The basic issue addressed by a “Meet God” church service is that of breaking down stereotypes of God and replacing them with something more meaningful to contemporary church goers. The "Meet God" Church Service does this by helping each member of the congregation personalize God in an individual way, as opposed to having someone else form and transfer their definition of God.
How Do People Meet God?
Most older church-goers, who represent the dominant age group in many congregations, received a concept or vision of God from a parent, clergyman or Sunday School teacher. For some, it probably arrived all in one package. For others, it may have been constructed in stages.
The important distinction is that it was received from the outside-in. It was formed, defined and transferred by some other person.
Today’s younger generations live in an information age and have learned to pick and choose what information they decide best suits them. Many have also been encouraged to accumulate information, process it and decide for themselves what use or meaning it has. This process increasingly means the decisions are made from the inside-out. As the information barrage grows, it becomes important for people to have the skills that help them make good judgments.
Dealing with the God Stereotype
Older generations accepted a stereotype. God became for many of them a holy Santa Claus with a remarkable resemblance to jolly old St. Nick. Both traveled through the air but God, seemingly the more important figure, didn’t need a sleigh. These images were confusing.
Younger generations didn’t so readily accept the God stereotype and fewer became church goers. Many of those that did probably came from secure, loving families and, on the matter of God, trusted parental judgment.
The “Meet God” Church Service
The “Meet God” service portrays its message best when conducted by a lay leader of the congregation, who should be introduced by a member of the clergy in order to have the necessary sanction and credibility.
The service follows a simple format. These are guidelines for the person leading it.
- First, describe the stereotypical robed God with white flowing hair who lives somewhere amongst the clouds, etc. (Try to get some laughs.)
- Next, ask the parishioners to close their eyes and bow their heads.
- Ask parishioners to imagine God as they would like God to be, thinking of age, race, physical description, activities, home and any criteria they wish to add.
- After a minute or two, reassure people that it is fine to be creative and imaginative, the only rule being to make God over in a way that makes God lovable, friendly and as approachable as a best friend. Give examples: Meet God on a California beach, an alpine ski trail, at a relative’s hospital bed or on a favorite nature trail.
- After about three minutes of silence, say: “You have just met your God.”
End with a Discussion
As a transition, have a hymn sung, then break the congregation into discussion groups of 10 to 12 people each for 15 minutes. Talking makes the experience more memorable, lends reality and helps weave it into the fabric of every day living.
The "Meet God" Church Service permits people to form their own comfortable and individual image of God in a process that works from the inside-out. This often leads to greater intimacy with God than the from-the-outside-in process whereby a clergyman, Sunday School treacher, parent or other person conveys a more stereotypical vision of God that often seems unreal in our modern era.
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