Worship and Music Study

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Spring 2015 | Christ the King Lutheran Church

 

The Study on Worship and Music:

A Brief Summary of the Findings of the Task Force What is the Task Force on Worship and Music? During the spring of 2015, a task force was convened to gather information about how members at Christ the King Lutheran Church envisioned worship. Using surveys (both online and hard copy) and focus groups to collect data, the task force brought together ideas about worship from a wide range of members, in order to better prepare the council, staff, and other church leaders to make decisions about worship options in the future.

What did the Task Force find? With over 150 pages of raw data, perhaps the most obvious finding of the task force is that Christ the King (CtK) is a congregation filled with a rich diversity of ideas about what worship is and what it should be. That said, there are seven key ideas and themes that emerged from the analysis of this data: 1. While members have different preferences in terms of worship and music formats, many people described how their individual preferences were strongly connected to their personal faith histories. a. Some members really enjoy the Growing in Faith Together sermons, others expressed interest in edgier sermons that take more of a stand, and still others place a high value on sermons based in Scriptural analysis. A shared theme, however, was people’s desire for sermons to be relevant to their daily lives. b. One key theme that arose time and time again was the desire almost all members had for children and youth to be more active in worship. 2. Members had different thoughts on the amount and type of change taking place at CtK, but many agreed on the importance of an overall vision and mission for the church when deciding and communicating these changes. 3. Members at CtK value strong sermons, quality music, relevant prayers, and congregational participation—though the exact form of each of these elements varies greatly from person to person. 4. Members at CtK value worship practices that are engaging and that feed their faith. a. One key practice that many value is the time to connect and have fellowship with other members. b. Many respondents expressed an interest in more opportunities to study Scripture outside of worship, whether on Sunday morning or through something like Higher Ground. As with both the sermons and the prayers, members would value educational opportunities that connect to their lives—though these topics vary greatly among members.

Spring 2015 | Christ the King Lutheran Church

  5. When asked about worship preferences, many members responded in one of three ways: a. They prefer traditional worship, with older hymns and liturgy and a more formal worship style. b. They enjoy the current blended style of worship and appreciate the need for innovation and experimentation as a way of bringing all members together. c. They are looking for something less formal and more contemporary—both in musical styles as well as in the format of worship and the tone of the sermons. d. As can be seen here, there is great divergence among these preferences, which makes bringing all these needs together into a common worship life a great challenge for the congregation and its leaders. 6. Respondents also provided feedback on the role of the new worship and music director. While this feedback was as diverse as in every other area of this study, many members suggested a shared interest in a director who would be able to create a sense of God’s presence through worship and music, invigorate the current musical offerings and expand possibilities to include more members, and maintain the quality of music that many see as key to the identity of CtK. 7. Comments about logistics and more practical aspects of worship were also a key part of both the surveys and the focus groups. While many comments addressed themes that have already been covered earlier in this summary, these practical comments also touched on some additional aspects of worship: a. Many members felt the current worship schedule was too rushed, but a clear consensus about how best to resolve this issue did not emerge. b. Many respondents did not appreciate applause after musical presentations, suggesting that it makes music seem more like a performance than a part of worship. c. Given the amount of change that CtK has experienced recently, good communication about the nature of and reasoning for these changes is key.

What happens now? The task force will be presenting this information to a variety of key leadership groups in the congregation, including the staff, the congregational council, the appropriate program committees, and the search committee for the director of worship and music. These groups will use this information to help them make thoughtful decisions that reflect the needs and wants of the congregation as a whole. If you have any questions about the process or results of the task force, please contact one of the task force members: Joel Hoeger, Joann Knuth, Tina Brauer, Peter Hanson, Mark Edwards, Anne Van Bruggen, Jen Miller, and Rollie Martinson. A more extensive version of this report is also available to members if they are interested. Above all, thank you so much to everyone who participated!