In a minority response only about one third of those who completed the questionnaire thought that the concepts and ideas in The Methodist Worship Book were appropriate (22)(34%). Those individuals (10)(15%) who thought that they are inappropriate gave their reasons, in particular what they perceived to be a tendency towards a ‘higher’ Church theology and ethos.
Only a small number questioned various aspects of the Book’s theology. On this evidence, taking into account the low proportion of responses, most Methodists in the sample did not seem to, or desire to, question the theological content of The Methodist Worship Book. Here again the Compilers were aware of some of the issues mentioned by the respondents but did not deem them important enough for them to make any considerable difference to the contents as a whole. The issue here is whether or not they should have given a lead in helping to inform the minds of the Methodist people with a more contemporary theological outlook.
169 5.4.4.B REFLECTION: THEOLOGY AND LITURGY
It is debateable, as with the chicken and the egg, as to which came first, liturgy or theology. Certainly they are closely related and one is expressed by the other.
Theology and worship are linked at the deepest level. So
complicated is the relationship between them that it is difficult to say which of the two is either logically or chronologically prior.133
The people praise the God in whom they believe and each individual’s conception of Him/Her will be quite different. But the liturgy helps to form the minds of those who take part in it, the classic example being The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England which expressed Anglican theology in worship for 350 years and shaped the ethos of that Church during that time. On the other hand, Methodist minds were influenced more by its hymn books than its service books, especially the hymns of Charles Wesley. Nevertheless the kind of theology contained in Methodism’s authorised liturgies is still of importance.
As we have seen in chapter 5.1.4 and 5.4.4 the questions about this in our surveys of both ministers and members evoked significant answers. Slightly more than half of the ministerial respondents (51%) were accepting of the theology which they believed that the worship book espoused, but a sizeable minority of 20% expressed the view that the theology was dated and lacking in contemporary insights. Two ministers appreciated the
133 Dearing T. Wesley and Tractarian Worship, London, Epworth/SPCK, 1966, p.21
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comprehensiveness of the book but one thought that some of the content was not in the Methodist tradition.
In so far as church members and congregations were concerned there was appreciation, in general terms, of the book’s breadth of viewpoints and their expression, summarily, of Methodist theology, by 34% of respondents, a slightly less proportion than that of ministers. A few expressed their concern at what they perceived to be tendencies towards High Anglican and Roman Catholic practices, but most Methodists in the sample do not question the theological content of The Methodist Worship Book.
The comments by some ministers and members, that the book contains practices foreign to Methodism are borne out by the fact that certain items are included in its contents, which, in previous books, were never considered, and which demonstrates, perhaps, the influence of the Methodist Sacramental Fellowship, which had a representative minority on the compiling group. These are:
Daily Prayer (Offices)
Holy Week Services (Rituals) Instructions for Genuflection Prayer with the Dying
Prayers for the Dead and a Vigil
Adoption of the Roman Catholic Lectionary (now the Revised
Common Lectionary) A List of Liturgical Colours for the Seasons of the Christian Year
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The inclusion of these services and other material represents practices which have not been part of the Methodist ethos and it is open to debate and choice as to whether or not they should be.
In addition, although again raised by a minority of respondents, there is the point of view that the theology of The Methodist Worship Book is not inclusive enough, insufficiently taking note of more progressive thinking, for example, with respect to the nature of God and creation, the human condition, the work of Christ, eschatology and so on. Nor, could it be said, have the compilers accommodated sufficiently those who feel that they are compelled to suspend their intelligence when they are expected to recite the traditional creeds. So the compilers had a difficult balancing act. Some feel that they were successful in achieving the balance while others do not, and the debate continues.
However it is a valid comment that the liturgies published and authorised by the mainstream Churches, recently, do not adequately reflect the progress made in biblical scholarship and theological exploration.
We find that the liturgical studies which have gone to produce new rites seem to have been carried on in isolation, not only from recent biblical studies, but from the whole field of theological thought.134
134 Baker T.G.A. Questioning Worship, London, SCM, 1977, p.41
172 5.4.5 QUESTION 5
Comment on the level of inspiration you feel that The Methodist Worship Book adds to your services of worship.
Respondents were invited to quantify any improvement to the atmosphere of a service of worship which they believe is attributable to the use of The Methodist Worship Book. They replied as follows:
Those who found positive inspiration: 20 Those who found partial inspiration: 19
Those who were not inspired or who made no comment: 16
Those who said that the level of inspiration depended on how the Book was used by the worship leader or members of the congregation: 6
Other single respondents said that the Worship Book may not be inspiring to young people or those unfamiliar with the Church and its theology and that the Book lacked a certain global awareness.
5.4.5.A ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE
The figures speak for themselves concerning the mixed responses to the question and the fact that the way the Book was used is crucial to the level of inspiration.
Other responses of a minority nature again said that the Book may not resonate with young people or those unfamiliar with the Church and its theology, and that a global awareness was lacking from the Book.
Questions to be asked concern the nature of the material which encourages inspirational worship (i.e. more traditional language or more contemporary
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language; traditional or contemporary theological content, etc) and whether or not the Book (and similar Books) should have a missionary dimension, i.e. should bear in mind that the Public Offices are often attended by a large number of those who are not regular churchgoers.
5.4.6 QUESTION 6
How many of the services in the Book have you used? Which have you used? Which ones do you use the most?
This question attempted to discover which services in the Book there is most demand for and which, being underused, may be regarded as surplus to normal requirements. The responses were as follows, keeping to the order of the services as they appear in the Book itself.
Daily Prayer: 3
Services for Morning, Afternoon and Evening: 5 Baptism of Infants: 37
Baptism of those able to answer: 2
Confirmation/Reception into Membership: 16
All, most or some of the full range of Holy Communion Services: 40 With a special mention of the use of the Ordinary Seasons Services: 9 Ordination of Presbyters: 4
Admission of Local Preachers: 8 Commissioning of Lay workers: 4
Commissioning of Pastoral Visitors and Class Leaders: 10
Commissioning of Workers with Children and Young People: 7 Commissioning of Worship Leaders: 5
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Service of Welcome for Ministers and Deacons: 6 Marriage Service: 21
Blessing of a Marriage: 2 Healing and Wholeness: 4 Funeral service: 25
Funeral of a Child: 1 Collects: 2
Lectionary: 3
Use of the M.W.B. as a ‘pick and mix’ resource: 8 Unclear answers, don’t know, no use, no comment: 8 5.4.6.A ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE
The responses confirm what may have been expected, that the services which receive most use are:- Holy Communion, the Baptism of Infants, the Covenant Service, the Funeral Service, the Marriage Service, and Confirmation/Reception into Membership. Services which are moderately well used are the Holy Week Services, Admission of Local Preachers, the various Commissioning Services and the Service of Welcome. The rest receive less than a handful of use or not at all. Usage is determined, apparently, by local needs and preferences and ministerial choice.
A number of respondents regarded The Methodist Worship Book as a resource book, and some mentioned that the communions for ordinary seasons receive the most frequent use in their churches.
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The question is raised, therefore, as to whether or not The Methodist Worship Book is too large for the local churches and whether or not the least used services are such because they do not accord with their established patterns (e.g. foot-washing, healing and wholeness etc.).
These least used services could have been published as separate supplementary booklets with a much reduced hardback volume of those services which churches use the most.
There is also the question, here again, of the language and concepts used in the Public Offices (Rites of Passage: Baptism of Infants, Marriages, Funerals) when, frequently, the vast majority of those present do not regularly attend church.
5.4.7 QUESTION 7
What changes and improvements would you wish to see in future editions of The Methodist Worship Book?
The aim of this question was to elicit the ideas of the people in the pew as to the content they would wish to see in any proposed worship book next time one is published. The responses were as follows:-
Reduce the number of (Holy Communion) Services, fewer and shorter services, more user friendly services, etc: 11
Less wordiness, shorter services, smaller book, less weighty, soft back, etc: 7
Improve Baptismal Service, more relevant and user friendly, etc: 5 Omit the services which are predominately for clergy etc: 4
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Divide into smaller books, separate services: 4
Don’t know, don’t republish, no comment, no change, too soon to say, etc: 30
There were several individual suggestions as follows:- Rubrics should not be in red; the Book should keep up with the times with up-to-date language; there should be more emphasis on sin and forgiveness in the morning prayers;
intercessions should be more relevant; remodel as a resource book; have extra strings for bookmarks; return to Methodism, less Anglicising; more variety; provide ideas for ordinary Sunday Services; prefer The Methodist Service Book 1975; explain the theology behind the Book; more sub-headings as guides; electronic presentation to enable regular update of material; for the future, use the best of the past; have an illustrated edition for children.
5.4.7.A ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE
A considerable body of opinion seems to be that The Methodist Worship Book contains too much. The number of Communion services, especially, could be reduced and the services themselves made shorter by being less wordy, although it would not be easy to do this without affecting their variety which many do appreciate. The Baptismal Service is again singled out by some as being in need of greater relevance to the actual people who
attend. Services included for clergy use only (e.g. Ordination) could be omitted. Altogether, the other services too could be fewer in number, shorter in length, less wordy with more up-to-date language and more user-friendly, especially bearing in mind the growing use of electronic means
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(PowerPoint). (NB. We note, however, that this is a more recent development). A smaller book, overall, could be accompanied by publishing separate services. (NB. This has now been done by Methodist Publishing, formerly the Methodist Publishing House, as has an illustrated edition for children, albeit cumbersome with mismatching page numbers).
Quite a number of respondents recorded other sentiments: scrap it; no future edition; no comment; don’t know; too early to comment; etc. i.e. 30 out of 65(46%) demonstrating quite a reaction against The Methodist Worship Book per se. There were also several individual views, comments and suggestions regarding various smaller detailed items with regard to the Book.
5.4.8 QUESTION 8
Are there any other points you wish to make?
The aim of this question was to give respondents the opportunity to state any view or opinion, or make a comment or a criticism (positively or negatively), which they felt was not covered by the previous seven questions. This open opportunity, naturally, gave rise to a wide range of responses which were:
People have varied reactions to the M.W.B: 10 The emphasis on ‘free worship’ is being lost: 9 There is the danger of reading by rote: 4 The Book is useful for personal devotions: 4
The Book has a value for resource, guidance and reference: 3 The Book represents a process of ‘Anglicising’ and uniformity etc: 3
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The old fashioned words of institution in Communion are an issue for some: 2
Separate services would be helpful: 2 Book is easier to understand: 2
Some language is obscure: 2
In the Baptismal Service, query the use of a lighted candle near to a baby: 1
Happy if the use of the Book is optional: 1 A large print version would be useful: 1 The leader of worship has a crucial role: 1 I am not familiar with the Book: 1
Nature of Baptismal vows queried: 1 The Book will date quickly: 1
Smaller user friendly book needed: 1
Some ministers produce their own services: 1 People are confused when they use the Book: 1 Varied content welcomed: 1
Services are often abbreviated by the minister: 1 A quality publication: 1
Confirmation = a welcome term: 1 Easy to use page numbering: 1
Explanation and teaching for users is required: 1 There are too many Communion Services: 1
Modern version of the Lord’s Prayer easy to understand: 1 The Book brings a freshness to worship: 1
No response, no comment, etc: 26
179 5.4.8. A ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUE
Many of these comments could have been included in the answers to the previous questions. There is little that is new.
On the positive side, the variety of content is commended; the Book is easy to use; valuable as a worship resource; useful in personal devotions; and brings a freshness to worship itself.
However, some significant contributions say that the emphasis on ‘free worship’ is being lost, and that the Book represents a drift towards
‘Anglicanism’; that a shorter, lighter, more user-friendly book in up-to-date language is needed, with different services as separate publications; that some ministers adopt a ‘pick and mix’ approach anyway and that the Baptismal service is a difficulty. There is no mention of contextual issues or how the Book’s relevance is perceived.
There is much that is similar in the responses of both members and ministers and the issues raised tend to be the same. The members do seem to comment more on the physical size of the Book. In so far as its content is concerned there is a general acceptance, with a minority making criticisms comparable with those of the ministers, there being no dramatic difference between them. So far the Book appears to be appreciated, or otherwise, in roughly equal proportions by both ministers and lay people.
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5.5 MORE CLUES FROM THE PEWS: HOW CONGREGATIONS USE THE METHODIST