This report is meant to be both an analysis of Craig’n’Co’s work and a guide to empower synagogue and educational leaders to create worship and ritual moments that are experiential, educationally sound, authentic, and linked together. We need road signs on our highway of synagogue leadership. People need to know that leaving the stage to approach an audience breaks barriers; that the smell of bread baking makes people feel at home; that making musical mistakes on the bima and laughing about them with your congregation humanizes you; that publicly acknowledging people at the end of an event, even those who had only minor roles in the planning process, empowers them.
My hope is that you will gain the eyes to see Craig’s work as an educational model, and that you will be confident in implementing these methods and principles in order to create more dynamic, participatory and meaningful communal experiences. If nothing else, tackle one of these points in the coming months. Reflect on the realities of your own community, and think through the potential application of the Friday Night Live leadership principles, to enhance your own effectiveness as a worship leader and the impact of the experience on your community.