This post was written by Todd Fadel and is continuation from last week. Read part one here.

The notes you have taken represent an INVESTMENT of time and energy. If you skip the initial stuff, you’re inviting confusion. You have notes in front of you that give you a much better idea of who makes up your community, yes? If each of the assembled people were part of the “worship facilitation team,” how could their passions/uniqueness be spotlighted? With your leadership, find a role each could play. Imagine what connections they could help people make with our creative Creator. Make up simple imaginary titles for them. The list could end up looking like this:

Bobby – 12, who loves doing clay sculptures could be TACTILE ART COORDINATOR

Melissa – 47, who loves games and is hilarious could be HUMOR ENFORCEMENT TEAM LEADER

Agnes – 84, plays harp, tells amazing stories be HISTORICAL HARPIST

and so on. Don’t forget to include the ones who are never included. Did I say that before? Hmm..

The picture should start becoming clear that everyone is a part of worship and can play a part which connects to their GOD-GIVEN PASSION. The personality of your community should start becoming more apparent to you, also. If you don’t fall in love with your people all over again, I’ll be really surprised.

**The next step would be preparations for unveiling a different model to your assembled group.

What you and your co-facilitators/other leadership should do is consider enacting this new service for the assembled group, showing what their roles could be. Have you ever seen a storyboard artist pitch a cartoon? They’re doing all the character’s action in the scene and making the sound effects and going from scene to scene. So what you need to do is imagine a potential service, and write it out like it’s a storyboard for a cartoon. HERE’S THE ESSENCE OF THIS: If the facilitators/leadership do not model vulnerability in this way in this smaller setting, they can NOT expect the people to do it in a larger, scarier setting. Plus, when you catch what the people have the potential to do, you’re more motivated to make services a safe place for them to step out in their passion. Once you bring them together again, tell them what you want to show them, and DO IT.

Get feedback, write it all down. Ask questions like: What scares you about it? What do you think could be different?

This is where you tell them you will make a commitment to keep things safe for them.

How does one keep things safe for them? Here’s a few guidelines:

1. (You) shoulder any complaints/comments from the community-at-large and relay “positive suggestions” only (after 4 services have been tried, not a peep until after then). Make an announcement prior to each service stating this.
2. Don’t let your personal aesthetic get in the way of allowing people to express freely.
3. Do not criticize them under any circumstance.
4. Provide a de-briefing time after services to help process.
5. Anyone is allowed to quit (after 4 services are tried).

Then ask them if they will try it with you. Chances are, half of the group will do it. Don’t give off any impression to anyone that you feel like they’re “not helpful,” or “not taking one for the team” for not wanting to try. Tell them this is a trial run and strange stuff’ll happen, but you’ll help shoulder the burden of it.

**NOW, logistics. What do we do? Where do we put everything?

This part is COMPLETELY dependent on who is willing to do this with you, but I have a few suggestions:

1. You can totally write your own songs
2. In the room setup, something other than the music should be the focus.
3. Build a service around the MOMENTUM of a theme or concept. When using liturgy, let it flow with the other things. (ie. don’t let things interrupt other things)
4. Darkness, or diffused light, tends to help people feel less self-conscious. No need to get candle-happy, if not necessary. Flashlights or dim lamps work.
5. Visual art that is shown could be all done by the community (ie. film/paintings/photography) and could be shown on overheads or super 8 projectors (which you could get for free, through freecycle.org in your town).
6. Give plenty of space for those who would want to move around while allowing for those who are less mobile or expressive.
7. Don’t let the service be governed by a false sense of obligatory seriousness. God invented humor, for pete’s sake.
8. See #7.

© Todd Fadel

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Todd has spent the last 25 years as a musician, improviser, collaborator and instigator in one form or another.  Based in Portland, OR, he and his family helped birth pioneering US alt-worship community, The Bridge, in 1998.

There, he currently co-ordinates jalopy-gospel, arts/music collective AGENTS OF FUTURE, and has co-created over 50 punk-choir anthems, experimental films, collaborative workshops, multimedia improv games and various other hoopla with them for over a decade. His creative endeavors have landed him gigs playing piano for a grade-school choir, singing the national anthem at a local roller derby and leading communion for 15,000 Greenbelt festivalgoers in the UK.

His thoughts on play, visions for inclusive community and collaborative papercraft-ephemera have been showcased by publications like Sojourners and Worship Leader Magazine and resourced by Sparkhouse, Wild Goose Festival, Festival of Faith and Music and Crowder’s Fantastical Church Music Conference.