Sharon from Kalgoorlie sent this web site through ... check it out for yourself! Music and discipleship materials.
http://www.alanroot.com/kidzblitz.php
Wednesday 4 June 2008
Monday 2 June 2008
Intergenerational Worship
"The Church of All Ages:Generations Worshipping Together" by Howard Vanderwell (Ed).
At our network gathering last Thursday (which was terrific!) a few of us had a discussion about the challenges and merits of intergenerational worship.
This discussion prompted me to read this book which is a recent release from the Alban Institute. The book is not available in Australian Christian bookstores, but can be accessed from the Vose Library (when I return it later this week) or you can purchase online.
The book summarises the challenges facing churches who desire to pursue intergenerational worship. Written by a group of contributors, the book offers a number of differnent perspectives and insights.
It's important to be aware that the Contributors write from a "Reformed" theological background. When it comes to discussing the practical implications for effective intergenerational worship, there is a strong underlying assumption that parents need to be vitally involved in helping children and teens to engage in worship gatherings. And herein lies the major weakness of the book: it's not written from a missional viewpoint. Most of us who warm to the ideal of multigenerational worship are grappling with issues of parents who come with no church experience. We grapple with increasingly fragmented and hurting parents and children for whom, the challenge to sit for an hour or so in a worship service (however we seek to make it enaging) is just plain difficult.
In the introduction, Howard Vanderwell points out that this is a contemporary issue that the church needs to continue to grapple with. I agree that this is a very important conversation that we need to keep talking about as we meet, as we grapple with Scripture and as we seek to live and worship in community both with believers and non-believers alike.
At our network gathering last Thursday (which was terrific!) a few of us had a discussion about the challenges and merits of intergenerational worship.
This discussion prompted me to read this book which is a recent release from the Alban Institute. The book is not available in Australian Christian bookstores, but can be accessed from the Vose Library (when I return it later this week) or you can purchase online.
The book summarises the challenges facing churches who desire to pursue intergenerational worship. Written by a group of contributors, the book offers a number of differnent perspectives and insights.
It's important to be aware that the Contributors write from a "Reformed" theological background. When it comes to discussing the practical implications for effective intergenerational worship, there is a strong underlying assumption that parents need to be vitally involved in helping children and teens to engage in worship gatherings. And herein lies the major weakness of the book: it's not written from a missional viewpoint. Most of us who warm to the ideal of multigenerational worship are grappling with issues of parents who come with no church experience. We grapple with increasingly fragmented and hurting parents and children for whom, the challenge to sit for an hour or so in a worship service (however we seek to make it enaging) is just plain difficult.
In the introduction, Howard Vanderwell points out that this is a contemporary issue that the church needs to continue to grapple with. I agree that this is a very important conversation that we need to keep talking about as we meet, as we grapple with Scripture and as we seek to live and worship in community both with believers and non-believers alike.
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