John and Ric shared a powerful story in our worship gathering

On Sunday during our worship gathering, John and Ric shared a powerful story of how they became friends and the value of friendship. Through this sharing, mulitple voices were heard, making this more of a communal event.

Younger generations are moving towards a worship gathering that is more participatory, and less of a spectator event. This is a challenge in larger churches, but can be done through video, through multiple speakers, and by having a worship space that allows for phyiscal interation (tables, empty spaces, and the like).

For a look at some of these concepts, check out Dan Kimball's Emerging Worship.
http://www.amazon.com/Emerging-Worship-Creating-Gatherings-Generations/dp/0310256445/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5518143-5243312?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179766134&sr=8-1

There are elements of emerging worship that are very good and biblical. 1 Cor. 14:26 says,
"What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." Preachers like Timothy still had a central preaching role, but clearly many people were involved in the assembly. Recovering this practice not only is biblical, but it can really help younger people connect as they hear many different people's stories. Remember, truth is intensely personal today.

There are some elements of emerging worship that are being done without much theological reflection. Theological reflection needs to occur on worship issues, otherwise emerging worship can become the new pragmatism--doing whatever works. As with all things, we should take the good and leave the bad.

What do you think of hearing more stories and more people participating in worship gatherings? Does hearing stories of people like Ric and John help your faith and worship experience?