I. CONSIDERATIONS
The foremost purpose of
this research is in agreement with the overarching goal of our church (or any)
as we understand the Bible, and it is summarized in our vision statement on our
front wall: we want to glorify God. If “every member on mission for the glory
of God” is rightly the picture of success for Mill Creek, it is certainly a
vision for our gathered worship times as well as one for the daily lives of our
individual people. But how do we
glorify God in our worship? One thing
that is clear from biblical theology – drawing from both the Old Testament (OT)
and the New Testament (NT) – is that we
do not decide how to properly worship God. God himself establishes parameters for how we worship him. Since both
the OT and NT admit the presence of false worship, we are obligated to search
the Scriptures to understand what should be happening when we come together.[1]
The problem is, even
careful study of the Bible has resulted in many different traditions among
evangelicals so that we have to consider a spectrum of approaches that all
presume to hold Scripture as an ultimate authority. When considering our place
in the worship of the historical and global church the question remains, “What
is it that God expects of us?”[2]
The answer to the question takes on two dimensions that are enhanced in
corporate worship versus individual worship: transcendence (the vertical
dimension) and edification (the horizontal).
Transcendence – to know God’s presence, particularly with
an awareness of the vast, cosmic scene of worshipers – is an aspect of worship
that an individual may experience to some degree, but not fully experience
apart from some representation of that larger body.[3]
This is a reason why the local, visible body gathered in worship is necessary.
But a primary theme of the NT is edification; one of the primary ways that
Christ builds his church is through
gathered worship. It is no wonder that Paul spends so much time in his letters
on the subject. But churches often lean too hard toward either transcendence or
edification, making Sunday practically into either the singular expression of
worship, or a completely unremarkable expression of it. I agree with Keller et
al. that balance is the best understanding according to Scripture.[4] Worship
is what should be happening when we
gather, but that is not the distinction.
The NT views all of life as sacred worship (Rm 12:1-2), so the Christian is always a worshiper, but when we come
together as worshipers we (should) experience transcendence in our worship, and
we should experience edification. The question then is this: How should we conduct our gathered worship
so that we are obedient to God’s commands?
The difficulty in
answering this question biblically is stated by John Piper:
Let's begin with a startling fact,
namely, that in the epistles of the New Testament there is very little
instruction that deals explicitly with corporate worship - what we call worship
services. Not that there were no corporate gatherings for worship: 1
Corinthians 14:23 speaks of "the whole church gathering
together," and Acts 2:46 speaks of the early church "attending
the temple together and breaking bread in their homes," and Hebrews 10:25
speaks of "not neglecting to meet together." But this is not much and
the remarkable thing is that, even when the gatherings are in view, the
apostles do not speak explicitly of "worship."[5]
D.A., Carson affirms,
“the New Testament does not provide us with officially sanctioned public
“services” so much as with examples of crucial elements. We do well to admit
the limitations of our knowledge.”[6][7]
Still, what is explicit in Scripture
is a starting place, and there is consensus among even the most conservative
evangelicals as to what constitutes the clear list of those crucial elements: binding
and loosing through the Lord’s Supper and baptism; teaching and preaching;
Bible reading and singing; prayer; (and often included are the giving of gifts
and confession of sin).[8]
Many Reformed theologians
hold that these core elements are the sum and total of what the gathered church
is permitted to do. Their conviction is that only these practices are warranted
by the clear commands of the NT, and the church has no permission to perform
corporately any other activities or forms of worship (though many other forms
of individual worship may be allowed). This is a strict interpretation of what
is called the “regulative principle.” However, many Reformed churches expand
upon this list to include liturgical elements that are implicit, exemplified,
matters of principle, or that are “derived from good and necessary consequence,”
and a great number of evangelicals hold an even more relaxed position guided by
the “normative principle.”[9]
So, if the “short list”
of agreed upon crucial elements is a starting place, and if we consider
widening our activities to other NT or historical norms, how wide do we go, and
where do we find our boundaries? The apostle Paul might help us here in
offering what we might call the “edification principle.” Paul corrected the
misuse of first century gifts in the gathered worship of the early church
because the practice of those (legitimate) gifts was not building up the
church, but only the individual (1 Cor 14). He placed an emphasis in gathered
worship on activities that built up others in the church. He thus emphasized
some activities over others, and commanded a general sense of propriety and
order (vs.40). This is not to say that someone cannot perform an individual
activity in gathered worship (or what of preaching!?) but rather that the goal
of any activity is the benefit of all.
The regular (Sunday)
gathering of the church is a powerful tool in these ways not only in these gathered times, but as it reinforces
patterns of individual worship carried out in the scattered church. That is, we do well to intentionally frame our
corporate worship in ways as to create a rhythm of worship that becomes habit
in the lives of the individuals. One fully orbed way to describe that framework
is “gospel-centered.” When we consider what elements to include in corporate
worship, and what forms to utilize, I believe we are wise to emphasize the
themes of the gospel so that when individuals disperse and go through their
week they are inclined to remember and repeat that worship pattern themselves.
Another consideration is
contextualization. I borrow here a term usually associated with missions but
that is very relevant for this discussion. Just as a proper worship service in
Cachi or Shenzhen may look very different from one in Shawnee, we need to make
sure that the forms we use in our services are effective for our people. Being
non-denominational, we have people come to us from very high church or low
church forms, and everywhere in between. I believe we are wise to consider how
our place on the spectrum impacts our congregants.
A final related consideration
is reflection and innovation. This has always been a Mill Creek value, and I
think it should continue to find expression in our corporate worship. This does
not mean that the content of our gatherings should change (to the degree we
remain convinced that content is right) but rather that the forms that serve as
vehicles of expression for that content should be continually re-evaluated as
to their effectiveness in our context and culture. For example, if we found
over time that our church family became more ethnically oriented, or perhaps
came predominantly from a high church background, we may conclude that
adjustments would be needed to fit our context.
II. RECOMMENDATIONS
Given the above considerations, it seems wise to me to
build upon the foundation of clear biblical commands as widely agreed upon, considering
the variety of historical liturgical approaches (ranging from regulative to
free, from high church to low), but filtering those liturgies through the
principles of transcendence and edification. We must consider our context, and
stay committed to regular evaluation of forms. In short, I am not recommending
any drastic changes, but do intend to affirm what is our current practice and
propose a renewed intentionality that may suggest some tweaks here and there.
Regarding the foundation
of clear commands, I believe we are right to continue public reading of
Scripture, preaching and teaching, prayer, singing, and collection of gifts, as
well as baptizing and observing the Lord’s table. As Scripture is not explicit
about frequency, and given considerations of what is “often enough” I have no
conviction to make adjustment to our rhythm of monthly celebrating communion, especially
if we maintain a gospel framework for our liturgy (which itself serves to
memorialize the finished work of Christ). Of course, the frequency of baptism
is dependent upon conversions. The other elements we observe weekly, which I
think is right.
Regarding traditional
approaches, I think we are in a happy medium between high and low church forms
that serves well the eclectic crowd we draw as a non-denominational
congregation. If we moved too far toward high church forms, I fear that for
those who came out of the Roman church or other high church adherents we would
feel too familiar in less consequential ways that might undermine the critical
distinctions we would hold doctrinally. However, if we became too free in our
forms we might risk losing some of the effect of our intentionality in our
worship content.
Regarding the principles
of transcendence and edification, I believe we are currently well-suited for
effectiveness. I affirm shifts that we have made in the last year to better
emphasize the reading of Scripture as well as to highlight the need for
introspective moments of confession of sin and need. Further, I recommend that
we intentionally operate according to a gospel framework in our services so as
to establish habits of worship that the individual will carry throughout the
week. That gospel framework would regularly include (though not necessarily in
a particular order) the confession of sin and complete dependence upon God,
declaration of the sufficiency of Christ to satisfy God’s wrath and provide our
righteousness, the surrender to the will of God in good works for his glory,
and the praise and thanksgiving of God for his greatness and his great
salvation.
The forms used to express
these gospel themes may and should vary. In particular, the confession of sin
in the corporate gathering would be general, allowing for individual confession
internally, but relegating aspects of accountability to small group settings or
one-on-one confessions. If the Mill Creeker experiences these gospel themes on
a weekly basis, the hope is that the habit would find expression in their daily
lives. In fact, the worshiper may experience multiple iterations in these
themes; e.g., all of them could well be touched upon within the sermon alone,
or within one congregational song.
Regarding
contextualization to our suburban context, I think at least three areas are
worth noting, and I believe we have thus far done well at addressing them.
First, since hyper-individuality and consumerism are the cultural norms, we do
well to emphasize community by avoiding a concert or spectator sport feel,
where the congregant would be observer and critic rather than participant.
Second, given a culture of higher education, we do well to engage the whole
person in worship, avoiding an emphasis on knowledge above emotive and
relational aspects. Third, in a culture of busyness, we are wise to build space
in our service plan to allow for quiet reflection.
As we continue to assess
our shifting culture, and as God continues to add to Mill Creek those whom he
chooses, we will certainly conclude from time to time that innovations in form
are useful and even necessary. If we stay anchored in biblical commands,
committed to a framework of biblical transcendence and edification, aware of
meaningful biblical traditions and our current context, and if we remain
flexible in considering appropriate and useful forms, I have no doubt we will
by the Spirit’s power offer worship that is pleasing and acceptable in bringing
glory to our Lord.
III. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carson, D.A., Mark
Ashton, R. Kent Hughes, Timothy L. Keller,
Worship by the Book. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
Hill, Andrew E., Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Bible
Theology: Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996. Accessed online at http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/worship/ on 6/20/2016.
Leeman, Jonathan,
“Regulative Like Jazz,” https://9marks.org/article/journalregulative-jazz/ (accessed 06/27/2016).
Piper, John, “Worship
God!,” http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/worship-god--2 (accessed 06/20/2016).
Other sources consulted
in this study include (but are not limited to):
Farley, Michael A.
"What is 'biblical' worship?: Biblical hermeneutics and evangelical
theologies of worship." Journal Of The Evangelical Theological
Society 51, no. 3 (September 2008): 591-613. ATLA Religion
Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed June 29, 2016).
Jamieson, Bobby,
“Biblical Theology and Corporate Worship.” https://9marks.org/article/biblical-theology-and-corporate-worship/ (accessed June 20/2016).
Johnson, H Wayne.
"Practicing theology on a Sunday morning: corporate worship as spiritual
formation." Trinity Journal 31, no. 1 (2010 2010):
27-44. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed
June 29, 2016).
KEOWN, MARK. "HOW
MUCH SHOULD WE SING?." Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal Of
Christian Thought & Practice 19, no. 3 (September 2012):
4-13. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed
June 29, 2016).
APPENDIX
A
Review
of Worship by the Book, Zondervan, 2002, by Ben Gum
Authors:
Carson, Ashton, Hughes, Keller
Premise:
The authors state their purpose in the preface. It is
to provide the theological commitments that shape their decision making for
corporate worship, along with examples from each of three traditions of how
that theological starting point fleshes out in practical ways. The problem that
apparently inspired this book is the failure of many churches to anchor their
liturgies in biblical commands and examples, substituting other priorities as
foundations for gathered worship.
Synopsis:
Carson begins the book
with a chapter unpacking a biblical theology of worship. He concedes this as a
difficult task from the start because 1) there is so much debate among churches
about it, 2) there is so much contextual diversity, 3) there is much confusion
about use of terms, and 4) because of the different outcomes whether
approaching worship systematically or biblically. Carson then sets out to
define “worship,” and lands on a couple of main ideas. The NT idea of worship
is a whole person/whole life activity (Rm 12:1-2), and the distinctive in the
NT regarding corporate worship is
edification. His actual definition is a long paragraph which he exposits, but
there are some key ideas to highlight. The right question is not whether we enjoy worship but, “What is it that God
expects of us.” “The way you forget about yourself is by focusing on God – not
by singing about doing it, but by doing it.” Carson reflects Peterson,
citing that NT worship is “by means of Christ…it is gospel-inspired worship; it
is Christ-centered worship; it is cross-focused worship” (Engaging with God). Christian worship is Trinitarian, and it
embraces both adoration and action. Corporate worship extends not only to all
in a local congregation but to all believers everywhere and in all time who
worship God along with the angels – it is, like God, both transcendent and
imminent. Carson acknowledges that because the NT does not provide a
prescription for corporate “services” but rather provides crucial elements, we
do well to “admit the limitations of our knowledge.” This book as a whole is
aimed at the latter aspect, pushing the reader to look for those things that
the NT indicates are crucial – especially those commanded – for corporate
worship. These authors hope to help the reader avoid four common
misunderstandings of worship: 1) an external or mechanical interpretation, 2)
an individualistic interpretation, 3) an emotional uplift interpretation, and
4) a performance interpretation. They also mean to help avoid the hindrances
that come either by improper attitudes in church members or inadequate church
leaders.
Following Carson’s
theological inspection, the remaining three authors discuss how their
respective liturgies reflect practically on these underpinnings. First, Mark
Ashton, from the Anglican tradition, considers Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer from the 16th
century. Ashton points out that God’s Word “will direct us up to heaven and out
to one another as we meet.” He draws from Cranmer’s work that our worship must
be biblical, accessible (contextualized), and balanced (free where the Bible is
silent). Ashton asserts that edification and evangelism should be major goals
of the church meeting, and that we should not seek a “uniform liturgical
pattern” as much as “varied applications of the same principles.” Ashton then
gets into many of the practical ways the above ideas are planned for including
the preaching, prayer, music, ordinances, and length of service, as well as
others. Following that, he provides several service plans and exposition of
their content.
In chapter three, Baptist
Kent Hughes expounds upon similar insights from the Free Church traditions. He
builds upon the ideas above, but adds that he views how we conduct gathered
worship as “a matter of life and death.” He decries the pragmatic trend in the
church “from theocentrism (God-centered) to anthropocentrism (man-centered)”
evident in Baptist hymnals from the 17th to 18th
centuries. He contends that corporate worship has shifted to “something done for an audience as opposed to something
done by a congregation.” Hughes then
covers six distinctives of Christian worship: it is 1) God-centered, 2)
Christ-centered, 3) Word-centered, 4) consecration, 5) whole-hearted, and 6)
reverent. Then, because it is so prominent in corporate worship, Hughes gives
his six principles about music: 1) it serves preaching, 2) it develops
maturity, 3) it is everyone’s responsibility, 4) musical selection is
important, 5) musicians must be prepared, and 6) the congregation is the chief
instrument. As with Ashton, Hughes then gives examples of service plans along
with explanations.
Timothy Keller then adds his chapter, Reformed Worship
in the Global City. He begins with a discussion of the problem of “worship
wars,” with the goal ‘to forge new forms of corporate worship that take
seriously both our histories and contemporary realities, all within a framework
of biblical theology.” He then reflects upon John Calvin’s approach to provide
variety, accessibility and balance to corporate worship. He lists three traits
of Reformed corporate worship: 1) simplicity, 2) transcendence, and 3) gospel
reenactment. Keller then lists three tests for Reformed worship: 1) doxological
evangelism, 2) community building, and 3) character for service. Keller closes
by discussing (along with his service plans) how worship can be both Reformed
and contemporary, how it should be led and how it should be planned, and then
like Hughes covers specific practical considerations regarding church music.
Evaluation:
Worship by the Book is a
very helpful resource for anyone in church leadership, particularly worship
leaders, and especially those with very little theological training. The book
is accessible (even Carson’s chapter), and practical. I would highly recommend
it as a resource for holding a carefully biblical philosophy as we consider
what we are supposed to do when we gather as the church of Christ. Especially
valuable is the fact that this book necessarily points the reader to the one
Book that tells us what we need to do to worship God properly, allowing for a
diversity of expressions guided by some clear principles.
APPENDIX B
The list of NT
imperatives that seem most clearly aimed at the regular corporate gathering of
the church includes the following:
·
Mt 28:19-20 Baptism of professing believers (commanded here and exemplified elsewhere in corporate context; cf. Acts
2:41; 8:38; 10:48; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5; 1 Cor 12:13)
·
1 Cor 5:4-8 Discipline as relates
to communion
·
1 Cor 11:24-34 Communion in context
of unity
·
1 Cor 12:31 Covet best gifts
·
1 Cor 14:1 Follow charity, desire
gifts, but more desire prophecy
·
1 Cor 14:12 Seek to excel to the
edifying of the church (context of gifts)
·
1 Cor 14:40 Let all things be done
decently and in order
·
1 Cor 16:1-2 Set aside collection
for saints on [Sunday]
·
1 Cor 16:14 Let all you do be done
in love
·
2 Cor 8:11 Complete generous act
·
2 Cor 9:7 Everyone give as he
purposes
·
2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves
·
Eph 5:18-20 Be filled with the
Spirit 1) speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, 2)
singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks,
submitting to one another
·
1 Tm 4:13 Devote yourself to public
reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching
·
Heb 3:13 Exhort one another every
day
·
Heb 10:19-25 Draw near with a true
heart, hold fast the confession, consider how to stir up one another to good
works, not neglecting to meet, but encouraging
·
Heb 13:15-16 Offer sacrifices of
continual praise and good works
·
Jas 5:13-18 Pray, sing, confess
sins
·
1 Pt 4:7-11 Keep loving, show
hospitality, serve one another with spiritual gifts
This list sifts out into the primary
categories accepted by even the most restrictive evangelicals, as listed in the
body of this paper. It also demonstrates the emphasis on the use of spiritual gifts
in community for transcendence and edification as noted.
[1]
Andrew E. Hill, Baker’s Evangelical
Dictionary of Bible Theology: Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), accessed
online at http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/worship/
on 6/20/2016.
[2]
D.A. Carson et al., Worship by the Book
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 29. For my review of the book, see Appendix A.
[3]
Timothy L. Keller et al., Worship by the
Book (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 210.
[4]
Ibid., 204
[5]
John Piper, “Worship God!,” http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/worship-god--2
(accessed 06/20/2016).
[6] Worship by the Book, 52
[7] To
be sure to consider all the possible commands that may apply to this study, I
conducted my own survey of all the Greek imperatives in the NT. For assistance
gathering all the NT commands I consulted the following web resource: http://www.biblicalresearchreports.com/listofcommands.php.
From that general review, I narrowed the scope of the considerations to those
commands that seemed to inherently function in community, and then further
looked for which ones seemed to prescribe or imply what the church should do in
its regular (weekly) gatherings. See Appendix B for the result of that target
list.
[8]
Jonathan Leeman, “Regulative Like Jazz,” https://9marks.org/article/journalregulative-jazz/
(accessed 06/27/2016), parenthetical mine.
[9]
Ibid.
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