spiritually vital and alive creating inspiring and contemporary worship dr. michael tino uua...
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Spiritually Vital and AliveCreating Inspiring and Contemporary Worship
Dr. Michael TinoUUA Director of Young Adult and Campus MinistryGeneral Assembly 2006 – St. Louis, MO
Goals for Participants
• Understand what young adults want from worship experience
• Take a look at our current worship services through young adult eyes
• Learn a model for UU contemporary worship
• Get practical ideas for implementing contemporary worship in your congregations
The Hard Data, Part 1
• Interfaith survey of congregations done in 2000 (2005 data are being analyzed now)
• Over 500 UUA member congregations responded
• Congregations self-identified descriptions that matched them
FACT facts
• 5% of UU congregations reported 60% or more young adult members
• What makes these congregations different?
Congregational Culture
• Largest difference between high-YA and overall:• “Spiritually vital and alive”
• #1 among high-YA congregations:• “Inspirational and uplifting worship
services”
• #1 among shrinking congregations:• “A close-knit family”
Descriptions of Worship
• Descriptions used more often by high-YA congregations than the overall include:• Sense of God’s
presence• Exciting• Predictable• Reverent
Initial Data from FACT 2005• Congregations with 40% or more young
adults (11% of total) were more likely to report “exciting” and “joyful” worship
• Congregations with 20% or more young adults (45% of total) were more likely to report “joyful” and “inspiring” worship
• Congregations with less than 10% young adults (20% of total) were more likely to report “informal” worship
The Hard Data, Part 2• 80% of 1st year students are
interested in spirituality• 76% searching for meaning and
purpose• 48% “seeking,” “conflicted,” or
“doubting”• UU students score highest on:
• measures of social justice involvement
• spiritual searching• respect for different religious
viewpoints
• UU students score lowest on:• religious commitment
The Hard Data, Part 3• Generation Y is diverse,
progressive and pluralistic
• 23% do not identify with any faith group
• Faith expressed in highly personal ways
• 35% describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious”
Anecdotal EvidenceWhat do young adults want from worship?
• Energetic, alive, spiritual• “Makes you feel
something”• Embodied• Multiple
voices/perspectives• Participatory• Welcoming• Not in the morning
Worship In Your CongregationWhat might young adults think of it?• What does a typical
order of service look like?
• How would you describe the music that is performed?
• What is the feeling of the worship service?
• What topics are addressed?
• How are new people welcomed?
• How are young adults welcomed?
The “Sermon Sandwich”Does your worship look like this?
What does “contemporary worship” mean to you?
“Contemporary” does not mean:• stupid• irrational• loud• coming from a
particular theology• irrelevant to people
who are not 18-35
Sandwiches vs. PlattersA multicultural metaphor
Some Existing Models
• Circle Worship• Covenant Groups• Soulful Sundown and
other music-centered services
Circle Worship
• Intimate, participatory worship
• Participants share reflections on a theme
• Similar to most UU youth worship
• Main drawback: severe size limitation
Covenant GroupsNot your typical “worship”
• Covenant groups offer an atmosphere like circle worship
• Small Group Ministry model is adaptable for different sizes of groups
• Resources available from UUA to implement YA groups
Soulful Sundown & Other UU Ideas• Soulful Sundown
• Energetic evening worship format• Music is central to worship format• Resource guide available from UUA Bookstore
• Multimedia aspects add to worship experience• Message is given in short segments• Can be based on poetry, jazz for
contemplative, reflective mood• Rituals such as silent candle-lighting
Tips for Contemporary Worship
• Spice it up—with different perspectives, different voices, fresh music
• Give people the message in manageable bites
• Create a spiritual atmosphere and tone
More Tips
• Get out of the Sunday morning-only mold (think “both-and”)
• Think about adding multimedia components
• Balance intimacy and hospitality• Ritual that is
participatory and welcoming to newcomers
Hospitality is More than Worship• Invite people to fuller
participation in your congregation
• Young adult activities—social, social justice programs
• Small Group Ministry, Covenant Groups, classes, etc.
Outreach
• Web site• Flyers, posters including
catchy logo• Know where young
adults are in your community and how to reach them
• Press releases• Advertising in local
media
Budgets Large and SmallHow much does this all cost?
• Budget size depends largely on how ambitious a program you want
• Sometimes require start-up costs• Costs could include budgets for:
• Hiring musicians• Supplies for worship• Outreach• Food
• These programs will take staff and volunteer time and energy
• Successful programs are not built overnight
Resources from the UUA
• Consultations and trainings• Phone or in-person consultations• Local, district and regional trainings
• Printed Resources• Soulful Sundown guide• Covenant Group manual and curricula
• Grant money • Program and staff grants from $500-$50,000• Billings Fund (up to $2000) for public events
Coming Soon:Contemporary Worship Conference
• Feb 22-24, 2007• First UU Church of
San Diego, CA• Workshop proposals
due Sept 1• Scholarships will be
available• On-line registration
coming soon
Contacting Us
• UUA Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry• www.uuyan.org• 617-948-4273• ya-cm@uua.org
• Michael Tino, director• mtino@uua.org• 919-401-9944
On The Web
• www.uuyan.org• Main web site for Young Adult &
Campus Ministry• On-line resources and tips for
congregations
• www.connectuu.com• UUA Youth & Young Adult database• Register people, local groups, events
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