April 21, 2003
York praises cross-generational worship
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___WACO--Cross-generational worship means more than teenagers sitting next to senior adults on Sunday mornings. It means presenting a holistic picture of the body of Christ, according to Texas Baptist worship leaders.
___Churches need to include a greater variety of generations in their worship leadership to unite a congregation, according to Terry York, associate professor at
___For years, churches have generationally segmented their worship experiences by taking younger people out of the service at certain times and holding children's churches and separate youth services, York said at the Hand in Hand Conference April 8.
___As a result, generational groups have begun expecting a worship service for their specific interests and are hesitant to integrate into larger worship services, York said.
___While worship segmented by generation may better reach certain groups of people, it costs the church its sense of "family and community."
___Congregations can move past generational and stylistic arguments and unite in worship that is meaningful for all, York believes.
___Generational cooperation allows each group to use its gifts to strengthen a congregation, York asserted. Generally, younger people bring hope to the congregation, while middle adults bring managing skills and senior adults contribute experience.
___"It's essential they work together," York said. "If not, someone has to come out of that generational focus, and they may not do it as well."
___Hall, under York's supervision in Truett's doctoral program, started two worship planning teams designed to encourage cross-generational worship at the Lubbock church during the Advent season.
___The first group of eight people, ranging in age from 12 to 68, sought to include multiple generations in each service. The second team of 10 people, ages 11 to 70, evaluated the cross-generational inclusion by the first team.
___People from multiple generations were used in prayer, Scripture reading and music presentation during the six-week project.
___Although Hall said final analysis will require more work through follow-up, he was extremely pleased by the immediate results. Generations are intermingling with each other during the worship services, more people volunteer to help with worship, and the services have more variety.
___"It affected the church dramatically," Hall observed. "The people began to understand we are all priests of Christ. They began to realize the whole congregation was responsible for meaningful worship."
___Monterey Baptist Church has continued the teams beyond Hall's project and is looking to better tailor them to the needs of the church. The teams no longer meet every week but plan more services during their meetings. Sometimes they plan all the services that coincide with a sermon series.
___York suggested rotating team members would promote diversity of ideas and perspectives while giving the teams continuity.
___He urged churches that want to move toward cross-generational worship to establish two teams as Hall did and orient team members at one event.
___However, York believes cross-generational worship will not continue unless multiple generations also work together in church ministries such as a food pantry, clothes closet or a Sunday School class, he added.
___"A church becomes more vibrant because they see other parts of the church body becoming healthy," Hall said.
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