MENTORED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OF LEADING WORSHIP
The Lay Leadership Course has so far introduced you to the concepts of the liturgical year and the Revised Common Lectionary. We’ve explored our global and local socio-historical context and how to make a meaningful land acknowledgement. You’ve learned the basic shape of both morning, noonday and evening prayer, and how to plan the service using the resources to which you’ve been introduced, which include Pray without Ceasing, and all liturgies approved by the Bishop.
Most of all, you’ve been encouraged to create a beautiful, creative Sunday Liturgy of the Word service in partnership with others in your parish – a service that is a meaningful and substantial act of worship, and not a second-best to a Eucharist service. Try to find ways to deepen and add to the worship life of your parish by working with your priest/wardens/archdeacon to create new opportunities to worship beyond Sunday morning services.
In order to complete your training, now is the time for you to put that learning into practice in your own home parish. In the next five weeks, you are asked to plan, create and lead three services in your parish with a group of people. This is experiential learning – learning by doing, and your mentor is your partner throughout this process – in planning worship that is appropriate for your worship community, and then observing and giving you constructive feedback directly after each service, so that you can learn before you lead the next.
Guidelines for Lay Leadership in Worship Practicum:
Participants are required to lead three separate services of liturgies of the word, such as Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer. Noonday prayer is not a valid service, nor is part of the Eucharist service.
- It is suggested that you don’t try to do these services on a Sunday morning, as you are not yet licensed, and it will be difficult to achieve this with parish worship schedules. Be creative. Try to ask members of the choir, the Ladies’ Guild, Parish Council and other groups if they can come early to their meeting and participate in worship with you – most people are willing to help a learner!
- You may not share leading the service with another person, but you are encouraged to involve fellow parishioners in the prayers, readings, psalms, canticles, etc.
- Your service need not involve a sermon. When you are licensed to lead as a Lay Minister, remember that you are not permitted by the Bishop to preach unless you have a licence to preach. In choosing a prepared sermon from a source like Sermons that Work, be sure to choose one that is appropriate for your congregation. Acknowledge the author of the sermon before you read it.
- The three services may be in person or via Zoom, but they should include: the officiant (you), a congregation of at least three people, and your mentor.
- The role of the mentor is to assist you to plan the liturgy, and the bulletin, if a bulletin is being used. The mentor should also attend the service, in order to be able to give you helpful feedback – this is where the learning takes place.
- If it is not possible for the mentor to attend in person, a good recording showing both the celebrant and some of the congregation can be made for the mentor to view. The sound should be clear.
- The liturgies used may be from the BAS or the BCP or from Pray without Ceasing, but any official liturgy approved for use by a Province in the Anglican Communion may be used. Some of these are listed on the Diocesan Worship Resources: Authorised Liturgies webpage. Pray without Ceasing and the other worship resources used in this course can be found on the Lay Leadership in Worship Resource page, also under Worship Resources.
- You should use the Sunday Eucharist readings for these services, to familiarize yourself with accessing the Revised Common Lectionary. This can be found on the Anglican Church of Canada Lectionary page, or on the Vanderbilt Lectionary page (navigate using the lefthand menu)
Reporting on your learnings:
The participant/officiant should reflect in a 500-750 word assignment on what went well, and what could be improved in the following areas:
- Preparation and selection of liturgy, scripture and other aspects of worship.
- Leadership: pacing, clarity of expression, guidance for those attending, a good welcome and ending.
- Creating a sense of the sacred in worship: this is not just reading from a book, but as significant as a Eucharist service on Sunday. How was this achieved?
- In particular, answer these questions:
In your practical experience, what learnings stood out for you? What surprised you? Is there anything that you would like to do again? Is there anything you will not do again?
Deadline to submit this reflection Tuesday May 28th by 23:59 – click >> here to paste.
Your mentor has also been asked to submit feedback on your practicum experience.