic application, then an understanding of deeper, more complex implications, and so on. There is much for us to unlearn first, and so we should expect learning the headship model to take time. And in some cases, not only do we need to unlearn, but we have to unravel patterns and ways of relating to one another that have been entrenched over years of following a different model.

But be not discouraged! Once we get the basics, the other layers come fairly naturally over time. It's crucial that we understand the basic meanings of headship and submission (see previous posts for a proper definition). Then, we can build the rest on those two ideas.