PLease vote in this poll. What types of drama, if any, do you think should be used in worship, ministry and the life of the church?
In the discussion, why or why not? PLease discuss.
I'll let you know my stance and reasons in a couple of postings.
Thanks,
Tim
Using drama in worship, ministry and the life of the church
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by tenor, Sep 11, 2007.
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Seasonal pageants
26 vote(s)56.5% -
Sketches in worship - comic or serious
26 vote(s)56.5% -
Dramatic readings in worship
29 vote(s)63.0% -
Monologues in worship
22 vote(s)47.8% -
Liturgical dance/movement
16 vote(s)34.8% -
Mime or pantomime
14 vote(s)30.4% -
Dinner Theater - outreach or fellowship
28 vote(s)60.9% -
Sketches for fellowship times
26 vote(s)56.5% -
No drama should be used as part of a worship service
11 vote(s)23.9% -
No drama should be used at all
2 vote(s)4.3%
Multiple votes are allowed.
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We have used many of these things in our church. Just this past Sunday, we had along with worship the Daughters of Zion - a tambourine/streamer/flag group of young girls (ages 12-17) and a short dramatic reading to introduce the 9/11 memorial I set up in PowerPoint. We have a Christmas program each year that is awesome - and has brought many people to the Lord. The youth group has used pantomime often to reach people and it's quite an effective tool to use.
I was just listening to the business part of our news radio station and the man said (speaking of business and advertising) that we are no longer in the information age but the entertainment age - we remember what touches us emotionally. We are not changing the message of God at all - but we are changing the way we communicate His truth.
Here is an example of one of the mimes we've done (in the park, in church, for youth group, on missions trips) It's not our youth group but we do the same thing:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5 -
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Mime would bore me to tears.
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When it's done well, it's REALLY not boring. Believe me - I have a hard time paying attention to many things. LOL! -
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As you have probably figured out, I am in full support of appropriate dramatic presentations, comic and serious, in worship, fellowship, outreach, etc.
Sketches, monologs, dance, movement, dramatic readings, etc. all can have an appropriate place in worship.
We do need to realize the difference between drama and spectacle and even mellodrama. There is a place for each in the life of the church.
I do have an axiom I learned many years ago "No drama is better than bad drama."
I'm very excited about the plethora of quality materials we have available for church drama today. There is also a great deal of very bad material being written and produced.
I tend not to like the "Hell Houses" and that ilk because it tends to fall in the realm of overplayed mellodrama. The message is lost by the "over the topness."
There are a number of very good, if not great professional/full-time drama teams: The Covenant Players, His Company, AD Players, Friends of the Groom and others. These groups produce good theater, both secualr and distinctively Christian, done with a Christian mindset. The Covenant Players has been around since the 60s and tours to churches and other minitry venues.
Drama is a great tool. it can be as simple as a dramatice reading and /or a monolog or as complex as an outreach dinner theater or full seasonal pageant.
It's really exciting to see Christian theater (drama), movies and animation having the same quality as the secular counterparts, but with a quality message as well. -
I'm not going to judge whether it's right or wrong to use drama in worship and ministry. But I've really hated it during the times I've seen it used. Maybe it's just me, but it always seems to be about the performers and not the message, especially when it's done in the form of soliloquy or monologue. One performance I saw came across as this guy's personal audition for Shakespeare.
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For me, though I don't have a problem with any of it, some would be effective with me and some would not.
Sketches and Dramatic Readings or monologues have been my drama of choice, but I am sure others would respond with other areas. -
For those of you who might be near where they might be, I can't highly recommend a group called Splinter enough.
http://www.splinteronline.org/main.htm
We had them come and do our Good Friday service. I know a few of these kids and they are amazing. The boy who plays Jesus wrote the whole thing (well, put it together since it's all 100% Scripture) -
This brings to mind another thought...
Why in church work are we so afraid of the word "perform"?
When I teach, I perform. When I sing, I perform. When I act, I perform. When a preacher preaches, he performs.
The difference is not the performing but the for the "performance."
I get tired of the sanctimonious "I'm not performing, I'm preaching God's Word." Are you proclaiming a prepared sermon before a group of people? If yes, you are performing.
A performance can come from your heart and reason being that of serving God.
Also, Scripture reading can and should be a very dramatic moment in the service. All too often Scriptue is read poorly and with no enthusiasm or inflection. This is a disservice to the Scripture. -
If you're inclined to use drama's or such, the next question is how good are they going to be. Poorly done dramas that simplify the Gospel or try to do the preaching are not really a help. If you're going to do them, do them with excellence.
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I meant to click no drama should be used in the worship of God, but I clicked the last one.
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preachinjesus Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
a mime is a terrible thing to waste...alas...
actually I can't say one of the above list of things is wrong given you do it excellently (i.e. it isn't cheesy or bad) and do appropriate to your context.
We don't do live drama often (maybe once or twice a year) but will hire out or place trained actors on stage when we do. Mostly if we have a major point we want to make we will do on video, edit it, and use it on our screens in the service. -
Is there any Scriptural evidence that any of the Apostles used drama in the Church?
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2. I have used some drama. I think there're different types of drama. But I think we have all used drama at some point from the pulpit. I have.
3. It can be simply calling a brother from the first pew to make a point before the congregation. But how far we go in drama is another thing.
4. But what I might call an object lesson might not be what you call drama. So we might need to define our terms. -
I think sometimes when a preacher preaches it is just one big drama. Anybody else ever experience something like that?
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