As Lutherans, worship stands at the center of our life of faith.
At Good Shepherd, worship is where our entire community comes together to be fed and praise God. Our worship services enable us to meet each other where we are and grow together in God and community. Worship is a core value. We express our faith through the Word, sacraments, and music. Worship gives us a chance to remove ourselves from our normal daily routines and focus solely on praising God and growing our faith.
Since the pandemic, we have explored ways to “cross-pollinate” elements of worship between campuses. While we worship at two campuses, we are one community worshiping in various ways. The styles in which we worship do not define our worship but help us appreciate and deepen our faith through traditional practices as well as modern expressions. In all our practices and expressions we hope our worship forms our hearts around the Gospel and the table and sends us out to bear God’s image to the world.
The 2022 strategic plan provided recommendations on how worship could be enhanced at Good Shepherd. The following summarizes enhancements undertaken to date and areas still under development.
What has been accomplished so far?
Seasonal planning is now occurring to enhance the worship experience.
A renewed focus has occurred on following the lectionary. These themes anchor our seasons, making worship cohesive in theme and message.
The number of gifted individuals delivering positive sermon experiences has been expanded to include: Theologian in residence, seminarian, former pastors, and a deacon.
Increased musical collaboration is occurring between campuses and services. We are fortunate and blessed to have over 100 music volunteers who help lead music and worship weekly, spreading the word of God through meaningful music and enabling all musicians to grow spiritually. Our music ministry welcomes everyone without exception.
The music coordinator is rebuilding and cultivating the children and youth music ministries at both campuses.
We learned from COVID.
Two examples:
While we had an online presence prior to COVID, we were blessed with talent and resources that allowed our online presence to grow significantly. Post-COVID, online service attendance is a significant portion of total attendance, creating a huge opportunity and responsibility.
Out of necessity all service elements were combined, which unified our worship experience. After COVID, we reestablished our unique services, but learned from the COVID experience by blending and weaving together various common elements.
Summary of our current worship services:
Madison Campus
9:00 a.m. Sunday
Worship with traditional Lutheran textures and rhythms
Choir membership at our Madison campus has surged since the pandemic and is the largest in years. Overall attendance at this service is increasing with a strong renewed family presence.
Verona Campus
10:00 a.m. Sunday
Modern expressions of praise and prayer anchored by fundamental worship traditions.
Over the past decade we have introduced more deeply Lutheran liturgies into this service while keeping its high praise rhythms. As this time and location continues to evolve and grow, it will be important for us to develop a more consistent leadership presence.
Verona Campus
6:00 p.m. Sunday
Songs, prayers, and reflections rooted in ancient practices and present-day cares and concerns.
Originally designed as a youth service, this worship service has expanded to all ages and stages of the heart. This evening service allows for different schedules and rhythms and creates dedicated space for personal and communal reflection.
What remains to be accomplished?
The one worship element that is experienced by ALL members of Good Shepherd is the sermon. Well prepared, well delivered teaching/feeding sermons are highly desired by Good Shepherd members. To address this the following steps are planned:
Provide pastors and those delivering sermons the time and financial support to refine and enhance their sermon delivery skills through continuing education.
Explore tools and/or techniques that can be utilized to enhance the sermon experience for our significant online community AND simultaneously enhance the experience of those attending in-person. Members with expertise in these areas should be tapped to assist.
At Good Shepherd, worship is where our entire community comes together to praise God and be fed. Through the strategic plan and lessons of the pandemic, Good Shepherd has made progress on enhancing the worship experience, but opportunities for additional enhancement remain. We will strive to make enhancements for the membership of Good Shepherd and for those in the larger world with whom we are called to share the Good News and to serve.
Lead Pastor's Role in Enhancing Worship
The ideal candidate will be an active member of Worship/Music/Arts Committee and staff planning for worship. She or he will support the ongoing enhancement of all aspects of our three worship services, including: welcome, the Word via message delivery, music, liturgy, and active participation in fellowship before and after worship services. Ongoing leadership of how to best serve the diverse desires for worship style and worship times will also be provided.