Clues for Cafe Church
October 25, 2007 – 11:07 am | by Duncan
A discussion list (Theology and Worship) in the Uniting Church is currently discussing cafe worship style. Here’s 12 pointers I posted today. I’m aware that the recommendations here fly in the face of what is accepted as theologically acceptable worship. But my contention is that much of our preciousness about order of worship is based not on theology but on setting.
1. Visit popular cafes to explore best practice ambience.
2. Communal singing works best when people are standing close enough to each other to hear other voices. It doesn’t work well when people are sitting around tables or at a bar (or scattered around a church building for that matter). For that reason I’ve preferred to either drop the singing or make it a time when we get together around the piano like a choir. Communal singing means more when people have had a shared experience - and so I prefer to schedule it at the end rather than the beginning.
3. Up front teaching without dialogue works best in lecture theatre settings. So what works best in the cafe or restaurant setting? Eating, conversation, casual reading.
4. People come and go in cafes and restaurants, not all at the same time. So I’ve allowed a good 15 to 30 minutes at the beginning to allow for the development of conversation, the enjoyment of food and drink. Likewise - I like to allow the same kind of time at the end.
5. After we’re warmed up we might then introduce a fresh conversation starter - whether that be a Nooma DVD, a music video clip, a drama or dramatic reading of Scripture, a real-life story interview or a clip from a movie.
6. Look around the well established cafe and you’ll find newspapers and magazines, maybe wireless internet access, table activities for kids, and perhaps arty advertising postcards. I’ve put the Sunday newspaper on the tables to allow for introversion time as well as conversation starters later. In some cases we’ve put newsprint (butchers paper) on the tables with felt pens and invited people to doodle. Or we’ve put out activity sheets.
7. In some cases we’ve invited each table to contribute to the worship by preparing a prayer or dramatic Bible reading.
8. In one setting we divided into interest groups part way through - the craft group, the prayer group, the deep and meaningful discussion group, the music group, the kick a ball around outside group.
9. Clarify the contract. People usually expect ‘church’ to fit certain criteria - starting and finishing time, teaching from the front, singing at the start etc. So right at the beginning - for those who are gathered ready to go, I’ve learnt to explain how the next 60 to 90 minutes will proceed and why.
10. Consider meeting outside the usual church environment. The typical church building (even if it has movable chairs) elicits expectations of what church is like. Meeting in a hall, cafe, restaurant or bar frees that up.
11. Get some decent food and drink. It doesn’t have to be coffee. Quality juices, herbal teas, soft drinks, water, along with nibbles make all the difference.
12. Consider meeting less often. Doing cafe church can be a bit draining on the financial and time budget.
