Good worship, whether labeled contemporary, traditional or blended should include the following:

      1. An Environment that lends itself to the goals of the worship service. "Anyone attending a funeral in a school gymnasium or an ordination in a concert hall becomes aware of the importance of environment for worship. Although it's notoriously difficult to define what makes a space suitable for worship, certainly there are environments that to most people seem utterly unsuited," wrote Laurence Hull Stookey.

      2. Structure or liturgical forms (rituals in public worship), and intentionally so. There must be form or structure in every worship service before content because it's the gateway to creativity and provides a formula through which the content is delivered. Rather than spontaneously scrambling each week, a clear structure helps the worship planners and participants keep the service flowing toward the same goal of leading the worshipper into the presence of God where transformation is anticipated.

      3. A Worship Committee representing the variety and diversity of the congregation. Among its many responsibilities, this Committee should function as creators rather than spectators who authentically participate in the life of the congregation, plan worships and provide an important forum for educating the congregation about worship. This Committee should consider the physical environment to enhance the worship space, special worship services and other related activities to avoid extremes.

     4. A Worship Team, not those leading the congregation in singing, but in this case those coordinating the mechanics of the service and overseeing implementation of the weekly program. This Team includes the audio and visual operators, the coordinator of the service and others responsible for the platform set-up for each service. 

The Bible takes an interest in social justice that has been betrayed in the history of Christianity. Many still miss the socioeconomic tenor in Mary's Song, "He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:53) or the echo of the Jubilee when Jesus' stood up to read in the synagogue in Nazareth, "He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). In the Torah, the Sabbath belongs to an institutional web that prioritizes the need of the weakest and most vulnerable in society, with explicit concern for servants, immigrants, and even domestic animals. In the prophets, the cause of mercy and social justice march under the banner of the Sabbath. "The interests of the Sabbath are the interests of the poor: the enemies of the Sabbath are the enemies of the poor," says George Adam Smith. I intend to explore these themes with fresh eyes in my talks at the Andrews University Music and Worship Conference in March: the Sabbath and social justice in the Torah, and then the Sabbath and justice in the prophets.   

Hay un viejo refr�n que dice: "para gustos los colores" y cuan cierto es, especialmente cuando hablamos de los gustos y preferencias musicales. �Por qu� sentimos que cierta pieza musical nos llega al coraz�n, mientras que otra nos es totalmente indiferente? �Cu�l es la raz�n por la que una canci�n nos gusta, o no nos gusta?

Nuestras experiencias individuales, cultura y sociedad  influencian la forma en la que percibimos la m�sica. Perm�tanme darles un ejemplo; cuando era peque�a hab�a un comercial de televisi�n que usaba el segundo movimiento del Concierto de Aranjuez como m�sica de fondo. Aun hoy en d�a, cada vez que escucho esa pieza, la primera imagen que viene a mi mente es la de aquel comercial de televisi�n, pero �por qu�? Porque esta pieza est� ligada en mi mente a un momento especifico de mi ni�ez. Es posible que la misma pieza de m�sica evoque imagines distintas en ti, o tal vez no evoque nada. La forma en la que t� y yo reaccionamos a la misma pieza de m�sica ser� diferente debido a nuestras experiencias individuales.

Lo mismo ocurre con la m�sica de iglesia. Habr� quienes al escuchar cierto himno o canto de adoraci�n recuerden el momento de su bautismo, vuelvan a su ni�ez o a�oren volver a su patria, mientras que para otros el canto no tendr� significado alguno. Ahora imagina una congregaci�n entera y descubrir�s que cada persona tendr� su propia imagen, distinta a la de los dem�s.

In this installment of our series, I'm going to address perhaps the most important consideration in the design of your worship space: focus. In the book of Exodus, God was very specific with the design instructions for His tabernacle. Each item played a specific role in the worship experience, focusing the participant on the sacrificial rituals.

The focus of our worship services is rather different today; and as you might expect, different congregations choose to focus on different things. Many churches hang a crucifix in a prominent location, with the intent of drawing attention to Christ's sacrifice. Most Protestant churches have pews or seats facing a platform, where the music and preaching happen, in order for attention to be focused on the message in song and word. And there are some communities that choose to worship in the round, where everyone can see everyone else, which focuses attention on the participants to reinforce the idea that the Spirit of God is among us. Choosing your focus is easy once you have a firm understanding of what your congregation values in the worship experience.

As you might expect me to say by now, there are very few "right" or "wrong" ideas here; a successful design is one that reflects and reinforces the beliefs of the congregation. But a key step in the design process is to choose your focus, so that all the elements of the design can draw one's attention toward that which is most important for your congregation.

Suggest the focus you believe is most important for your congregation in our Facebook dialogue.