Francis Chan in a video session of Crazy Love brings up an idea that I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while—what would happen if we took the Gospel to a group of people, devoid of our cultural traditions about church, and they had nothing to build a church by except the Bible in their hands? Would their church look much like our churches in America do today? Probably not.
A couple of weeks back, Dave Miller wrote about the idea of our culture dictating our worship “styles” and asked whether or not we were harming the God-intended cross-cultural unity of the church by demanding conformity to our own personal preferences. While I believe the Gospel both impacts us in our culture and draws us to transcend and not conform to many parts of our culture, I also think we will always be left with the tension of trying to figure the balance between cultural influence and worship in spirit and in truth.
But I do believe both Francis Chan and Dave Miller are on to something with their ideas. And I think part of our problem stems from the fact that church worship has become more of a production than a heartfelt and spirits-united corporate event of praise to God. Perhaps our worship needs to be more organic.
Organic is a word we hear tossed around a lot today, especially in regards to food. The term simply means something which is natural and less processed. This is an apt term when it comes to worship as well. Much of the worship that goes on in our churches week after week (whether large or small, whether with praise teams and guitars or with a song leader and organ) is processed. A few (or less) people sit down, ponder what songs to sing, and then page numbers are written down, titles and sometimes words are printed in bulletins, and PowerPoints are made for projection on the screen. The piano plays, the guitars strum, the drums beat, all while the guy in the suit and tie keeps time with the wave of his hand or the guy in the t-shirt and hole-filled jeans closes his eyes, keeps one hand on the guitar, and raises the other in the air.
Contemporary or traditional, it’s the same—someone selected the music, someone told everyone else exactly what to sing, someone went through the process of delivering the live production.
Certainly it’s the way things are done in the culture—produce, rehearse, practice, present… but is that the way church worship was done in Scripture?
In the Old Testament you did have groups of men put in charge of singing at the temple, and you even had a song book—or a psalm book, of which we are still commanded to make use in the New Testament (Colossians 3:16). But in the New Testament, worship gatherings of the church became located in houses, upper rooms, jail cells, and fields. There was structure and order but things also appear to be less planned.
While we have hints of the look of corporate worship throughout the Gospels and Acts, one of the clearest pictures comes from 1 Corinthians 14. As Paul wrote, he addressed several problems in the church at Corinth, including problems with their corporate worship times. These involved everything from the abuse of the Lord’s Supper to ecstatic and nonsensical tongues speaking for show to the chaos of people talking over people, etc.
The church at Corinth needed more structure and order, and this was something that Paul clearly commanded for them as “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (14:33). Yet even within these commands for structure we see Paul also encouraging and commanding the continuation of worship that is not greatly processed and pre-planned. For what does he say?
1 Corinthians 14:26-32 26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.
Now let us put aside for the moment our personal feelings about the nature and continuance of tongues, and our interpretations about what exactly prophecy entails and its correlation to modern preaching…
Paul’s point was that when they came together for their worship gatherings different people would come with different things according to their different gifts. Different people would bring different songs, different people would bring different lessons, and different people would speak and deliver a message from God. And Paul saw this as good, so long as it edified, was godly (biblical), and done in order.
And what if that was how we came together—not so worried about time (will we make it to the restaurant before the Methodists?), not so worried about personal style, and not so worried about making sure no one else sits in my pew?
What if we came together as a family for worship? What if we showed respect for each other and love for one another, not trying to one-up each other, but Robert, Amanda, Liam, Courtney, and Timmy each came with their own songs (maybe even their own instruments) to both lead us in something familiar and teach us something new? And Walter and Ryan both came with a message to share? And Lilly and Cameron and David all came with testimonies and prayers of thanksgiving about how God had changed their lives that week? And in the midst, we all gathered together and feasted, and broke of the bread while sharing of the cup… all under the watchcare and guidance of the elders and each other?
Would it be different? You bet… Would it upset our cultural comforts? Absolutely… But would it also help to overcome the artificial barriers and divisions we create based on ensuring our productions meet our personal preference and styles? By the grace of God…
But ask yourself as you look through the pages of Scripture, what is more biblical: our weekly staged productions or a natural family-like gathering where many can share according to their gifts? And perhaps what our churches need is a return to the organic…
I wonder if the organic worship of which you speak can occur in what we consider to be “church” today. The New Testament church was, by and large, the house church, a much more “family” atmosphere than what we have today. While there was some organization to it, as there must be for any human gathering, it was a loose organization. No Sunday School classes, no buildings, no bulletins; just simple gatherings of believers for prayer, worship, and the sharing of meals. The longer I’m in ministry, the more I long for such simplicity. Maybe some day I’ll gather up the courage to give it a try.
Dale,
I’ll have to give you a big “AMEN”.
During family gatherings this holiday season we discussed the persecution of the church. My sister-in-law said that 90% of today’s church would flee if there was biblical persecution. I told her that today 90% of the preachers were preaching to that 90%. Something to think about.
I am all for the disruption of the order we have placed on the worship service. I like order. I think order is great. I just think our fallen nature has a problem with man made order. We turn it into traditionalism. Breaking it up is risky since we have influential people in the 90%. Maybe risk should be considered faith. Purging a church would increase the manifold opportunities of true worship. One thing to consider is, make sure the worshipers have been individually worshiping in prayer and Bible study daily through the week. If not, worship conforms to traditionalism.
Thanks, Mike. This is good reading for the soul.
We worship in the fashion that Jesus worshipped. (A similar form)
But we are not held to that. We just feel that these traditional forms help to keep us anchored in Christ.
When you let the culture define the church and dictate the form it will always please the self and end up looking like the culture. The church, I believe, ought to be counter-cultural.
The last thing people need is to have ‘themselves’ handed back to them at church.
Thanks.
Mike, the type of gathering you describe reminds me an awful lot of the weekly home fellowship gatherings I attended back in my days at Asbury College (this was back in the ’70s, in the heyday of the Jesus Movement). A group of students would meet in a local house for prayer, fellowship and worship. We had leaders(largely, but IIRC, not entirely, from among the Bible majors), but everyone brought something, and could speak up, and occasionally someone would surprise you (near the end of one school year, one other student described how he at first hadn’t thought much of me (I was even more introverted back then than I am now), until at the end of one meeting I spoke up and rather elegantly tied together everything that had been spoken about that night). I’ll admit that during that time, that fellowship gathering was more my church than the standard ‘meet every Sunday at the church building’ church (I certainly attended the former more than the latter).
To a somewhat lesser extent, I’m also reminded of the coffee house and other such gatherings that sprung up during the Jesus Movement, and some (not all) of the Charismatic gatherings I’ve been involved in (mostly those leaning more towards a ‘home fellowship’ mold). The (charismatic) church I attended back in WV before and after college originated in such a home fellowship, and the early days of that was an awful lot like you describe.
So, seems to me there *are* modern examples of the type of organic worship you describe. Typically, though, they seem to appear as an adjunct or an alternative (e.g. the Jesus Movement gatherings, which were not always entirely welcomed by the ‘official’ church) to ‘official’ church.
Or maybe our worship just needs more organ?
Mark,
Our Lord’s example in sacred Scripture is probably the best model for people of faith to follow in these matters, if they are not connected to the wider Christian community that worships liturgically.
But a lot of liturgical worship is based on Our Lord’s example in sacred Scripture . . . you might want to check liturgical worship traditions out to see what is present in them that might have meaning for you.
…then we would be sitting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
Kind of funny to hear, “But I do believe both Francis Chan and Dave Miller are on to something with their ideas.” Lots of folks across the world have been gathering like this for a long, long time.
Our family and others we’re connected with have been meeting this way since the late 90′s.
A good one to read about the cultural baggage brought into the Western church is Pagan Christianity, by Frank Viola.
“”Would their church look much like our churches in America do today? Probably not.”"
Mike, I appreciate you post and agree with you for the most part. I do think this one statement could be viewed differently.
Look at what happened to the Primitive Church from Acts to the time of Corinthians. One shows a pure, raw power from on high; the other shows a group that was not “decent and in order.”
I pastor just down the road from Chan’s former (current) church. If I understand Chan’s later works and statements, he discovered that people are people. You cannot alter their basic nature. We always tend toward formalism, self-love and general decay.
I think it is the Second Law of Theodynamics.
Mike, by “organic” do you mean that planning and preparation are diametrically opposed to spontaneity and substance?
I have lived long enough to try both paths. I am thoroughly convinced that the most “organic” component to worship is prayerful planning and preparation to enter the Presence of God.
I think the Holiness Code is instructive of the need for very thorough preparation in coming before God. In fact, I think that is the essence of holiness — proactive, prayerful preparation.
The nuance for me is that planning and preparation in prayer is not the “end” but the means. It is like a surfer paddling and waiting to catch a wave. Once all the paddling and waiting has paid off, the wave takes over.
The Welsh preachers called this “catching the hyle” (I may not have that spelling correct). We trim the sails but only God can fill them with wind.
For me, that is what “organic worship” means. I have been a minister of music and currently play the bass (very poorly) for our praise team. Being a bass player, I’m always in the back. Sometimes, I feel that our worship simply runs past many moments when we could pause and enjoy communion with the Lord.
Sometimes, and perhaps not often enough, I will step out from behind my musical exile and try to push, pause. Since my wife is the praise team leader and we have been ministering together for 37 years, we have had some “organic moments.”
My frustration is these moments are the “exception,” not the “rule.”
Frank,
Are you saying that there should be [more] moments in the worship service that we pause, a be still and know He is God moment? If so, I agree. We worship a Mighty and Magnificent, an Awesome Terrible Holy God. And we are sinners. The Crucifixion was The Awesome Terrible event and is at the center of our faith.
Parson mike. I’m thinking there should always be such a moment in every encounter with The Lord
Mike Bergman,
I would like to begin by saying I agree with you. Great post!
How we worship definitely has an effect on the outcome. Let me explain what I mean. In todays church we are so professional we just don’t have time for the Holy Spirit to work.
I remember a revival our church was having, the Holy Spirit was working during the invitation, when the invitation song was finished the evangilist sit down. Before I got back up there was a lady in the church stood up and started singing without music. I thought an Angel was singing. I looked around and it was my wife. When my wife finished the song, I simply asked if God wants you to come to the altar, please come.
Three men came to the altar and got saved.
Sounds to me like the Holy Spirit had “plenty of time to work.”
I believe the key to worship is really very simple: create an environment where the Holy Spirit can show up and show out. When the Holy Spirit is in the house is that not what we should be striving for? Preparation and planning are important… but just because it is not printed in the bulletin does not mean we don’t do it… but throwing out the bulletin or order of service may not be the answer either…
And here is a thought I have been pondering… I see churches doing home Bible Fellowships (funny how terminology seems to be popular) instead of organized SS… I wonder… instead of doing one or the other… why NOT BOTH?
Why not use organized SS… and then for those who want to do more… lead them to do groups in their homes and communities… and THEN seek to incorporate those into the lifeline of the church? In this way… organic versus traditional works for everyone.
I simply do not believe form is as big a problem as some suggest.
Happy New Year to all.
><>”
The coming of the Holy Spirit among Christian people is something mysterious and powerful . . .
and yet, it is often said that as the waters descend to the lower places of the Earth, so does the Holy Spirit descend to humble hearts.
It is known that the Holy Spirit comes among us when we pray together in community in Christ’s Name . . . His coming is both personal AND communal . . .
the Orthodox Fathers of Eastern Christianity often wrote on this topic:
“..in the visible form of our nature
the immortal God described the likeness of His invisible Being,
and thus we apprehend eternity.
Through prayer, we enter into Divine life;
and God praying in us is uncreated life permeating us. ”
Archimandrite Sophrony (His Life is Mine, Chapter 8; SVS press pg. 66)
Mike,
I think the vast majority of Baptist churches are exactly alike. If you have been in one, you can pretty well say you have been in them all.
I have discovered there are Christians that are trying to break out from this type of worship. All they are asking is for God to lead in the worship service. Not something pre-planned a week before. I am convinced God doesn’t work that way.
I came from a church where people would shout. It would be in the Spirit too. Not man made. These dear people couldn’t hold it back, their heart overflowed. I long to be in that type of atmosphere again.
I am with you.
I find that people judge other’s worship. I miss dancing in worship every week. Not as a preformance but as perfect worship.
We need to let everyone worship as David did. Just the way you like.
“”I am convinced God doesn’t work that way.”"
And yet, God gave exacting instructions to the Jews on how to approach Him.
The best spontaneity is that which results from prayerful planning, in my opinion.
As a Baptist-Turned Pentecostal-Turned Southern Baptist who rented space to a Lutheran, I can appreciate many different approaches to worship.
Of course, that which I currently practice is the most biblical.
Frank L.- We are under the New Covenant. So we do not worship like the Old Covenant. Unless you would like to? But that would be hard without the temple. But even then we see in the Psalms shouting, dancing, clapping, and other worshipful things not just singing.
So I can stop carrying the OT since it has no bearing on the new covenant? That will lighten the load a bit.
Did I say that???
Mike,
You wrote: “Francis Chan in a video session of Crazy Love brings up an idea that I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while—what would happen if we took the Gospel to a group of people, devoid of our cultural traditions about church, and they had nothing to build a church by except the Bible in their hands? Would their church look much like our churches in America do today? Probably not.”
This happened around 1890 as the path of Dr. John L. Nevius crossed the path of three young missionary families taking the Gospel into Korea. He trained them in what is now called the “Nevius Plan.” They followed this plan and today the largest Christian congregations in the world exist and thrive in South Korea. They are Cell based and they were taught not to be dependent on monies from outside their country. Nevius learned many lessons the wrong way as a missionary to China for many years. As an old man, he pondered how he would do things differently.
He borrowed from Venn and Anderson — the principles of self-propagation, self-government, and self-supporting and adopted several new methods.
Great article….sure makes us think on that subject. We are so conditioned to culture we sometimes take for granted how to worship. Thank you.
I think some of the other commenters are onto the root of the problem.
Christiane wrote: “But a lot of liturgical worship is based on Our Lord’s example in sacred Scripture.”
And what was once organic became inorganic. So it was replaced in some circles with something organic, which has now become inorganic. So now people have replaced that with something organic, which I predict will become inorganic.
Frank L. summed it up: “[Francis Chan] discovered that people are people. You cannot alter their basic nature. We always tend toward formalism, self-love and general decay.”
The issue isn’t the form of corporate worship. The issue is the hearts of people when they come to worship. I’ve known small group worship that was lackluster and unfaithful. I’ve also known worship among large groups in a production-style format that was genuine.
I participate in the music ministry in my church. I’ve done solos, have filled in on piano and organ, and run sound. Once or twice I have even led the music. We have a small orchestra and large choir every Sunday for two services of several hundred people each with full multimedia support. We have a deep bench of gifted preachers and never lack for a thorough, Christ-centered, exposition of the scriptures. Our congregation is notoriously friendly and welcoming of visitors. Even in a large church most of us make sure to say hello to and offer to help anyone we don’t recognize. Sometimes our corporate worship is low key. Most of the time, despite the orchestration of everyone involved in it, the structure only serves to facilitate our collective, genuine worship.
I occasionally preach at a church near my house. They don’t have a deep bench at all. It is a small, liturgical church. So I also do the liturgy when i go. It is the same liturgy they have done for the past 30 years or so. But they approach it like a small family.
I have worshiped with Christians in Dubai where no less than 80 different congregations worship in the same 2 1/2 acre city block… all week long. I have worshiped with Christians from the Middle East and South Africa in London. Yet another worship scenario altogether. I have worshiped in small churches in the slums in India, each usually in a room about 10′ x 10′ where the pulpit was placed near the entrance so that when the church was filled, people could sit outside on the ground, sing along with those inside and hear the sermon. I have worshiped in the desert of Saudi Arabia with fellow Marines, standing in formation, with a songbook in one hand and my rifle in another. I have worshiped with family and friends in living rooms or camp sites.
These are all different formats and worship structures. And all are equally favorable for supporting genuine worship. All are equally capable of allowing someone to just go through the motions.
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