Ethnography Assignment 1

This assignment addresses Outcome 2.a  (Analyzes and evaluates the key facts of the Christian tradition) and 2.d (Critically evaluates the fundamental theological differences among major Christian traditions) by observing in detail the setting, action and rhetoric at a collective worship gathering of my local church.

Amy Jimenez

Drs. Stephen Johnson and Melinda Thompson

BIBM 603 Foundations of the Theology of Ministry

7 October 2011

 

Ethnography Exercise #1:

Reflections based on Observations

Of a Sunday morning worship service at

Western Hills Church of Christ

Temple, TX

25 September 2011

 

Observations

Setting:

Western Hills Church of Christ is located in Temple, TX just off Interstate 35.  The location is difficult to get to from any direction other than heading southbound on Interstate 35.  It is located at a complex intersection with no clearly marked signs as to how to get to the building.  One can see the building from the road heading north on I-35 or west and eastbound on Hwy 2305 or Hwy 53, but will have trouble accessing it from these directions.

The building can be described as formal and dated on the outside.  There is a tall steeple on the building, which designates it as a church, when the short, unlit sign is unreadable.  The building grounds are well kept with clearly marked signs outside and inside, directing people to parking lots and to the main entrance to the worship center located at the back of the building.

Upon entering the building, one notices a comfortable foyer area with sitting areas of arm chairs and tables and a welcome desk in the center.  The interior’s décor is informal and updated,  and very aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  Greeters are present at each door.  The welcome desk has fresh baked bread sitting on the counter for newcomers.  There is a “Faith at Home” resource center in one corner with an attendant waiting to show someone through the resources of books, and resource cards for sharing faith with children of all ages, and others in your family, brochures addressing marriage, parenting, grandparenting, financial and Bible study resources.    Guests are greeted and welcomed.  There are pictures throughout this room depicting the mission statement of the church, “Love God.  Love people.  Invite others,” and detailing some important history of the church.

The worship center is spacious with plenty of room for seating on a given Sunday.  This is because this church has “made space” in the main worship center, by opening up another venue for worship at the same time.  The second venue is called the Video Venue and the sermon can be viewed via live feed into this room.  All other elements of the worship are live.  This venue was created to make space in the worship center, so that when a visitor comes, he/she does not feel overwhelmed by the crowd.  There is always room to sit.

The main worship room is filled with wooden pews that are wide, cushioned, and comfortable.  There is a stage in the front that is well lit.  A small bistro table and stool sit on the stage with a TV type screen next to the table.  This screen projects into the video venue and is used during the sermon.   Another large screen covers the baptistery and is used to depict various images throughout the service to include the sermon.  Large pillars of stone work flank the video screen behind the stage.  The stone work is very detailed and is a striking architectural element to the room.  Large pendant lights hang from an arched wooden ceiling.  Sconces line the walls.  Symbolically, there are no images or icons in the room, no altar, table or pulpit.  There is no stained glass and no cross.

Images are projected on the large screen during different elements of the service.  For example during the communion, a painting of Jesus at the last supper was projected while the bread was served.  As the wine was served, a picture of three crosses with the backdrop of a sunset was projected.  These pictures provide focal imagery, capturing the mind and enabling one to think and reflect in a new way during the elements of communion.  During songs, words are projected on the screen, so that eyes may remain forward and look up uninhibited by looking down at a hymnal.  During the sermon, various words and visual aides are projected to enhance the message.

Action:

Upon entering the building, people are at every door to greet those who walk in, smiling, shaking hands, handing a program to each person.  Entering the auditorium, there are conversations going on all over the room before the service begins.    As the countdown clock on the screen nears 0:00, people sit on the pews and become quiet.  A minister walks to the front of stage and stands before the group to begin the service.    He has an invisible microphone over his ear and stands without a podium, using his facial expression and hands to suggest a passionate and genuine welcome and call to worship.  He calls up the worship leader and places his hand on him to pray before the service begins.  The congregation stands for the prayer and remains standing to sing.

The worship leader stands on the stage, where the audience may look at him, also with an invisible microphone, with nothing in his hands.   He leads the congregation in song, using his hand to keep the beat of the songs.  He smiles and makes eye contact with the audience as he sings.   A team of singers sits close to the front, holding microphones while singing harmony parts to the songs.  This is not evident to everyone in the room, but to those sitting around this group.  Their families are sitting with these individuals so they are somewhat spread out but in a small general vicinity of one another.     The congregation is asked to stand for some songs and sit for others.  The assembly stands during upbeat, praise focused songs and sits for more contemplative or reflective songs.  Some people raise their hands or close their eyes during the songs.    The congregation sings to God and to one another.   People, who are accustomed to singing harmony without instruments, listen to the parts being sung and blend their voices in different parts.  Others sing the melody.  As the words are projected on the screen, most people look up during the singing.  A few open a song book to follow along with the musical notes.    Interpreters for the deaf, sign the songs in the front.  Some, who are not hearing impaired, follow along with the sign language as an expressive form of worship.

One of shepherds/ elders comes forward on the stage to read a scripture from the Bible and to pray.  He sits on a stool on the stage with his Bible on the round table.  He reads with an authoritative tone and clearly enunciates the words.  He prays with his head bowed and his hand on his Bible.

Before the communion, a male member of the congregation stands before the crowd to share thoughts and scripture reading in preparation for the Lord’s Supper.   He stands to speak and conveys a personal reflection about the meaning and importance of communion with notes in his hand.  As he prays, members of the church bow their heads and close their eyes.  After he prays, men come forward from the back of the room, and pass trays of bread or trays with small cups of juice during each element of communion.  People pass these trays to one another and back to the ushers who are moving from row to row to keep order.  There is a quiet time of reflection between each element.  Some people bow their heads, read their Bibles, others whisper to one another, kids move about, people cough or clear their throats.   I normally close my eyes to block out any distractions around me during the time of communion, but recognized as I observed this time, that these people are the body of Christ, just as the elements represent the body and blood of Christ.  There is value to observing people in all levels of contemplation during this communal meal, as I ponder Christ’s sacrifice for all.

The preaching minister comes on the stage for the main sermon of the gathering.  He is expressive and talks with his hands.  He stands, also with an invisible microphone, and no notes most of the time.  His Bible and notes are on the round bistro table.  He occasionally sits and glances at these notes.  He often points to the screen and uses the words or symbols displayed there to highlight his point.   He speaks for about 20 minutes and people are watching him intently for the most part.   He dismisses the elders to stand about the room or outside the door at the end of his sermon.  These men are available if anyone has needs that they want to talk about or pray with the elders about as the congregation stands to sing a song.

Another minister comes to the stage after the sermon to highlight a few announcements and perform a covenant vow with a new family to our church.   The new couple stands and is introduced.  A covenant vow is read to them and they respond to the church.  The church stands to face them, a covenant vow is read and the entire congregation responds in unison.

After standing for a final song, a minister stands and dismisses the congregation with an exhortation from Scripture.

Speech:

In this environment of a corporate worship service, men speak and women do not.  Paid ministers do a lot of the speaking, though lay members lead the song service and express thoughts surrounding the communion, and serve as ushers passing the communion and collection trays. A shepherd/elder (only males serve in this role) always performs the scripture reading and prayer.

Every element of the worship structure is explained verbally before it is done.  The communion and collection are always addressed in simplistic terms as to what we are doing and why.  The welcome greeting has an element of what we will be doing during the service and how all are invited to participate.  Scripture references include the page number of the pew Bibles with a message that if one doesn’t have a Bible, one is encouraged to take one of the pew Bibles home as a gift.  A free, attended nursery is provided for anyone with children 0-2, and “busy bags” are available in the back of the room for young children to have something to do during the service.   Families are encouraged to stay in the worship gathering, with or without children.  The song leader often speaks about the words of a song, before it is sung, to draw attention to the meaning conveyed or a specific element of the lyrics to ponder as the congregation sings.  The shepherd’s prayer is for the people of the congregation, petitioning God for healing and blessing, for our nation and its leaders, for the world, for guidance in participating in the kingdom work of God amongst the church and outside the walls in the community.  The communion devotional is very personal to the man sharing it, and has an element of testimony to it about what God says to him and to the participants through the communion meal.  People are encouraged to be reflective in silence surrounding the eating/drinking of the communion elements.

As the sermon begins, words are on the screen to orient one to the message of the current sermon series, “Permission to Speak Freely.”  This series is intended to address topics that members have suggested, through an anonymous suggestion box, are things that we are afraid to talk about in church.  So, the words on the screen are captivating: addiction, hope, shame, death, anxiety, homosexuality, bullying, silence, adultery, alcohol, pain, fear, pornography, depression, abuse, hell, failure, confession, baptism, abortion, divorce, redemption…PERMISSION TO SPEAK FREELY.  The sermon centers around issues and stances of the church, but is framed from the book of John, chapters 15-17 in which Jesus prays for his disciples, his church and the world prior to his death, burial and resurrection.  The preacher holds up his Bible, guides the congregation in finding this text and sits in the stool to read from the word.  His guiding principle for the sermon is “Jesus calls us to live distinct from the world but not distant from it”.  John 17: 15-19 and I Peter 2:9 were the guiding verses for this theme, and it was fleshed out in the context of a hot topic issue: homosexuality.  The following words were used, “We are not an anti-gay church, and we are not an anti- anyone church.  We are distinct in that we stand on the truth that the only sexual behavior that God blesses in the Bible is between a man and a woman in the confines of marriage.  Any other sexual behavior is outside of that boundary and thus outside the will of God.  But, the good news is that we have been redeemed from sin, and God’s gift of grace is available to all.”

Finally, after brief announcements given by one of the staff ministers, the church welcomes a new family wishing to become members by making a “covenant” between the family and the church.  The covenant principle is stated that, “God is a God who makes and keeps promises with his people,  and we want to be a church that follows God by making a covenant relationship to each other as a church family.  The minister asks the new family:

“Are you willing to be a part of this body of Christ, sharing your talents, and growing in relationship and discipleship with Jesus Christ, submitting to the authority, care, and direction of our elders, and avoiding all hints of divisiveness?  If so, say, “We are.”

The minister then asks the church to stand and says,

“To the Western Hills Church family, are we willing to care for and look after the Jones family?  Are we willing to be a safe place for them to grow and become transformed into the image of Jesus Christ?  If so, say, “We are.”

 

Reflections

Setting

This setting of building location says that the gathering is primarily for people who already know how to access the location.  It would not be easy, though not impossible, for a visitor to drop in.  Most visitors must be invited and given detailed instructions as to how to get into the parking lot of the building.   The user friendly campus contrasts the building’s location and lack of clear sign from the interstate, in that once on the campus, one feels cared for in being directed where to go.  Inside the building, the atmosphere of the foyer is warm and friendly.  The foyer, in particular, feels very much like a home.   If one is wandering about this area and not talking to someone, these pictures draw the eye and tell a story of faith and the faithfulness of God which is powerful to a newcomer, similar to the way one would look at a friend’s family photos when invited to their home.   Inside the worship center there is visible room to sit anywhere comfortably.   This transmits a non-threatening feeling to the main worship center.   These elements create a casual, relaxed feeling to the room, more like an auditorium than a chapel.  The room has an informal, casual feel.  For those who are not used to a “church” environment, these elements may minimize the uncomfortable feelings associated with a formal, rigid, “untouchable”, stoic surrounding, associated with many sanctuaries.   While there is an informal feel to the room, the structure of the room still conveys an element of wealth with the technology and architectural elements.     The technology used in this environment indicates  organization, attention to detail, and preparation involved in the service before it begins.  The use of technology is very familiar to the techno-savvy middle to upper class culture, but also to young people of all socioeconomic levels.  The use of technology conveys a message of relevancy to those who use technology every day, but also communicates that there is entertainment value to the service.  Some find entertainment a necessary element to engage them in a worship service, while others find this offensive in a “house of God.”

Action

The initial actions of the people conversing, smiling, and hugging indicate that people at this gathering  know and care for one other.  The actions during the elements of worship indicate participation by the whole group of people, as well as individual elements of worship as people demonstrate with their hands and body language (arms crossed, eyes closed, head lifted up) their posture before God.  The general message conveyed by the actions during worship is that people in this assembly are reserved and quiet in worship.  The few that raise their hands or sign the songs stand out to those around them.  The actions surrounding the “covenant” promise making between a new family and the congregation  represent a strong value to the relational aspect of church and living out faith in a community of believers.

Speech

The speech during the formal worship assembly clearly communicates that women are not permitted to speak in this assembly.  The rhetoric in this forum seems  considerate of the visitor or newcomer who might be in the assembly.

The words of the sermon are very pointed and firm, but spoken with a loving and inclusive tone, admonishing everyone in the audience to be confident of their freedom in Christ.  The focus of this particular message was on the cross of Christ, and on the fact that God uses those who accept that gift of grace to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a distinct people for the purpose of serving the entire world and bringing this good news to them.  The sermon was spoken in love and inclusion, and I did not perceive it as offensive, even to a non-believer struggling with sexual sin.

The words spoken during the  covenant taking exercise between new member and the church, expresses to those present that are not part of the Western Hills family that the church is committed to God and to one another.   A covenant signifies a pledge to one another as part of the body of Christ, and displays the value for the principles promised before God.

Overall Impressions

My general impressions about the worship service at Western Hills Church of Christ is that it was reflective of a loving group of people, a professional and organized staff, who are grounded in the truth of the Bible and not afraid to speak it boldly but gently.  The speech in this gathering was friendly to an average churched or unchurched visitor, but speaks more to a middle or upper middle class visitor as opposed to the poor and marginalized.   The setting, action and speech was uplifting and encouraging to all believers associated with this church as well, regardless of potential differences of opinion.  There is a palpable spirit of unity and purpose in this gathering.