Worship Ministries Advisory Board Meets

A Native American deacon at a Christian Reformed church in New Mexico, the minister of worship of a large congregation in Ontario, and the pastor of a church in Red Deer, Alta., were among those who attended the inaugural meeting of the CRC’s Worship Ministries Advisory Board.

Also taking part was the pastor of a Korean church in Austin, Tex., the co-pastor of a largely African American church in Los Angeles, Calif., the worship planner at Madison Ave. CRC in Paterson, N.J., and the pastor of All Nations CRC in Halifax, N.S.

The associate pastor of a Hispanic church in Chicago was unable to attend because of a death in her church family.

“The purpose of this gathering was to advise the staff of Worship Ministries of the needs of the local church so that we can better support those who participate in the leadership of congregational worship in the CRC,” said Rev. Joyce Borger, director of Worship Ministries.

The formation of Worship Ministries was announced during Synod 2015, which met in June on the campus of Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.

“Since the recent meeting was the first time that members of the advisory board got together, we spent a lot of time introducing members of the board to how Worship Ministries came to be, why, and what we have been busy with since our official launch in June,” said Borger.

The Worship Ministries team also introduced participants to some of the key worship resources produced by Faith Alive and to the quarterly Reformed Worship journal, which the office continues to produce. ​

“Another significant part of our time together was spent learning from each other and gaining a perspective on the diversity of worship practices within the CRCNA,” Borger said.

​Three members of the advisory board took time during a break in the meeting to talk about worship in their settings and to share some of their thoughts about worship in the CRC.

Rev. Gary Bomhof, pastor of First CRC in Red Deer, Alta., said he is glad Worship Ministries wants to take a broad look at worship in the CRC.

“It used to be that you could go to CRC churches in Alaska, Halifax, and Florida, and worship would be relatively the same. But that is not the case anymore,” he said.

Bomhof said he is hopeful Worship Ministries can help churches sort through issues related to how the Reformed faith plays out in these diverse worship settings.

For instance, he said, he would like Worship Ministries to consider the proper use of liturgical forms for such practices as baptism, profession of faith, and ordination of officebearers in churches.

“My hope is that we might be able to be one of the filters that these forms and different worship practices can go through,” he said.

As for the style of worship in his church, Bomhof said it is fairly traditional and people like it that way. They find comfort in singing familiar songs and praying familiar prayers as they glorify God in worship. The topic of his weekly sermon is usually based on a theme.

But even with the predictability and similarities from Sunday to Sunday, the goal is always for people to leave a worship service having connected with God and different from when they came in, said Bomhof.

“Worship is very key to our lives as Christians. It refuels you,” he said.

Darlene Silversmith, a deacon at Crownpoint CRC in Crownpoint N.Mex., said worship at her church has a strong Navajo flavor. Many songs and prayers are in her native language.

The service is normally preceded by 30 minutes of singing. Time is always set aside during worship services for a testimony.

In addition, just about all activities at Crownpoint CRC — from different meetings to educational ministries to a weekly potluck — happen on Sunday.

“People have to travel from the sheep and horse farms and other places, and it is hard for them to make it to church, especially in bad weather,” said Silversmith.

“So when we come to church, we need to fill ourselves up in one day.”

Elly Boersma, pastor of worship at Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ont., said she appreciates being a member of the advisory board.

“I think we have the potential to make an impact on worship on the ground in local settings,” she said.

“What are churches looking for? What do they need, especially as the culture of the CRC is changing?”

She said she hopes the board can play a role in connecting churches with one another to share information and answer questions.

“If I have a question about children at the Lord’s Supper, perhaps I can connect with another church to see what they do,” said Boersma.

Maybe, she added, churches can share resources that they use during various seasons of the year such as Advent and Easter.

After the meeting, Rev. David Vroege, pastor of All Nations Church in Halifax, reflected on his hopes for the future of Worship Ministries.

“I hope the new Worship Ministries can be a blessing to the CRC by showing a joyful, honest way to worship God with all the gifts we've been blessed with in each of our worship settings as well as more broadly in the denomination,” he said.

“I hope the new Worship Ministries can also model a constructive way forward in how to talk about challenging topics in worship, congregational life, and differences of opinion in theology.”