Liturgy, life and the Church growth movement

My friend Angus Kelly alerted me to this video of Stanley Hauerwas speaking on 'Liturgy and life' - I found it quite challenging and profound!

We live in a world where 'success' is the ultimate goal, and the measure of success seems to be so closely tied to numbers and size. In this world so many Churches aim to 'attract' people to their Church by offering them entertainment (engaging sermons, creative worship etc.) I think that these things are good! Heck, I have some of my most significant encounters with God in profound and beautiful worship. And certainly, some of my greatest awakenings have come through sermons and messages. However, these should not be the end towards which we strive! At its end all Christian worship should bring us into deep and significant communion with God!

However, Hauerwas reminds us, John van de Laar has been saying for some years, that true 'liturgy' connects us with life (it brings the sacred to bear on the secular, it stretches the congregation into the street).

Here's the video:

Let me know what your thoughts are! Oh, and please also check out John's worship resources.

Comments

[Scout with the Cross]

Dion

He makes some very good points, yet we still all sometimes fall into the trap of thinking success is 'bums on seats'. We cannot compete with television as he says, but we do have something special. The liturgy is not a performance by the presider, it is something that comes from within. And that is God given.