Monday Morning Manna: Throwback Church

I confess to getting older but resist my grandfather’s term of being “sot in my ways.” I do like some things the way they were, but I’m open to fresh ideas. Seems rather than taking on an existing church, many Seminary graduates plan on starting a new church. Mix that with the word “Throwback” (as in Throwback Thursday) that often appears in my social media, and I’m thinking of starting Throwback Church. The choir (remember them?) will call us to worship with “Let all the earth keep silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20), this call to be “silent” will include noisy children and snoring deacons. There will be an Invocation (similar to an Opening Prayer). We’ll sing two hymns (from the hymn book), preferably seated for one of them (1st, 2nd, & 4th verses please and we’ll not be voting on anything, so hands down). Somewhere we’ll have a Pastoral Prayer and another hymn (seated). There will also be an Offertory Prayer (asking God to “bless the gift and the giver”), followed by the offering. Then we’ll have some “special music” (not to be confused with non-special music). The sermon will be twenty-eight minutes in length, three points and a poem, followed by an invitation hymn (again from the hymnal, so the preacher can stop the singing, and talk between verses). There will be a rather lengthy list of announcements (most of which are also printed in the bulletin) and a benediction, concluding with a choral benediction by the choir (who will still be robed and in the choir loft). We will dismiss within the hour. Feeling good about my Throwback Church, I recently drove a few miles from my home to preach in a small town on a given Sunday. It appeared they had seen my worship outline, since everything they did was a part of my Throwback Church. So I preached twenty-eight minutes, concluded with a poem, and drove home thinking, with some things, one doesn’t have to “throw” very far to get “back.”

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.