Last week we had part one of things we learned on the worship survey. It’s not surprising that not everyone agreed about what works and what doesn’t but some interesting questions also arose. Like…Why do our preachers not often preach from the pulpit and the companion question, why don’t our preachers preach on the floor level? Back before there was the ability to amplify voices in church, there were pulpits…set up to help people to see and hear the preacher. In some spaces, like ours, it also emphasized that the pastors are ‘set apart’ for their work. The distance was a design choice following church trends at the time it was designed/built. I preach from the pulpit for funerals because I am stepping in to the strength of the call and the witness of all of the saints. But I find the pulpit a little confining for my style for weekend worship. When I started at GLC I did preach from the floor. It took a little while, but eventually some folks told me that I wasn’t as tall as I may think and I was difficult to see. Since then, I’ve been preaching from the top step, especially when the sanctuary is more crowded.—Pastor Trudy
