Planning for
Passionate Worship
Taylor Burton-Edwards
Planning for Passionate Worship
A Major Shift in Focus at GBOD
• From supporting a pastor, musician
and maybe a Worship Committee:
“siloed planning”
to equipping a Worship Planning Team
Planning for Passionate Worship
Why This Shift? The bad news….
• “Siloed planning” results in…
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87% of UM congregations plan this way!*
*Source: GBOD Worship Planning Helps Survey, 2009
Disjointed worship experiences
each week and week to week
Less involvement by fewer
people
Burned out worship leadership
A culture of worship as the work
of the experts FOR the people
Dispassionate worship…
Planning for Passionate Worship
Why This Shift? The Good News…
• Team planning results in…
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Worship with greater flow and power
each week and week to week
Worship as a creative, engaging
experience
Worship leaders who are energized
Worship as the celebration of the
congregation and community
Passionate worship!
Of the 13% of UM congregations who
plan this way, most have multiple
services and report they are growing*
*Source: 2007 GBOD/UMPH Music and Worship Study
Planning for Passionate Worship
What Is a Worship Planning Team?
• A gathering of folks from your
congregation and community who are
committed to:
Christ
each other
mission in the larger community and world
passionate worship with deep biblical,
theological and creative integrity
o Doing what it takes to finding, train, and
deploying the many and varied gifts of your
congregation and community
o Being the hub for communications for
worship
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Planning for Passionate Worship
Who’s on a Worship Planning Team?
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Artists– visual, graphic, paint, sculpture, fabric, whatever
Ritual Space designers
Musicians
Pastor(s)
Writers
Choreographers/Dramatists
Helpers– acolyte, communion steward, etc.
Technology– Web, Projection, Sound, Soundscapes
Wise Ones– folks who are in deep touch with various groups in
the life of the church, know their passion and capacity, and can
offer words of encouragement AND restraint to others
Action/response to rest of the life of the church
Planning for Passionate Worship
Before You Start a Worship Planning Team…
• Spend the time it takes to develop…
o A Common Platform of understanding what
worship IS and IS NOT in our church and your
congregation– so some training and study time
together will be essential– Basic Pattern, etc.
o Groundrules or Covenant for your team that
include respect the gifts and roles of each member
o A Working Plan– Including who will do what, when
you’ll meet, and how you’ll support/hold each other
accountable, and evaluate your work
Photo Lewis Worthington. Artwork
by Ted Lyddon Hatten
Planning for Passionate Worship
What Happens in the Meetings?
Evening Prayer
Touching Base
Longer Range
Exploring texts together
Developing plan
Check ins: Previous,upcoming
Evaluation
Sending
Planning for Passionate Worship
“Ideal” Timelines and Benchmarks…
Start planning at least 6-12
weeks out
o Recheck all plans at 3-4 weeks
out
o Remind congregation of
changes/new things 1 week out
o Rehearse significant new
congregational patterns–at least
two or three times prior to the
actual service
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A rehearsal for worship at General Conference 2008, Photo
courtesy Marcia McFee.
Planning for Passionate Worship
A Worship Planning Team: The Results
• A committed cadre of folks
growing in Christ and supporting
each other in planning worship
• Growing networks that involve
more people
• Ability to create and commission
art, music, and drama more
regularly
• Everything flows better–
• Vitality, integrity and passion
flourish!
Photos courtesy Marcia McFee and Lewis Worthington.
Planning for Passionate Worship
A Resource for Worship Planning Teams
Strong commitment to passionate
worship
Richer description of our basic
pattern of worship adaptable
for any culture or style
Step by Step descriptions of how
to start and sustain a worship
planning team where you are
Copyright
“Planning Passionate Worship” Copyright © 2009 The General
Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, PO Box
340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Website:
http://www.GBOD.org. This presentation may be reprinted and
used for nonprofit local church and educational purposes with
the inclusion of the complete copyright citation plus the words
"Used by permission." All pictures and images in this
presentation are in the public domain or covered under
Creative Commons attribution licenses that allow for their
republication for non-commercial use. For any other uses,
including placing this resource on any website, obtain written
permission by contacting worship@gbod.org.