Worship Project #3

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PROJECT III

WORSHIP SERVICE OBSERVATION REPORT

Date Due   11/4/03                Date of Observation      11/1/03      

Church Name       Fort Worth First Seventh-Day Adventist Church                 

Church address and city          7051 McCart Avenue/Fort Worth, TX 76133   

It is difficult for anyone to observe a particular event without making certain judgments about it. Worship should be an exception to that concept. It is not what one "gets out of worship," for that is self-centered. What one brings to worship is the important consideration. As you observe the worship service, enter into that experience as a worshiper. You are not a critic - you are a worshiper who brings a prepared heart to worship and give glory to God. Please, do not complete this form during worship. Instead, make discreet notes on the bulletin or worship guide and complete the form later. Attach a copy of the church's worship guide or bulletin to this form. You need not type the observation form but please write legibly.

1. Describe the Congregation as they enter the place of worship.

The congregants seemed moderately relaxed. The atmosphere was very much like entering a Baptist church.

2. As a guest in this worship service, how were you treated?

I was treated politely, but not effusively so. No opportunity to greet others was extended during the service.

3. Did you sense a high level of God's presence before and during worship? Explain.

I would not say that I sensed God's presence any more or any less than at any Baptist (or otherwise) service. The focus was on God (with a heavy emphasis on anticipation of His Second Coming), but I would not say that I "felt the Spirit" in an unusual manner.

4. Did the people enter into the various acts of worship? Explain.

Yes, there was a fair amount of action on the part of the congregation. During the "Worship in Prayer" section, after a leader made a few remarks, everyone willing was invited to kneel at the front of the auditorium (many did) or kneel where we sat (the rest of us did). It struck me that as Baptists we abhor this kind of "supplicant" posture; I can hardly believe it has anything really to do with "comfort" (as if that were a real issue), as many in this congregation were quite "seniorly."

5. Did the people participate in the congregational singing? Explain.

Yes; there were only two songs in which everyone could actually participate (though in the Children's Choir "set" that opened the service, everyone was invited to sing along; few, if any, did): "Oh Worship the Lord" (I was quite unfamiliar with it, and it struck me as an "un-Baptist" kind of a hymn; without the lyrics before me, I can't remember why) and "O, When Shall I See Jesus" (which, due to time constraints, was omitted).

6. Identify the persons, by title not name if possible, who led in worship, e.g., pastor, chairman of deacons, youth director, minister of music, etc.

In order of appearance: Children's Choir leader, a Pastor Edwards (function indeterminate), worship leader (lady), a Mr. Walton who led congregational prayer, Children's minister (lady), associate pastor (presumably) during baptism, "head elder," pianist, pastor, guest minister

7. What were the responsibilities assigned to each of these individuals?

Children's Choir leader led the Children's Choir in a few opening songs; Pastor Edwards let a responsive reading of Matthew 24; worship leader directed "Oh Worship the Lord;" Mr. Walton; children's minister who gave a brief lesson in God's providence; an associate pastor (?) who baptized a young man and a family of three; a "head elder" who made a few remarks on tithing; a pianist who played for all congregational singing and offertory; a pastor who gave announcements and introduced the guest speaker, who preached and dismissed us himself

8 What was the most effective and enabling event of the worship service?

For me, the "Worship in Prayer" was most effective (for reasons stated). The music was unremarkable, but it not exactly bad. The congregation seemed to "get into it." The sermon itself was interesting, if slanted a bit to Adventist theology (though he was gracious in reference to other denominational beliefs regarding eschatology)

9 As far as you can tell, what worship pattern was used during the service? Explain.

As nearly as I can tell, this church seemed to use a three-fold Revivalist pattern. In fact, but for the slightly "Southern" impression it left me, it was not all that dissimilar than most traditional Baptist services.

10. Did the service have content and flow? Did the elements relate to each other? Explain.

I suppose in its own context, it had flow, but it seemed quite disconnected to me. It did not strike me--either during the service or afterwards in reflection--that much consideration was given to a "theme" or over-arching idea.

11. Did you feel like a participant or an observer? Why?

Both. I felt like a participant when there were times of congregational involvement, and an observer when one person was speaking. It was very similar in nature to typical Baptist experiences. Overall I felt like an observer, however, primarily because I was not familiar with the people, the one song we ended up singing, or "family feeling" the rest of the congregants apparently experienced.

12. Discuss the music. What style of music? Was there a sense of excellence in the presentation of the music?

Again, we only sang one song (it struck me as a campfire "revival"-type gospel song musically, but hymnic in its lyrics); the children sang a few familiar tunes ("That's Why We Praise Him," "Make Me a Servant") and a not-so-familiar one ("Nothing But the Blood"--NOT the one we know). The music was not done poorly per se, but it did not strike me as there having been much of an effort to please God as much as to please ourselves

13. Discuss the choir or praise team.

There were neither. A worship leader led in the one song; the children's choir opened the service and invited the congregation to sing along (though, again, there was little if any participation). A men's quartet presented special music, but nothing went on with congregational singing in a "choral" or "praise team" sense.

14. Discuss the sermon. What style - e.g., narrative, exegetical, topical, etc.

The sermon was clearly exegetical; the speaker based his message on select verses from Revelation 14 and the book of Jude, describing his (Adventist) take on end times.

15. Summarize your overall impressions of the service.

Overall the service struck me as similar to a typical southern Baptist kind of service (not Southern Baptist necessarily). I got the sense it was, in many ways, a "good Ôol boy" type of environment, though the songs used were not exactly "hick." I was not uncomfortable, besides the doctrinal issues and the obvious anonymous nature of my presence.

16. What have you learned from this experience? Has your "comfort zone" been violated? Why?

I have learned that, very often, what defines "different" to some of us has more to do with the people we're around than what we're doing in our acts of worship. I've participated extensively in many different types of worship before (in fact, this is not my first Adventist experience), so I knew it would be basically impossible for me to find one I was not familiar with. In that sense, I would not say I was uncomfortable.

17. Would you recommend this church to someone else? Why?

No, because of the preoccupation of Adventist theology. As far as a worship experience, however, I don't think I would recommend against it unless I were ready to do the same about some Baptist churches.

18. Would you return to this church to worship? Why or why not?

No, for the same reasons above. Part of the worship is inextricably linked to a person's theology, and when you can't in good conscious participate in part of the service, it is difficult to say that much was accomplished in experiencing any of it.

19. How could the worship of this church be improved?

The musical experience, while not unfamiliar, was not planned particularly well (or at least thoughtfully), and the point of reference was still Adventist theology. The only ways to improve their worship would be to make an effort in tying the whole package together in a more cohesive way, and to correct their theology--neither seem likely.

20. What visual aspects did you notice about the church?

They used PowerPoint at the very beginning, while the children's choir was singing, to present the lyrics for congregational participation. Also, the auditorium was large and inviting (perhaps 400 or so in attendance). Besides a rather small area for a choir (if there even were one), the worship space was practically identical with the traditional Baptist style.