So a rabbi, a priest, and a minister ... now tell lots of jokes

This fall, when the people of New England Bible Church wanted to have a really good time, they got together at the start of Sunday worship to memorize Bible verses.

Part of the fun was the game-show atmosphere, as "contestants" filled in the blanks of a verse. But part of it was also the mood of levity that invades a realm once known more for hard pews than hard laughs. One recent Sunday, a good-natured quiz pitting elders against deacons connected with congregants partly because of its tongue-in-cheek tone. "This is all for show," Pastor Tyler Thompson assured the flock. "These people up here really don't like each other all that much." Everyone laughed.

From here to Hollywood, somber services where smiles are frowned upon have in many churches gone the way of sky-high pulpits and knuckle-rapping ushers. In its place is an effort to tap the nation's culture of humor to promote spiritual gain:

• In Texas and southern California, church outreach ministries now include Christian comedy shows that draw upwards of 300 people.

• A forthcoming book on "The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching" (Zondervan, 2005) dedicates an entire chapter to humor as a homiletic device.

• Preachers in congregations large and small are building laughter into their worship plans.

Example: The Rev. Paul Sangree of Bethany Congregational Church in Foxboro, Mass., pokes fun at himself every week because he finds "it loosens people up."

To be sure, certain areas of church life remain no joking matter. A preacher who once joked with bread and wine while serving the Lord's Supper earned the scorn of his congregation for "demeaning those in some way," according to The Rev. John Beukema, who wrote the humor chapter in the new book on preaching.

Still, observers say what's happened has been a shift to speak the laugh-getting language of a casual culture that values entertainment. Some do voice concerns about a loss of reverence, but many see the lighter side as a vital tactic for touching souls.

"It is going to be impossible to preach without using humor," says Joseph Webb, author of "Comedy and Preaching" (Chalice Press, 1998) and dean of the communications program at Palm Beach Atlantic University. "You will not be able to stand up and hold the people if you cannot work the stage."

With faith that there's much to gain from cutting loose, religious leaders increasingly work laughs into announcements, sermons, and dramatizations of scripture.

While the goal is to connect to today's flock, the trend draws on tradition. Seminary students are mining the sermons of yesteryear's preachers who had a flair for making the faithful chuckle. And some pastors regard the Bible itself as seasoned with more than a few funny stories.

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