StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship Critique - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The essay "A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship Critique" focuses on the critical analysis of the book A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship by W. Willimon. The reason why these areas are a concern in the worship literature is that the modern church has undergone a considerable metamorphosis…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.1% of users find it useful
A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship Critique
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship Critique"

Wilimon, W. H. A guide to preaching and leading worship. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. Print Critical Review a) Summary Primary Areas of Concern The main areas of concern to be highlighted for discussion in the following discussion for Wilimon’s book critical review include the introduction, planning of the service as contained in chapter One and worship pattern proposed in chapter Two. The reason why these areas are a concern in the worship literature is because the modern church has undergone considerable metamorphosis and the generalized approach to worship and preaching may not be as effective as it used to be a while ago. It is perhaps important to realize the implications of the social changes that the modern human community is experiencing at a rate not witnessed before, which calls for a well propagated theological approach of issues concerning the church (Mosser & Willimon, 126). The author’s introduction highlights the changed times in roles of the minister to such an extent that there is a gap that has emerged in the effective delivery of the ministerial duties. Planning of the worship entails a number of worship and sermon attributes that the minister needs to give attention to, but a closer look at the authors’ work reveal some areas that need better input. Alternatively the author proposes certain approaches that he deems fit for the modern church to make the appropriate realignment in terms of worship and preaching. These two are the main areas of concern that this review shall be focused on as contained in the work of Wilimon (2008). b) Interaction and Dialog with these concerns from Personal Experience The author introduces the book by lamenting on the increased number of roles played by the modern day religious leaders as the main cause of incompetence among them. As far as vocational duties are concerned, it is however incorrect to give such an opinion since modern clergy has the benefit of theological training that assists them to approach nearly all social and religious issues competitively in a number of approaches. While it is normal for burnout to affect human delivery of expected duties, a wide spectrum of roles does not necessarily present enough explanation to vocational training cited by the author at his introduction (Willimon, ix). Despite the fact that preaching and worship have been emphasized by the author as the main parts of the Christian service, the ministry faced with the many challenges as mention in the opening remark contradict this position. It follows that the ministry in the modern church requires a more balanced theological approach to deal with the spiritual, social and psychological needs of the flock. Although the mention of the importance of worship and preaching might be for purposes of developing a clear scope for the book, it does not come out well since there are contradictions on the roles of the modern church minister which certainly and evidently go beyond preaching and worshiping. In Chapter One, planning and preparation of the service day is highlighted in various perspectives by the author. However, emphasis of worship preparation in the initial part of the chapter is contradicted by the explanation of the author’s understanding of the celebration of the Holy Communion. A mention of the sitting arrangement as a weakness of worship during sharing is perhaps laughable since the Holy Communion is not necessarily a physical union of the congregation in every aspect. Providing guidelines for innovation of worship for rituals observed during worship is does not augur well with the sections of the liberal church with the same impact that it does among the conservative Christians. It would probably be better to consider highlighting both sections of the congregation in terms of receptivity to change in dealing with church rituals. Another particular area of concern in the explanation of worship by the author involves common weaknesses during worship. Inadequacy in terms of exposure to scripture during worship as well as congregation participation in worship needs better approach than that offered by the author. While scripture exposure needs a thorough attitude particularly in terms of biblical topics, it is important for the church to realize that the scope of the church service must be within reasonable time to keep spiritual nourishment as balanced as possible. According to Rex (98) the quality of the sermon and reading matters most to spiritual growth than quantity. With regard to the author’s opinion, it is impractical for the minister to read the entire bible for the congregation during the limited time offered by the service and handle other areas of the service with the appropriate attention. It implies that the only approach to correct this is through a proper congregation network to complement the scripture sharing during the service. The question of inadequacy of scripture sharing should not arise but rather how the service assists the congregation to read the bible outside the service as a day to day activity. Chapter Two proposes some form of a pattern for adoption during service, which conspicuously highlights the service of the word and the service of the Last Supper as the main areas of concentration. Contrary to this pattern, it is obvious that the theological practice of a standard service should include at least four main areas of worship for following in the worship pattern. Reading the word of God should perhaps be the initial item, followed by the sharing in form of sermon, offering of gifts and finally the Lord’s Table. McKim (52) reckons that there is no need of long sermons infiltrated with excessive rhetoric that does not contribute to spiritual growth like the bible teaches. In view of the pattern given by the author giving two main pattern areas is not only criticizable but also incorrect. c) Critical Assessment: Doubts It is doubtful that the approach given by the author in terms of service preparation and the proposed pattern of worship can make contributions to eliminate the evident gap in modern church ministry. Creating a link between the author’s opening remarks and the delivered text on the worship and sermon preparedness as well as the proposed pattern of service for their demonstration is only remotely possible. To clear this doubt, it is perhaps important that the author considered the circumstances surrounding the complexity of the church within each of the highlighted areas of worship and sermon delivery. Questions Certain questions remain unsolved after a critical peruse of the author’s work among which include what the church minister can do to factor in the increased demand of church assistance. The author does not give the explanation of how the various sections of the church perceive the changes that are evidently imminent in the delivery of church worship and preaching (Campbell and Cannon, 11). Alternatively, questions remain as to whether the highlighted pattern is enough for the pastor to adequately include all the theological elements of worship during church serve. The crowded list of roles of the church minister is not articulated in the proposed order of service and the way in which the church can reach out to more followers amid tighter schedule. Effect on Personal Understanding Willimon does not deliver on the main issues of traditional tenets of the church in terms of dealing with changes affecting the church. This text contradicts the teachings of the church on grounds such as the significance of the Eucharist as a purely spiritual event that ought to be jealously guarded by the church. While the author is keen to note the physical attributes of the sharing involved during the celebration of the Lords Table, he is not practical within the confinement of the modern church challenges. Among the obvious understanding that the church goers have in this age, the sharing of the communion emerges from the common conversion of the bread into the body of the Lord by the minister taking the position of Christ. It is not necessarily in the physical drinking and eating of the blood and body of the Lord as happens in the sitting arrangement, the number of cups and plates. It is a purely spiritual encounter that brings the entire church across the world together regardless of sitting positions as argued by the author. Personal Reflection I reckon that although the author identifies some important areas of the Christian worship, he clearly misses on several opportunities where he could have delivered immense contribution on the changing nature of the church. Inclusion of the huge responsibility of the church minister at the beginning of the author’s work is perhaps a point that could have been developed throughout the text to include the most important gaps that the modern minister needs to bridge. However, the author completely moves off this rare opportunity and engages worship and preaching for a totally different agenda, coming out of the topic on several occasions such as the manner in which the Holy Communion should be served. I hold the opinion that the link between worship and preaching could have been used throughout the text to develop the contributions that the minister of the modern day church ought to approach vocational service amid the glaring challenges. Theology offers a chance for the church minister to provide objective leadership and rise to the occasion in cases where decisions are required in defining conservative and liberal input in order of service which does not appear to be illustrated in the book. References Campbell, W. H. & Cannon, J. S. (1893) Lectures on pastoral theology. New York, NY: Charles Scribner McKim, D. (2001) The Westminster handbook to reformed theology. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press Mosser, D. N. & Willimon, W. H. (2007) The stewardship companion: lectionary resources for preaching. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press Rex, R. (2003) The theology of John Fisher. Cambridge University Press Willimon, W. H. (2008) A guide to preaching and leading worship. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(A gude to Preachiog and Leading Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words, n.d.)
A gude to Preachiog and Leading Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1757828-a-gude-to-preachiog-and-leading-worship
(A Gude to Preachiog and Leading Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words)
A Gude to Preachiog and Leading Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1757828-a-gude-to-preachiog-and-leading-worship.
“A Gude to Preachiog and Leading Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words”. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1757828-a-gude-to-preachiog-and-leading-worship.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship Critique

Philosophy of Wordlife Youth Ministry

Every week, the ministry strives to provide Christ-centered worship, youth-oriented activities, quality bible study, and other religious activities to engage students and the youth in general in the goodness of the lord.... The ministry's primary focus centers around five vital elements: prayer, discipleship, worship, outreach, and tank groups.... The ministry aims to come up with and execute a Christ-centered worship program that is engaging to the congregation, is consistent in terms of quality, and is cross-generational....
15 Pages (3750 words) Book Report/Review

Practical Guide For Pastoral Ministry Critique

The review "Practical Guide For Pastoral Ministry Critique" focuses on the critical analysis of Stan Toler's Practical Guide for Pastoral Ministry, a concise, exceedingly practical guide to the nuts and bolts of pastoral work.... He covers the basics of pastoral care, outlining how to conduct funerals, officiate at weddings, and plan worship and evangelistic services.... It contains real-world advice on such disparate related subjects as preaching, ecclesiastical leadership, personal coaching, and communicating with others....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review

Learning Plan Outcome for Recovery Nursing

These involve continuous, close monitoring, vigilant patient assessment; safe recovery from anaesthesia & surgery; skilled nursing action & patient management; prevention of, or early recognition & intervention of post anaesthetic/surgical problems; short-term intensive care nursing leading to optimal patient outcomes (Radford, 2003).... It is better they use an established scoring guide for this reason (Wilkins et al....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Language Evolution and Syntactic Theory

In the opening section Language Evolution and Syntactic Theory, Anna Kinsella begins by contextualizing the study of evolutionary linguistics.... She discusses language as an essential element of being human and identifies as one of the essential questions of linguistics, "why [is] languagean ability specific to our species"1 ...
34 Pages (8500 words) Essay

Long Form Journalism writing ( see instruction)

Why are they giving too much dedication not just in thanksgiving God, but in attending all worship services and evangelical missions?... n an interview with a church member, he replied, “we give much importance to our worship services because it is a duty God is waiting for us to fulfill....
4 Pages (1000 words) Article

Kolbs Cycle Position in Planning Church Strategy

Williams (2004) goes on to add that a theological graduate, is one who has learned the abilities to declaim and understand scenarios in the setting and structure of Christian worship and belief, not an individual who merely knows the bible and history of the Christian faith.... The paper "Kolb's Cycle Position in Planning Church Strategy" discusses that the elements of Kolb's cycle applied in theological studies can be discerned by the way theology graduates distinguish makings of personality exemplified in the activities of others....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Inclusion in Relation to the Educational Environment

n June 1994, the UNESCO's World Conference on Special Needs Education had produced the important document that has become a guide for governments and organizations in their Special Needs Education decisions and actions; today, the document is widely known as the Salamanca Framework for Action....
7 Pages (1750 words) Assignment

Analysis of Stan Toler's Practical Guide for Pastoral Ministry

The author focuses on Stan Toler's "Practical Guide for Pastoral Ministry", an exceedingly practical guide to the nuts and bolts of pastoral work.... Toler's goal is to benefit fellow and future pastors, advising them from the wealth of knowledge and insight he has gained from three decades of ministry ....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us