Principles and Practicals Worship Training Cards

At Calvin College, Worship is…
· Covenantal – our services are a conversation between God and us in which we renew the covenant of grace.
· Participative – worship leaders are not performers, but enablers, encouraging the full, conscious, active participation of the congregation (not “audience”).
· Holistic –we bring all our selves to worship: faculty, staff and students, body & soul, brain & heart, doubt & belief, lament & joy.
· Expansive – we make creative use of words, music – and more! – from many times, places, peoples, and cultures to enlarge our vision of God’s kingdom, and situate ourselves properly within it.
· Reverent– even when playful, our worship acknowledges that it is God with whom we deal when we gather together.
· Spirit-directed – we are led by the Holy Spirit in form and in freedom, both in prayer-filled planning and in the surprising moments of worship.
· Expectant –the Spirit blows where it will, so we worship with our sails raised, expecting great things of God, and enjoying, rather than engineering, a contagious spiritual energy.

At Calvin College, we pray…
· As a community: using “We” instead of “I”
· For a variety of reasons: to adore God, to confess sin, to give thanks, to petition/ask God for something
· At a thoughtful pace (more slowly than we normally speak), and with space for attentive, reverent silence
· Without using verbal filler (“just,” “um”)
· To God, who is Three-in-One. Though we sometimes address the Spirit or the Son directly, we pray most often:
    TO God the Father
       BY the power of the Holy Spirit,
          IN the name of Jesus the Son

At Calvin College, when we speak in worship…

We don’t instruct people what to do next,
we invite them to participate in the act of worship.

· when introducing a song or reading, give a foretaste of the next text, or refer to the one preceding
· let people know how each act fits into the dialogue of worship and the theme of the service
· attend to the emotional contours of the service, what’s happening in your heart and in the congregation’s hearts

We read Scripture with intelligence, passion and hospitality
· prepare your scripture reading ahead of time
· pace: read slowly, but use some variety in the pace
· space: allow time for the text to be heard and absorbed
· grace: read with expression that makes scripture come alive,
yet not so much drama that it calls more attention to the reader
than the message
· embrace: whenever possible include both genders when referring to people (the NRSV translation does this automatically)

At Calvin Collge, when we sing or play music…
Our primary work is to support the congregation

Players:
· use a consistent tempo, a clear bass line, and room to breathe
· give obvious cues for when the people are to begin singing
· make the melody stand out, especially when introducing new songs
· allow the text of the song to guide your accompaniment
· drop out occasionally so that the people can sing unaccompanied

Singers:
· sing with expression of face and voice
· be aware of body language; make eye contact
· avoid idiosyncratic embellishment that a congregation can’t sing

At Calvin College, when we work with technology in worship...

We strive to be unnoticed, sacrificing a small bit of our full participation so that others may worship fully.

Projection
• be sure that the projected image fits properly on the screen
• all the words that are being sung should be visible
• copyright info should appear at the bottom or end of the song/text
• anticipate the next line or verse, switching slides with enough time for people to see ahead
• use a plain, dark background with white letters; colors should complement the environment or indicate theme or liturgical season; occasionally, images can be used to enhance the meaning of scripture and songs

Sound/lights
• anticipate the speaker and have the microphone turned on; turn speakers’ mics off during singing
• keep listening and adjust the sound levels as needed to achieve a good balance, making sure that the voice and/or instrument carrying the melody is clearly heard
• set lights appropriate to the mood of the service