I find wearing masks for a long time very uncomfortable and avoid going to
places where I should wear one. That includes church. I don't get a lot out
of going in any case because services are too bland, I don't like the theology
or poetry of most hymns whether old or new, and we are not supposed to have
coffee and conversation afterwards, which is the part I like most! I even
wonder what the purpose of worship is, and the liturgy turns me off, whether it
is written or extemporary. For example, why do we always have to begin a
service with a prayer of confession which is just a form of words? And the
communion liturgies that we use do not make the real meaning of communion at
all clear. Most preachers, whether lay or ordained, give a very superficial
interpretation of the Bible, either because they are trained to do so or they
are afraid to do otherwise. That said, there is always some benefit in
attending church, even if it is only to remind me of how I would reinterpret
what I hear!
Best wishes,
Raymond Garfoot (supernumerary now for 10 years!)
-----Original Message-----
From: methodist <john.staton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: methmins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, 28 Aug 2021 10:00
Subject: [methmins] Re: Preaching and leading worship
We are only meeting fortnightly, and once a month our minister is planned, so
the chances for anybody else are few. In fact, recently I have myself been the
“anybody else” through a combination of circumstances, so I doubt I shall
absent myself.
However, the things that irritate you irritate me. I have long felt that we
have “bent over backwards” too far in trial services. The pro forma almost
prohibits negative comment and encourages insincere positive comment so as not
to cause too much hurt to the on trial preacher. I feel we should be more
honest.
Best Wishes
JOHN E STATON Scarborough, North Yorkshire,
UKwww.christianreflection.org.ukSent from my iPad
On 28 Aug 2021, at 09:52, John Barnett <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Having worshipped virtually for a year and a half I am getting back into the
habit of attending church and sometimes preaching to a congregation myself. I
have to confess that I sometimes find myself doing what I often frowned on in
the past; that is, looking at the Plan and wondering whether I really want to
make the effort of going to church to hear a particular preacher. One of the
strengths of Methodism is the varied diet of worship given to us by the Plan,
but that can also be a weakness. If I find myself staying away from church
because of the person who will be leading worship, or, worse still, wondering
if I would dare take along someone who is exploring the faith, because I fear
they'll be put off, something is wrong. Often what deters me from going to
church is something pretty basic: too many old anecdotes and jokes, too much
beating the congregation over the head because of our failures, but, above all,
sermons that go on too long. Some preachers who do not appear to use notes
combine length of sermon with a rambling style that goes off at tangents and
leaves you wondering where the sermon is going and even forgetting where it
started. Often the problem appears to be one that could easily be corrected
with a bit of gentle direction to the preacher. Methodism is supposed to have
systems of continuing assessment in place, but I wonder how much that happens
in practice. Ideally every preacher should be listened to annually by two other
preachers who will then meet with him or her for a constructive discussion on
the service and sermon. This should be a no-holds-barred session and the
listeners should feel free, for instance, to comment that they first heard a
tale the preacher told back in the 1960s and that the message would have been a
lot clearer if it had taken half the time to deliver it. Members of the
congregation are usually too polite to point out this sort of thing.
Supernumeraries should definitely be part of the arrangement and we should have
the grace to accept it when we reach our "best before" dates. I find preaching
a great joy and love leading worship, but if I am having a negative effect on
congregations I need to be told, so I can make changes to the way I do things,
and if I can't change, retire. John Barnett
