While in the previous chapter we discussed some elements of the liturgy, we conclude this book by looking at all those who in one way or another are involved with the liturgy. We will pay attention to:

1. The congregation
2. The consistory
3. The minister or worship leader
4. The liturgical committee
5. The caretaker
6. The family

1. The congregation

It is self-evident that the congregation and its members are the primary participants in the liturgy. It is her liturgy. She comes together for it. God wants to meet her and share his words with all their content, and she in turn may give her heart to him in all the activities of the service. In the liturgy the congregation also exercises the mutual communion of the saints. That is why the congregation is intensely involved in the proclamation of the Word and the reaction to it, in the ministry of the sacrament and in the participation of it, in singing and prayer, involved also in confessing and blessing.

This involvement is made concrete in three areas:

a. The Preparation

This starts at home in the family. Concretely we think of Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon (evening). However, it would be very scanty if we were to limit our preparation to these hours of the week and the first day of the week only. Also in the days preceding Sunday we can occupy ourselves with the coming church services and meetings of the whole congregation. The church news or liturgy sheet, which appears every week or once a month, lists the services, the minister, sometimes the text or theme that will be in focus. Often a lot is said about them for whom we are going to pray and about those events for which we will thank each other. With this information you can prepare yourself personally or as a family for the coming servicve (see also section 7, “the family”).

There may also be prayer meetings during the week such as for the Sundays when the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, youth Sundays or gospel launch services and other occasions. These are meetings sometime through-the-week of reflection and prayer for the whole congregation.

b. The Celebration Itself

In the worship service the congregation may fully participate in the encounter of God with his people and with each other. She can accomplish this by being first of all an active, hearing and receiving church. God addresses her in his greeting, proclamation of grace, the reading of the law, Scripture reading and proclamation, and in the administration of the sacraments.

The municipality is allowed to hear and see. That is not only passive, but rather an active submission and focus on the words that the LORD speaks, taking them to heart and processing them in one’s mind. Subsequently, the church may be a community that responds. The sound of the gospel may be accompanied by the resonance of the church, its response to what God speaks in his words. She may accept this speaking of her King in faith and express it in songs and prayer, in sacrifice, in confessions of guilt and faith.

The answer may be heard in audible words as well as in physical postures: sitting, standing, bending, kneeling, lifting up the head, going to the table or baptismal font, etc.

Attitudes for Prayer

With regard to kneeling, it can be said that Calvin was a proponent of this. He observes with the kneeling in prayer a token of reverence and humility before the Lord God, where a truly inner attitude of submission must go hand in hand. He is also of the opinion that the lifting of the hands is a proper gesture. It implies that people are far from God if they do not lift their senses up high. It also expresses words of trust and burning desire. He is however opposed to the kneeling position in receiving the bread and wine, because it hints at the worship of these elements, as if they contain divine power or Jesus himself (T. Brienen 1987, 194). Did this perhaps lead to the fact that later on in Reformed Protestantism all kneeling, even when praying, has been abolished?
W.F. Dankbaar (1982, 70, 1986, 64) considers this is as somewhat “too radical”.

Individual church members or groups of members of the congregation can also be given a function within the whole scope of the celebration. A whole scale of potential is present in the congregation because the Spirit has given unique gifts to everyone to serve God and to build up the church (Rom. 12:1-7; 1 Cor. 12 and 14; Eph. 4:7-16). When these gifts are propely put to use, then the celebration of the liturgy can benefit all the members of the congregation; they can be enriched and grow. Thus, the service of the prayers or the Scripture reading can be assigned to one or more members.

Church members can pass on to the liturgist which causes or members prayers are required for. The Lord’s Prayer can be prayed in unison. A form prayer can be prayed by a member. In singing, alternating styles can enrich the praise of God.

Here you can think of the combination of men-women, youth-elderly, children-parents, church council-community and choir-community.

A liturgic-committee can function well in this regard and provide great service in the liturgy of the church!

In summary, it can be stated that it is a scriptural requirement for the congregation of Jesus Christ to continue to reflect on the degree and manner of involvement of the congregation and its members in the liturgy.

c. The Effect

What has taken place in the liturgy has to permeate daily life, and be used in the family liturgy as well (see under sec. 7). The service for God in the church is inextricably linked to the service for God and the neighbour at work. According to the Bible, Sunday and any working day form a larger whole (see Chapter 4 under 7). In the pastoral care of the church the involvement of the members in the liturgy will also be discussed. It can be an important point of discussion on home visits, or visits to people who are sick. One could say that the impact of the liturgy for daily living forms the chassis or frame of the vehicle, to which the pastoral care, the coachwork, can be affixed. The quality of these is guaranteed by maintaining and applying the Sunday liturgy in the daily life of the congregation.

This effect can take several shapes and forms. On Sundays the congregation can talk further about the services which were held and celebrated. At home there can be further discussion in a family context: the central Scripture passage can be read again; the songs can be sung again and the intercessions and thanksgiving are included in the personal or community prayers within the circle of family life. From this effect, impulses can grow for the anticipation of the services on the next Sunday. When the church is thus involved with the liturgy, blessings and growth may be expected in believing in her Lord and Saviour, and in her life in being of service and a witness in the midst of the world.

2. The consistory

It goes without saying that the consistory or church council is intensely involved in the entire liturgy, in the process of calling and meeting as a congregation. The task of the consistory is to ensure that the congregation can meet at regular times. It must ensure a good place and a functional building for it. It must decide on who will lead the worship service and also assign various tasks to others. It is responsible for the presence of the minister, the caretaker, the organist and collectors and the like. The notices of the place, times and nature of the meetings usually take place through announcements in the service itself or through a local liturgy sheet or regional church bulletin.

In accordance with the Church order it is the duty of the consistory to summon the church to meet at least twice on the Lord's day, under the ministry of the Word. At the discretion of the church council, it is also up to them to call the members together on workdays. Examples are prayer and thanksgiving services, emergency services in times of war, persecution and other general disasters. The congregation will also meet on recognized Christian Feast days.

The consistory shall also see to it that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper will take place such that the congregation is most edified by it. This also applies to the administration of baptism.

The consistory also needs to ensure that there is a regular provision of sermons, and for drawing up an order, or orders, of service. It can assign a liturgical committee to give advice and assistance with various arrangements (see below under 4). It bears responsibility for attracting and appointing organists, for engaging choir or other musical contributions in the service, for designating which songs will be sung and for appointing members with regard to a particular contribution in the service.

In this way the consistory must see to it that all things will occur according to the rule of the Scriptures, with proper order, to the building up of the congregation and to the glory of God. “The consistory must ensure that the congregation will join in a constant listening to the richness of the Scriptures, so that it will make the riches of God's liberating action transparent in its midst and beyond. This will have to happen in the openness toward each other in pastoral care and the diaconate, and should find its reflection in the worship service” (M.A. Vrijlandt 1987, 326).

Duties of Elders and Deacons

We can point here as well to the task of office bearers in relation to the service. The leading elder (or “elder-of-service”) leads in the so-called consistory prayer; he can welcome the congregation at the beginning of the service, and pass on the announcements, which does not have to be done by the person on the pulpit. He takes the minister or worship leader to the pulpit and gives him the hand of fellowship (Ph.J. Huijser 1959, 174ff). This elder would also be able to take care of parts of the service such as Scripture readings and prayers. The service of the reader is a very old ecclesiastical custom (K. Deddens I-117, 1984). Obviously, attention must be paid here to the suitability to read for the entire church: easily audible and with clear articulation. A couple of elders can also help with the orderly execution of the administration of the sacraments, baptism and supper. In addition to the elders, the deacons also have their own function in regard to the liturgy. Usually they are entrusted by the consistory with the collection of gifts, the keeping and processing of the collections. In various municipalities the deacons are also active in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. They assist, usually in consultation with the caretaker, in preparing the table and providing bread and wine. During the celebration, deacons can help to provide the plate and cup to the participants and refill these as needed.This function also has old roots in a tradition from the early Christian church. Also concerning the preaching, the deacons must see to it that the saints, the members of the church, are equipped for service among themselves (Eph. 4:11f) and also for others (Gal. 6:10). The needs of the world's current system must be dealt with. Biblical, diaconal key words such as humility, justice, love and peace, care and help for the poor, foreigners and oppressed must be acknowledgment in the preaching in clear language for the congregation. In this context it would be constructive if the deacons, in diaconal collections, themselves give an explanation of this in the service, possibly supported by a certain Scripture. This may help the church to give more purposefully. Also in the prayers and the songs the diaconal moment of salvation must be expressed in words.

The deacons will also see to it that help is offered in picking up church members who themselves are unable to come to the church. They must ensure that the church building is easily accessible to disabled people. Deacons also fulfill a great task by enabling homebound members to participate as much as possible in the services through technological media.

The minister or worship leader

The consistory assigns the management of the service and all events therein to one or more persons. Usually this is the minister, the one who leads the service and whom we can therefore call the liturgist.

In the Scripture reading and proclamation he is God’s mouthpiece to the church and in the prayers of the church he is the mouthpiece to God. He may also indicate the organization of the service. For everything must be done in an orderly way in the encounter of God with his people, because God is a God of peace and not of disorder (1 Cor. 14:33, 40). That is why the liturgist directs the service in the order that the consistory has established, in consultation with the congregation.

It is important that the liturgist prepares himself with care for the service, so that he does not put up a hindrance for the congregation to be fully involved in the service and in all activities of it, but rather takes the congregation along and activates the members for the meeting with God and each other. He must not seek himself anywhere, although he may himself be completely present, but he must put himself at the service of the worship of the congregation. In this way he experiences in his own way the rich blessing of being together with God and with each other. The Holy Spirit wants to use him to that end, with his special gifts.

4. The liturgical committee

The consistory can create a liturgical committee or deploy a specific working group to deal with the liturgy. This committee will deal with matters concerning the liturgy. In consultation with the consistory and the minister, this committee reflects on the celebration of the liturgy in all its sections and its various forms. It also serves as a bridge between consistory and congregation to inform the latter and to make it more aware of and involved in the liturgy. This is of course done by order of, and in permanent consultation with, the consistory.

It is important to have as varied a composition as possible for the liturgical committee, so that younger and older members, liturgically skilled and liturgically interested members, musical experts and ecclesiastical leaders, are part of it.

P. Oskamp has indicated in his book Speelruimte (1980) the possibilities and composition of such a working group for liturgic matters. In two appendices we find a task description and model instructions for such working groups in the congregation. Consistories can be guided by the creation of such a working group and the functioning of it.

In general, there are four tasks for the liturgy commission:

a. Inventory

The committee starts with the current situation of the liturgy in the church. How are things done currently in the church service. This is looked at and described in its entirety and in its parts. It is a mapping of the liturgical events with an indication of the contributions of different members.

b. Reflection

The committee will examine the fundamental question of what liturgy is, what should be the norms and sources for the liturgy, what are the backgrounds and possibilities of the liturgy. There must be a substantial, biblical interpretation regarding the liturgy within this committee.

c. Coordination

The committee will consider which persons perform a task in the service of the liturgy. It can have a conversation with these members and inquire about wishes, questions and comments. It discusses which members can be deployed in the actual realization of the service so that the gifts in the congregation are used as much as possible and the church itself is involved in the worship service. One can think of the caretaker, the ushers, the organist, the reader, those who are collecting, the one who takes care of the prayers, the minister, the deacons (see above) and others.

d. Practical Design

The question arises in the committee” where and how the existing liturgy can be intensified or possibly enriched. It can, on behalf of the consistory, look into the order of service, the course of Scripture readings, preaching, the manner of baptism and communion, the themes for special services, etc. The committee will especially be concerned with the question of how the church and its members can and should be involved in the worship service. It is possible to draw up a report on this in order to serve the consistory in taking care of the liturgy and to inform the congregation more about the manner of coming together and the nature of the event (see: M.A. Vrijlandt 1987, 330v).

5. The Custodian

The custodian of the church fulfills a very important function for the meetings of the congregation. He must see to it that the building, the space where the congregation meets, is suitable for a stylish and orderly course of worship. He should keep the building clean and — assisted by others and commissioned by the consistory or the management committee — ensure it is in good shape such that all the services can be held and that all activities can be performed as well as possible.

He pays attention to the right temperature in the building, ensures sufficient space and gives guests a suitable seat to attend the service. The custodian is the calling card for the congregation. He is hospitality personified, and by his example he awakens the members of the church to be hospitable as well. He ensures that there are enough Bibles, psalm books or hymnals available, and gives newcomers, if necessary, an explanation of the course of events in the service here in this building. Well before the service he prepares the psalm boards, fills the glass on the pulpit, opens the pulpit Bible at the Scripture to be read and opens the songbook on the pulpit. He ensures that the tape recorder works, that it functions at the start of the service and that the headset is switched on and off in time. On Sundays when there is a baptism he ensures the baptismal font is in the right place and that the baptismal water is the right temperature. When a couple is to be married, he puts the kneeler bench ready and reserves the places for the bridal couple and the family. Also in funeral services, which take place in the church, he ensures that everything is organized and can be done in an orderly manner. That is why the custodian is sometimes called the “right hand” of the minister. The custodian or caretaker is the person who performs numerous domestic services for the congregational meetings, supervises the church building and the like. That explains why in Latin he is called the “custos” i.e., the caretaker or guard. Sometimes he does small but very necessary things so that the services can be held. The custodian is a kind of “doorkeeper” (see Ps. 84) but he does so much more. Not only does he open and close the doors of the church building but he also has to take care that in and around the church everythings is clean and remains neat. Because of him or in consultation with him, flowers get a place in the church hall. He makes sure, as we heard earlier, that the services are being recorded so that members of the congregation who cannot attend church, will be able to listen to them at home.

In the Roman tradition the custodianship was seen as a sacred ministry. Through his service at the altar and in the sacristy (the pastors' room), through his play and song he could replace lower orders of the clergy. The custodian must make serious study of the Roman faith and of the Latin church language. As someone who is initiated, he has to have a great deal of insight into the origins of symbolism of the external activities in the liturgy, e.g., the Eucharist. Musical knowledge and a good grasp of the lectures, headings and colours of the church year are indispensable. He must be knowledgeable about construction and painting. Order, cleanliness, reverence and vigilance are expected virtues from him. A handbook for custodians was even published with about 400 pages. So in the Roman Church one cannot just become a custodian. It is not a part-time job, but it is a weighty office with great meaning.

The situation is different in the churches of the Reformation. There is no talk of a special office, no ecclesiastical honour, no special training is necessary. Often he is remunerated at a lower rate, yet a versatility of characteristics is nevertheless required (L.S. den Boer 1970, 207ff).

The custodian is the quiet, ubiquitous, servant to all — the almost invisible center of every church service.

The Family

In discussing all the people who are in some way involved in the liturgy in the congregational meetings, we have now arrived at the family. In a way you could say that families are “‘churches-on-a-small-scale”. A family together forms a community, a fellowship. What happens in the meetings of the congregation may be learned and rehearsed at home. If one wants to be able to pray well in and with the congregation, then we will have to have learned how to pray with each other in the family. In this connection one should also see how the daily reading of the Bible is important in the family context. There may be a devotional that helps to clarify certain Bible passages and helps to understand the meaning for today. It is also very good that families sing. And further, that in this circle the salvation of God is talked about, under the guidance of father and mother. On special days (birthdays, anniversaries, marriages of the children, etc.) and on special occasions (births, deaths, marriages, military service, pass or fail for an exam, etc.) the family also talks about such things, prays, and sings. In this way the family liturgy functions as a training school for the liturgy in the church, in the midst of the whole congregation (M. van Campen 1991).

There is yet a more immediate engagement of the family with the celebration of the meeting as church. If it is known which Scripture is central in the church the coming Sunday, one can prepare for it in the family by reading and discussing this section. The family can also be eminently involved in an upcoming celebration of a sacrament or an approaching baptismal service. We think further of the Sunday on which young members make profession of faith, or a “youth-and-seniors-Sunday” in which especially the relationship between the younger people and the elderly is central, or of a Sunday where a special relief effort is in focus, etc. Likewise in the prayers of the family members, the coming services to God can be prayed for, along with the pastor, the elder-of-service, the custodian, the organist and any who perform a task in the services. After the services, God can be thanked for what he gave. The intercessions and thanksgivings in the services in relation to congregation members and situations in society and the world can be continued at home, also during the week days. In the family, parents can explain to the children what happens in the church services, such as the silence at the beginning of the service, the handshake to the pastor by the elder, the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine, etc.

Thus family, liturgy and congregation are united. They form a unity that may be carried by the fear of the Lord, the devotion to God, and the love for the neighbour. Under God's blessing the faith of the family members may grow in connectedness to the church services. Families with a living liturgy at home together, form a fellowship with a flourishing liturgy in God's house!