MINISTRY LEADERSHIP
What Worship Teaches
by Darrell Pursiful
For several years my decision about which church to attend has been a fairly simple one: I’ve gone to the church that has paid me to minister there! Now my family and I have moved to a new community and begun to look for a church home. The task has gotten me thinking about what—and how—churches teach through their worship.
As a first-time guest, I want to know something about a church’s vision and values. Fortunately, churches communicate volumes every Sunday morning. The ancient church believed that worship was a guidepost for theology. Their motto was "the rule of prayer is the rule of belief," or as worship scholar Robert Webber has put it, "you show me how you worship and I’ll tell you what you believe."
Every Sunday churches teach subtle lessons about a host of issues. We shouldn’t be surprised that the worship hour has such a monumental influence on the spiritual growth of a church’s members.
Worship teaches about God.
Most obviously, worship teaches what we think God is worth. In terms of preparation, effort, time, and resources, what we allocate to worship is usually an accurate indicator of what we think God is worth for his own sake. As with the sacrifices of the ancient Israelites, the quality of our offering reveals the attitude of our heart.
Worship teaches about Jesus Christ.
Regardless of the sermon text, Christian worship should always center on Christ. He is the focus, not me and my felt needs. In a healthy church there is no confusion about why the people have gathered. It is to celebrate the saving deeds of Jesus: his birth, his ministry, his death and resurrection, his ascension, and his coming again in glory.
Worship teaches about the Holy Spirit.
The worship in some churches is so rigidly scripted that nothing can happen that isn’t printed in the bulletin. Others seem to thrive on utter chaos. Between the extremes are those with a genuine sense of freshness, warmth, and spontaneity. At worship, churches teach their members whether or not the Spirit is still at work, transforming lives and making the "old, old story" relevant to the next generation.
Worship teaches about the Bible.
A church can claim to love the Bible but seldom read it during worship. Christians deserve to feast on the Word, not just nibble on an appetizer. Churches show what they think about the Bible by the attention they give to the public reading of Scripture. They teach people to reverence the Bible by standing, singing praises, or other means. They incorporate biblical language into prayers, greetings, and calls to worship.
Worship teaches about the church.
The church has existed for nearly 2,000 years. It has extended to every inhabited continent, among hundreds of people groups. Churches either celebrate this diversity—through their songs, their prayers, and their customs—or try to keep it a secret. Some churches imply that Christianity sprung up in the past few years, and only in our neighborhood among people like us. Others teach that the local church is a leaf attached to a much larger tree.
Worship teaches about the priesthood of believers.
Few things are sadder than a church where lay people passively watch while the paid professionals do all the work. Healthy churches teach about the ministry of the laity by involving lay people in prayer, Bible reading, and other aspects of the service. They break the cycle of passivity by calling on the faithful to do something at worship.
Worship teaches about boundaries.
The church represents a God who extends freedom to all—even the freedom to walk away. It therefore ought to consider how well it respects the boundaries of worshipers. Are people allowed not to participate? Are they pressured through hard-sell tactics to make rushed decisions? Or do our churches respect people’s personal journeys even as they challenge them to take further steps of faith?
Worship is the hub around which the church’s life revolves. It is the front door through which most new members will arrive, and it is the incubator where the faithful are nurtured in holy habits. Shall we dare to contemplate whether our worship teaches what we want people to learn?
Darrell Pursiful is the editor of Formations. In addition to his B.A. and Master's degrees, Darrell has a Ph.D. in New Testament. He has taught New Testament and Church History at both the college and seminary level, and his dissertation work on biblical spirituality has blossomed into an enduring passion to explore the prayer, liturgy, and discipleship of the early church. Before his work with Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Darrell served as pastor and church staff minister for churches in Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. Darrell and his wife Connie have one daughter, Rebecca.
|
