I got to play with the apostles at COTA’s Mission Shaped Learning Party yesterday. My topic for the tour was art/liturgy/worship. I ran out of resource handouts, so for those of you who wanted them, here they are posted as promised.

Oh, and I know y’all will have other resources that I’ve forgotten to include. So deposit them in the comments, will ya?

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Looking for resources? Just start clicking around and you’ll find a passel of ‘em. Just a few reminders from someone who’s traveled this road a bit:

Context, Context, Context. Please, please, please don’t just download something that “worked’ for somebody else and project it onto your wall. Remember who you are as a community and who you are endeavoring to become. Sure, borrow away, but be your authentic selves.

Common Mistake 1A: Missional living isn’t about adopting the next new thing and trying to stay hip. It’s about finding a way of faith-based living that communicates love to the world around you. Just changing up your worship style for the sake of being cool (or should I say “kul”) won’t cut it. Do things because they feed your soul, connect you to God, and/or help others uncover their own connection to the creator of their being.

If you change it, they will come. Well, maybe. Adapting and rediscovering ancient/future ways to worship and communicate may or may not draw new seekers to your flock. But if your flock needs to use a different language in order to stay connected with God, allowing that language into your worship services could very well invigorate them to be more and better lovers to the world. And that, my friends, is Jesusy.

Missional People are Friendly: So email them if you have questions or want to bounce around ideas.

alternativeworship
For techy-resources from some of the longer-term practitioners

one small barking dog
More techy wonder for people with a budget.

Soul Shaper
A bare bones text on contemplative practices.

Celebrating the Christian Year
Handy, homey resource for kid-inclusive celebration of the Christian/liturgical year.

Monkfish-Abbey.org
Home page of a neomonastic order celebrating the liturgical and seasonal year. You can track the year’s celebration through the blog or email the author for more information.

Ancient Future Time – a text on updating the celebration of the liturgical year and the hours. Also other texts by Dr. Robert E. Webber. Best for traditional churches trying to make a foray into postmodern worship practices.

Worship Tricks
Archived ideas from one of the godfathers of alternative worship.

A Visual Planet
Inexpensive image downloads by artists across the country

Lilly’s Pad
Blog site for celtic christian practioner Lily Lewin, specializing in experiential prayer for youth. Email her for ideas and references.