If you could design your church's typical WORSHIP ritual, what would you add, remove, or alter? Why?

Question

These answers are surprising. I'll let the community vote.

Answer 1

The ritual, dump it

Answer 2

I have designed my churches typical worship ritual and I dumped the ritual. Litergy went out the window.

And allowing people to sit in the pews being preached to went out the window. All my messages are interactive. I spend as much time answering questions or hearing others opinions on my message as I do giving it.

And for most churches although some do a great job on this Livelier worship music.

Time given for prophets to speak. Usually no or little time is given.

More attention given to the reading of scriptures and the discussion of the same.

Time for intercessory prayer by those in the congregation.

Plenty of time after services for fellowship with a pot blessing every sabbath. We are to have fellowship with each other. If your heading for the door as soon as the last amen is said your missing the point of being there.

Did I mention that services at our church usually last about 3 hours not counting the fellowship time? This is what happens when people are engaged they aren't looking at the clock waiting for services to be over they are excited about whats going on. Usually services end when my belly starts growling.. I know its time to eat then.

Answer 3

I'd dump the entire idea. Empty the building, replace the pews with comfy chairs and open a meditation center.

No ritual. No worship. No alter. Nothing but silence and a good peaceful place to meditate undisturbed.

I recognize that there are people who really need a good place to meditate alone since they never seem to be alone at home and can't get any peace there.

Answer 4

Less 'god' & more humanism. I attend a Unitarian Universalist church and while our seven principles & sources specifically state that in addition to other traditions, we also draw wisdom from humanism and science (check sources, 5th bullet point). Our church, however, is a little lean on the humanism side compared to other churches I've attended in the past.

As far as "rituals" go, there are several we have that I've come to appreciate. New member recognition, naming ceremonies for newly born children, newly adopted children or children of families who are new to our community, coming of age ceremonies, flower communion on Easter Sunda, etc.

Answer 5

When I co-led a coven, I designed rituals all the time. I like doing it, but it's hard to find something that speaks to everyone and feels good to everyone! And I was only doing it for 13, with occasional guests! It made me wonder just how the pastors of those megachurches do it.

Answer 6

Change it from being a ritual to a way of life. Do we honor God just with our lips or with our whole life and heart? When worship becomes some ritualistic thing instead of our whole lives then we have a problem.

Answer 7

Let's forget about it and hit the slopes.

I'd rather be riding or working than sitting in a church listening to something irrelevant.

Answer 8

instead of rituals, id have everyone go rob everyone who didnt follow me, and bring me the money.
we'd have neat white tunics, to make us look like holy people.

Answer 9

I like mass as is, though I might change the comfort level of the seats.

Answer 10

I think if I believed in a religion, I would go more with discussion than lecture.