Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Denton Mystery Worship Six: A Nearly Perfect Experience

Denton Mystery Worship Six: A Nearly Perfect Experience

Last updated on: May 25, 2017 at 11:34 am by Christy Thomas

Denton Mystery Worship Six: A Nearly Perfect Experience 2017-05-25T11:34:13-05:00 Christy Thomas

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“The hour and forty minute service passed as though I had been there only a few moments.” Both my companions and I had the same reaction after discovering that the people of Friendship Baptist Church in The Colony actually lived up to their name, offering friendly greetings, hugs, handshakes and an experience of deep worship on Oct. 19, 2014.

I had picked that church for this week’s visit primarily by time and location, needing an early service in eastern Denton county in order to deal with other calendar obligations. An 8 am worship service fit the bill, and the location, on Main Street in The Colony, was perfect. That was all I knew beforehand.

So it was with eyes agog that we drove onto the campus of Friendship Baptist at 7:45 am, seeing a parking lot already filling with as numerous well-dressed members of this primarily African-American church spilled from their cars and headed into a large, red-brick building.

We found a space and entered the doors leading to the spacious and immaculate sanctuary. Before we did, two women at the outside door offered us hugs and gracious greetings. An usher proffered a worship bulletin filled with announcements of the many services this congregation offers as well as a simple order of worship and basic information.

Taped music softly surrounded us as people entered. The blue-carpeted, blue-cushioned space, seating at perhaps 500 at full capacity, offered a serene setting as we settled into the comfortable pews and made initial observations. Two large but unobtrusive screens flanked a choir loft seating approximately 40 people, placed just under a simple stained glass rose window. Seasonally colored masses of carnations nestled the pulpit and altar. Off to one side, and nearly invisible to the congregation, sat an electronic piano, and drums.

Announcements flashed by on the screens, but when the countdown clock appeared, announcements were replaced by multiple Scripture references with a suggestion to read them and prepare for worship.

At 7:59, the blue-robed choir came in, and a worship leader came to the pulpit with words of welcome, a reading from Scripture, and a gentle prayer calling for the blessing of God upon this time. A one-minute meet and greet followed. A devotional moment and the reading of Psalm 23 was led by two of the Deacons. Latecomers still lining up at the doors were invited to be seated.

I had this sense of being both bathed in prayer and prepared to enter into worship as the choir and choir leader brought us into a time of call and response music.

At 8:23, we took our seats as a series of well-prepared and articulately delivered announcements were made, amazing me at the width and depth of the various ministries and outreach opportunities springing from this congregation.

The choir stood again. I was enveloped and engulfed by the music, led by this exquisite set of voices, highlighted by two different soloists. I was near tears by the time they finished, steeped in a sense of the Holy Presence of God, touched by the expressions of response by various members of the congregation during this time.

More information about key ministries of the church followed, followed by the reception of the tithes (that which we owe God) and offerings (seed money offered to God), supported by yet another piece of choir music.

We then stood for the reading of Holy Scripture. No pew Bibles were available, but most people had brought their own. The words were also on the screens as the first four verses of Psalm 34, King James Version, were read. Then, at 8:57, The Rev. Gregory C. Trotter, Senior Pastor, began his message, “Overcoming Worry.”

A memorable message, springing straight from the Scripture passage just read, came from the eloquent tongue of Rev. Trotter. For the next 35 minutes, he wove an elegant web between the richness of Scripture and the reality of his congregants lives. He started out so softly I held my breath for fear of missing a word, and ending with such power that I wondered how I could ever waste a moment again for the rest of my life in such a fruitless activity as worry.

Rev. Trotter then moved seamlessly into an invitation to Christian Discipleship as male and female leaders came forward to welcome any who might wish to become a part of this congregation. Those who came forward did so to the applause of the congregation, and, after a time of prayer and conversation, were introduced by a Deacon and welcomed by Rev. Trotter. A benediction by Rev. Trotter, and a joining of hands by all members of the congregation for the sung “Amen,” ended a moving time of worship.

As we were walking out, my companions both said, “I’d like to come here every Sunday–it was as perfect a church service as I’ve ever experienced.” My response, “I’m afraid I’m about to lose my partners on this journalistic peripatetic worship adventure!”

[Note: the above article is slated to run in the Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, edition of the Denton Record Chronicle.]

Additional Comments:

In the analysis time after the service, we sought to pick apart what we found so compelling about the morning worship. Certainly, I’m no Baptist, and their doctrinal statement, clearly printed in the bulletin, is not one to which I could adhere. So actually joining such a congregation would be impossible for me.

But they drew me, not for doctrinal reasons, but for the compelling, well-integrated experience.. Technology was used, but did not dominate. Music was spectacular, but was participatory, not performance in nature. The highly sexual elements that I have seen in all the contemporary worship services I’ve attended the last few months was conspicuously absent. The robed choir made it impossible to gawk at nubile female bodies writhing in front of the audience–and I use “audience” deliberately. This group of people were a congregation in worship together, not an audience to a performance.

Two other factors hit us: here, people did dress for worship. Men in suits and ties, the women in tailored street clothes, the children as carefully appareled. This added to the sense that something special was preparing to take place, an audience, so to speak, with the King.

Second was the age and skill of the Senior Pastor, Rev. Trotter. He exuded wisdom, profound Biblical knowledge, and intimate awareness of the lives of his congregants. He spoke well, with a cadence set for the ear and without some of the verbal tics that accompany less accomplished preachers. No, “ummmm’s” or “you know’s” or “It was awesome’s” peppered his words. He was prepared, articulate, and eloquent.

Yet I know that such an experience of worship hardly “meets the needs” of the younger generation, who ask above all for convenience. Dressing up is not convenient. Neither is a nearly two hour worship time, nor bringing one’s own Bible or taking one of the many volunteer service slots obviously necessary for such a complete worship time.

And then there is the cry for “relevance.”

So, can an older pastor be relevant? I think the question itself is relevant. Has the age/experience gap so widened between youth and age, has the respect formally shown for wisdom so disappeared that an older pastor has little impact and even less respect?

I’m a baby boomer–and came of age in the late 60’s and early 70’s when our watchword was, “don’t trust anyone over 30.” Then, of course, we radical ones who were sure that “making love, not war” encapsulated all of the world’s possible wisdom grew older and discovered how very complex life was and still is. We discovered that our easy answers weren’t dealing with the real questions. We created our own institutions to replace the ones we so cavalierly tossed aside.

Those coming of age now have the right and the responsibility to create institutions and forms of religious expressions that speak to them. Perhaps I’m being a bit naive when I suggest,, “You still have much to learn–and those with some age in them have a great deal to offer.” However true that statement is, it does appear that the appreciation of wisdom, hard-gained by many stumblings, marked by scars from mistakes, and formed by the dark nights of the soul and the practice of the spiritual disciplines has diminishing respect these days.

Such respect, however, must go both ways. I have a lot of admiration for those who know early that they have a call to enter the punishing world of the pastorate, and who can couple that call with talent, charisma, and entrepreneurial passions, all of which are necessary to build a sustainable church. I just say: such ones need the groundedness of those who have gone before. Too many end up crashing and burning as has Mark Driscoll recently. That kind of clerical tragedy takes too many down with him.

Friendship Baptist Church of The Colony

older clergy

technology in worship

Previous Post

October 15, 2014

Why the UMC is Such a Dismal Failure at Church Planting #UMC

Next Post

October 29, 2014 Don't Tell Me Little Boys Can't Sit Still for Worship

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category " obedience abortion accommodation accountability administration adolescence Advent advice an ordinary death anxiety apology apportionments Ash Wednesday ask thoughtfulpastor baptism betrayal Bible bondage calling certainty change character charity children Christianity Christmas church church as garden clergy clergy credentials closure comfort compassion competition compromise Confirmation conservation conservative conspiracy theories consumer conversion coronavirua corruption courage covenant cultural context death Deconstruction discipleship discord divorce doctrine doing good drugs dysfunctional Easter Easter; Resurrection education election entertainment envy escape evaluation evil exclusive church exercise faith faithfulness family fasting fear feast featured film review finances first world problem food forgiveness fundamentalist garden gay marriage General Conference generosity giving thanks GLBT glory good government grace guilt habit happy harmony hateful acts healing health health care heaven hell hello/goodbye heresy hidden agenda holiness homelessness homosexuality humility hymn hypocrisy Imago Dei In training inclusive church indulgence injustice innocents insurance intolerance itinerancy joy Justice kindness Kingdom of Heave kingdom of heaven language laughter laundry lawsuit leadership Lent LGBTQ liberal life Little Things Matter longform meandering thoughts memories mercy metaphor metrics miracle misfortunes morality Mormon Muslim mystery worship natural disasters New Category Name nutrients older adults oppression pain Paleo paperwork partnered pastor peace pension pharmaceutical placebo politics poverty prayer privilege public schools questions quiet racism rain reason reconciliation religion repentance requirements rescue respect rest resurrection retirement Sabbath sacrament sacred salvation same-sex marriage sanctuary schism schooling science SCOTUS secrecy separation of church and state sexism sexuality short cuts silence sin sleep soil spiritual journey stillness suffering surgery sustainable church teacher technology thank you theology therapy thinking tolerance TOS trust truth Uncategorized welcome Why Easter? wisdom women worship

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 March 2025 February 2025 December 2024 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 October 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 July 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz