Church as the work of the people
The community gathering should not be the work of a few professionals, but the work of the people within the community. This does not necessarily mean every person will be involved, or even most people. However, each person should have equal access to the creative process. The planning of the gathering should be open to all. The hope is for a more bottom-up structure, rather than the typical professional top-down hierarchical structure that is tied to so much of church history. Church and liturgy as the work of the people should also allow for a much more participatory gathering. The liturgy should be created in such a way as to involve people, draw them in, and encourage participation. As more people are welcomed into the liturgy there should also be a greater diversity of voices. Rather than two or three professionals doing most of the talking during the gathering, there should be a variety of voices contributing. Along these lines, equality should be encouraged through the rejection of a distinction between professional and non-professional roles in the gathering. While there may be some individuals with more training or ability for teaching or leading worship, that does not mean others cannot take on these roles. The boundaries of clergy and laity can be broken down without rejecting leadership altogether. The goal is to invite participation and contribution – not just for the peripheral portions of the service, but for the entire service.
