The Use Of The Arts In The Service Of The Word

The arts are intended to enhance the text, not dominate the worship. Their function is to highlight, festoon, illustrate, or express the Word. Because modern worship renewalists recognize the Service of the Word as an act of communication, a new interest has emerged in the use of the communication arts. The reading of the Scripture may be done through reader's theater, dialogic readings, drama, and storytelling. The sermon or message may also be communicated through a storytelling approach and may include a time for feedback and application. Dance also has an appropriate place in the Service of the Word as a means of festooning the reading of the gospel or as a response to the sermon. Great care should be taken in the use of the arts to prevent them from taking on the character of a "performance. " The arts are servants of the text; they interpret the text and assist in the communication of the text and are never an end in themselves. It is well to recognize that the use of arts in…