Abstract
Some voices advocating for “the missional church” downplay the importance of gathered congregations and question the value of time spent in corporate worship. The most radical ones suggest converting sanctuaries into community drop-in centers, trading in pulpits for barbecues. Ruth Meyers offers a robust and practical theology that integrates worship and mission into a seamless whole that proclaims the greatness of God while seeking the transformation of the world. Her book offers a rich pondering on the dynamic relationship between worship and the mission of God, carried out by the people of God. She does this by regularly referring to two images: a möbius strip and a spinning top, with worship and mission mutually reinforcing one another in an unending continuum.
Missiology is indebted to multiple disciplines; liturgics is yet another domain that should be brought into dialogue with the theory and practice of mission. Meyers offers this gift as a liturgist who teaches at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, where she is also dean of academic affairs. She approaches her subject by devoting a chapter to each of the parts of a worship service, considering how, in each one, the work of worship and mission reinforce one another. Her discussion is peppered with examples of creative practices from churches she has visited. The layout of the book makes this a helpful resource for worship planners as they seek to deepen the missional dimension of the gathering, the reading, and proclamation of the word, prayers, reconciliation, sacraments, and the sending forth of the people. This is followed by a chapter on “preparing for missional worship,” which covers a variety of elements such as people, time, space, objects, actions, music, silence, and texts. These eight ingredients should be considered in the planning of each part of the worship service, as a matrix where worship as mission and mission as worship is experienced.
One cannot read this without coming to a deep appreciation for the potential worship carries to intentionally form the people of God for mission. Not only is the story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration enacted in the liturgy, but worship forms the people for compassionate engagement with the world as they are regularly reminded that they are forgiven, reconciled, and are being forged into a community that intercedes for the world and invites others to join God’s table of hospitality. Attention to details such as gender-inclusive language and the reading of Scriptures in the heart languages of the hearers add weight to the intention of becoming a welcoming community.
The author’s primary ministry has been within the Episcopal Church and much her terminology and points of reference are drawn from a mainline or Roman Catholic milieu. Readers from a free-church or evangelical persuasion may find it tedious to plod through some sections, such as the discussion on the proper placement of the “prayers of intercession” or the offertory in the liturgy. However, readers should press on as there is so much to glean from this book. One of the most helpful summaries of the church’s missional challenge came toward the end, where Meyers summarized Richard Gaillardetz’s analysis of the two great longings of our time: transcendence and community. Missiologists can immediately appreciate the key role the gathered, worshiping community can play in addressing these felt needs. A missional engagement with post-Christendom challenges the church to recover a sense of mystery and awe, in an atmosphere of warmth and loving care. God’s people, called to worship and mission, are uniquely positioned to meet this challenge.