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Including Non-Christians in Christian Worship
We want to nurture an atmosphere where people sense God's presence and respond to him.
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In each Sunday morning congregation sit many for whom Jesus is not yet Lord. Whatever their reasons for attending, they have come more to observe than worship. Their presence presents worship leaders with a challenge: How can we involve non-Christians in a service in which the main act is the worship of Christ? Here are some things we try to do during each service to make the non-Christian feel a part of the service. Make Them ComfortableWe recognize that many visitors find our worship service unusually open and expressive. Because they are on unfamiliar turf, we consciously try to make them feel comfortable. Here's how we do it. • Invite them to relax. We do this before the service formally begins. I walk in and from floor level welcome them with an introduction like this: "Good morning, everyone! Isn't it a great day? Nice to see you. We're going to praise the Lord in just a few minutes, and as we do, I want us to let our hearts be filled with wonder and praise. Don't worry about making an impression; here it's okay to be yourself. We can't impress God with how smart or sophisticated we are anyway, can we? So let's come together as his children and let the joy of the Lord Jesus fill this house today. He's alive! He's risen! And we want to praise him! Do you feel that way?" We've found that many people do feel that way, so they respond. Once they are given permission to relax, they often do. • Acknowledge the awkwardness. All through the service we seek to be sensitive to those in the congregation who may feel awkward about what is happening. For instance, we raise our hands when we sing songs of praise; not everyone is used to that. If even one person appears mystified, or on the verge of panic, I will wait for an appropriate juncture in the service and say something like, "Incidentally, this may the first time you've been in a place where there's open, expressive praise like this. I want to assure you that nothing weird is going to happen. Although, I can hear someone thinking right now. What do you mean 'going to?' It already has!" They laugh, of course. But acknowledging that our service is different and some may feel awkward helps people relax. • Encourage partial participation. Awkwardness about participating in our distinct worship practices can also be alleviated by encouraging partial participation. If the worship leader has invited people to raise their hands in song, yet senses some discomfort, he may say, "Raising hands may be new to you. That's okay. Instead, let's all just hold our hands out in front of us, palms up, like this, the way you would if you were going to say to someone, 'What would you like me to do for you?' In fact, as we do it, why don't we say that to the Lord: 'Lord, what would you have me do for you today?' " |             |
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