A series of three Online Seminars on Tuesday afternoons in Jan/Feb 2024
Join our Director, Christopher Landau, and Roger Jones (Director of Christian Music Ministries) for a series of three online seminars, exploring some challenges and opportunities around music in worship in smaller churches.
Following a pilot seminar last September, Roger and Christopher have devised these three seminars for church musicians, clergy and lay leaders who are keen to see the Spirit at work where ‘small is beautiful’ and musical resources are limited.
30th January - Effective praise and worship with limited resources
• Matthew 13 - what God does in the small
Psalm 95 - seeking a heart for worship
• Open discussion: What are the challenges in your context?
• Effective music and worship in practice:
1. A Service of the Word / unstructured settings - Christopher
Opportunity for questions/response
2. Communion services – Roger
• Sharing of experiences – positive and negative.
What’s worked well in your context?
• Closing prayer, including listening prayer – for local contexts represented,
inviting the Spirit to breathe new life and hope.
6th February - “Ancient and Modern” - integrating different styles
Introduction – what is the value of integrating musical styles, particularly in ‘little, local, ordinary’ churches?
Breakout rooms: what are the issues in your context when it comes to integrating ancient/modern? Are you in a place which prefers one style only? How flexible are people to try something new?
Input from Roger: the Biblical model of psalms, hymns and songs – and what it is to make space for all these elements of sung worship.
Breakout room group exercise: creating a block of praise / sung worship using ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ suitable for Easter
20th February - Nurturing creative, prophetic worship
Introduction – what do we mean by seeking the Spirit as we worship? What are our basic assumptions about charismatic gifts, and how might we encourage people in our churches to be open to new encounters with God?
Breakout room: to discuss the reality of our own context and our current experience.
Input from Roger: Biblical basis for prophetic worship, and practical musical examples. Including reflection on how to ‘improvise in the Spirit’ and encourage participation.
Breakout room: how to earth these ideas in your own context – challenges and opportunities.
Final song: ‘Precious and Honoured’ followed by whole group prayer.
2pm – 3.30pm
Led by Roger Jones and Christopher Landau
Save the Date!
We are also running a 24 hour residential retreat to explore these themes more practically in person – Friday 5th – Saturday 6th July 2024 in Cuddesdon, Oxford. More details here.