The basic format of worship using stations is to have an overall theme, and then some designated points of activity around the worship space. Each of these offers stimulus and directions for a meditation or activity based on the theme. After a brief collective introduction to the theme and the layout, the punters are then free to visit these points on their own, generally in any order, for as long as they wish. They interact with the station according to the directions at it.
Using stations in worship means that individuals determine the pace and content of their experience depending on their needs and response to the issues raised. The worship tends to be interactive rather than discursive, and therefore has a greater chance of connecting with a greater number of people. Stations allow for people to interact with a theme on a number of levels, and often generate a more creative and holistic engagement than traditional didactic or linear structures, because of the variety of ritual acts and stimulus involved. Worshippers may be invited to write, draw, touch, imagine, reflect, smell, listen, and move at any given station. The kinesthetic dimension enables participation in the theme in deep and significant ways. In other words it allows the Spirit of God to speak in different ways to different people.
There are a few practical details that need to be considered in setting up a stations service. The number of stations is to some extent determined by the expected size of the congregation. Too few stations for the number of people leads to queues, or distraction, and people tend to opt out of participation. Too many and people are overwhelmed by the choice and tend to rush from one to the next. The stations need to be far enough apart so that there is room for several people to get near whatever objects or stimulus have been provided. The congregation needs to be invited to participate and told how, not just left hanging around. They need to know roughly how long they have to cover the stations and that they can choose to do all or one or none. The directions for the stations need to be either printed on a single sheet that people carry with them, or available in multiple copies at each station. It is good to have one or two ‘stations’ that are not located in a specific place in the building, but can be done seated wherever people find themselves. This means that those who find getting up to participate daunting, or unappealing can still engage with the theme from their seats.
Care and thought needs to be given to the relevance of any given ritual or action to the theme and to the congregation. Is what people are being invited to do actually going to enable a deeper engagement with the ideas or with the story? Or is it just an action for the sake of it? Sometimes, links need to be made explicit. For example, if the station has a bowl with water and the theme is repentance, it is better to include in the directions a statement such as ‘consider one incident from the last week that you regret. As you wash your hands, imagine that moment being cleansed from you’ rather than simply ‘you might like to wash your hands’.
It’s also important to consider the mood you want. Is it quiet, sombre, reflective? Or do you want people to interact with each other as well as the stations, in a more chatty and convivial way? This needs to be signaled, and can be determined to a large extent by lighting and sound. It’s generally more effective to play music tracks than to have silence while the stations are visited.
Endings are important too. Depending on the nature of the service, you might bring everyone back together for a communal action, such as a responsive reading, song, or communion, or it might be the kind of thing that people do in their own time and just leave when they’re finished. Either way, this needs to be made clear.
Below are some examples of ‘stations’ type worship that we have offered at Cityside and other places. In the near future we hope to produce a further book/CDROM of resources specifically around using stations and ambient spaces and the like. Contact us if you would like to know when that is available.