Thanks for the comments, Very useful!!
Two words are coming to mind…
‘Shape’ and ‘accessible’

You asked for comments about Iona worship – and “flat-pack” is probably, as Tom suggests, a good term for it.

To be successful, something which is flat-packed has to have a good firm base to be assembled on. For me Iona worship, while highly spiritual, is also very much earthed. It has that base. When it works, it springs from where it is – the time, the place, the participants. The kit of parts is assembled with skill and care by a sensitive enabler. Sometimes, it actually self-assembles.

Iona “worship” often does not work when transplanted entire into a local situation by someone who has “been there” and got the book.

So what is there in the kit of parts? For me -

There is the music – or rather the words, for, if you use WG songs and were brought up in Central Scotland, you sometimes have to put “alternative” words for some of the tunes out of your mind! But music does not have to be WG. The words will be carefully constructed, will often be based closely on Scripture and will sometimes be directed to a particular situation. Most importantly the words will actually make sense (intellectually and theologically) – unlike some modern worship songs! On the other hand, some could be simple chants. The tunes will be singable, even for the tonally challenged.

There are the prayers or reflections – crafted or chosen to speak to the situation, the time, the people. Earthed in the world as it is, not as we might like it to be. They might be “celtic”, they might not be. They will be crafted, but not ornate.

There is time – the people will feel involved, participating, even if not actually “doing” anything. They will be given time for this, not feeling as if they were being rushed through a script. So there will be quiet, silence, space.

All this is very subjective, but it is very difficult to actually pin down what Iona worship is. It just is!

Regards

Ron

As I recall post-posting it was a colleague bemoaning the monthly ‘enforced’ WG worship at college, naturally I prefer the positive angle…

The huge advantage of WG material is that it can be adapted to such a wide range of circumstances

Tom