The experience of having theatre in one’s church is unique. It not only provides a visceral engagement for the congregation of sermons starters, but also gives opportunity for social engagement and community outreach.
Researchers in the field have explored these benefits and discovered that, ‘Theatre has the ability to communicate multiple streams of content on multiple levels (intellectual, emotional, kinesthetic)’ (Savidge, 2009, pg.10). However, theatre in the church is often only used for special occasions such as Easter, Advent, and Christmas. If drama in the church is believed to be an effective way of engaging congregation, it could be asked why it is not used more regularly as a part of the sermons. And second, if it did become an integral part of the ministry, how important would it be to develop a good model and an effective leadership team to run it?
People in the church do not realize the true power of using drama as a part of the ministry. In order for the church to use drama more regularly in the church, they need to realize the true potential of this ministry and what it can bring to a congregation. The way parishes sees drama in the church, it has differs into two groups, the ones that see drama as an effective tool to touch peoples’ hearts and the ones that thinks drama in the church is more for entertainment purposes and anything that is entertainment is not allowed in church as it is not godly.
Steve Pederson’s book, Drama Ministry (1999) has few practical answers to address this issue. In his first chapter “The Power of Drama” (p.15) he stated, “The problem for some who oppose the use of drama in the church is the idea that drama is merely ‘entertainment’.” However, “a good drama can bring out wholeso...
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...istry in a church is needed but to prevent the newly creative team to fade away, there’s a need of community gathering, not just discussing about rehearsal but basically asking about “what do you feel about last night presentation?” or just sit on the floor together with a candle and discussing about a bible verses that each individual of the team just read on that day.
Works Cited
Dale Savidge, Performing the Sacred, 2009, USA
Steve Pederson, Drama Ministry, 1999, USA
Alison Siewert, Drama Team Handbook, 2003, USA
"If We Shadows Have Offended: Towards A Worship Theology For Drama in The Church" by Dale Harris, 2007 - Journal
"Church Drama And Conservative Christianity: Developing A Drama Ministry At Broadway Church of Christ" by Laurie. L. Doyle, BA.MM, 2002 - Dissertation
Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Pearson-Prentice, 2010. 40-49. Print.
Olive, David. "Possibilities of Performance: New Ways of Teaching Dramatic Literature." Links & Letters 2 (1995): 9-17. UAB Digital Repository of Documents. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
"Elizabethan Theatre Audiences." Elizabethan Theatre Audiences. Strayer University, 16 May 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Lazarus, Joan. "On the Verge of Change: New Directions in Secondary Theatre Education." Applied Theatre Research 3.2 (July 2015): 149-161. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/atr.3.2.149_1.
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Kernodle, George R. "The Theater Of Exaltation: Modern Tragedy And Poetic Drama." Kernodle, George R. Invitation to the Theatre. New Yory: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1967. 217-223.
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