Over the years, Old South Church in Hallowell, Maine has made many adjustments— to how we gather, how we organize ourselves, how we get important jobs done, how we worship together, etc. Many of the changes have been dictated by our shrinking numbers. But, the changes also reflect a congregation not only willing to engage in change, but to do so in a manner that is centered on a thoughtful assessment of how the Spirit is at work in our midst. I’ve reminded the congregation at Old South more times than they would like to count that, while numbers hold some significance to our gathering, numbers don’t mean anything when it comes to our connection to the Holy. The Bible doesn’t say anything about faith communities needing to be a particular size, as long as there are at least two or three (Matthew 18:20). What matters is the practice of the faith, and the encouragement and continual formation found within a gathering of people who feel compelled to follow Christ.

I have been asked on many occasions how we do what we do, and how we have adjusted, especially around our shrinking numbers (an all too common aspect of being a moderate/liberal/progressive Protestant church in these days). I’ve spoken to people. I’ve met with people. I’ve forwarded our bylaws. I’ve written long emails. I’ve even helped to lead a workshop at our Conference’s annual meeting. Now, it’s time to make this information more widely, and more freely, available. Today, I’ll cover worship issues, especially around how worship is led when I’m away.

I hope that this information will be helpful to you and your church.

Maybe a decade, or so, ago, Old South’s Treasurer suggested to the governing body of the church that among the budget lines that she thought ought to be cut or trimmed significantly was the line that covered supply pastors, the hiring of clergy to lead worship on the Sundays when I’m away on vacation. At first, I got a little nervous. What could she possibly mean? What would happen to my vacation time and Sundays off (as a three-quarter time pastor, I have four weeks, including Sundays, of vacation time plus two additional Sundays)?

She was quick to assure me that she had no intention of interfering with my vacation time. She wondered if the congregation could cover most, if not all, of those “pulpit supply” Sundays internally. At the time, we had one or two retired clergy who were regularly part of our congregation. Maybe they would be willing to lead for little or no compensation? It turned out that they were willing. But, after a couple of years, they moved away, with no other retired clergy taking their place. Our attention turned to everyone else in the Old South community. How could we inspire regular church members to lead worship?

We now have four basic models for worship leadership for the six Sundays I have off each year.

The first model is essentially our regular worship service, with one layperson leading the entire worship service. While this model is now rarely used at Old South, we have had a couple of people who, given enough time for preparation, have been willing to lead as a supply pastor.

The second model is very similar to the first. In this case, though, we have two (or three) people working together to lead worship, with the normal format of an Old South worship service. This has been very successful. There’s a real sense of empowerment when a pair (or trio) work together to lead worship. It’s a wondrous thing to have someone raise their hand to say that they are willing to lead, but feel they can’t do it alone, and then to find that there’s someone else who is eager to share the experience and help lead.

The third model is also very similar to the first two. The worship service is largely the same format as other worship services. The difference is in the sermon/homily/message slot. Since the sermon can be a daunting experience even for ordained people, we have experimented with ways of making the sermon a more manageable, but still meaningful, aspect of leading, and experiencing, worship. The most promising experiment has involved a worship leader (or one of the leaders, if there’s a pair), choosing a devotional piece (online or from a book). The devotional is shared and then that person offers a reflection on why that particular devotional was chosen— in what ways did the devotional resonate with them? What aspects of the devotional felt worthy of sharing with a larger group? How did the devotional support or challenge or enliven the person’s experience of faith? How did the devotional help the person to consider in a new way a scripture passage or story?

The final model is the hymn sing. We are very fortunate to have one person in the congregation who is especially musically inclined and an organist willing to go along with a worship service that requires a great deal of playing. As a former music teacher, Cynthia is able to lead a hymn sing with ease. While this isn’t a model that can be used often, no more than once or twice a year (and at least a few months apart), it is usually a welcome worship opportunity, especially if it allows people to make hymn requests in advance.

As many churches like Old South continue to experience loss in terms of numbers of attendance and participation, it’s crucial not to get too caught up in the numbers game, in the spiral of blame and shame, as such a focus saps energy and strength. When communities of faith maintain a commitment to who they are and to whom they belong, and stay focused on the wonders and joy of being a worshiping community, regardless of size, the path ahead opens up a whole bunch of possibilities. Grief and sadness remain, but they are tempered and kept in perspective when the worshiping community boldly claims its connection to the God it worships, the meaningfulness of God’s love, and our mission to share that love with each other and others.