What does your church's public worship say about the life of the body of Christ where you pastor? There's no shortage of ideas regarding public worship in most churches these days. Worship style is big with all kinds of differing opinions, often strongly expressed and claiming to have supernatural sanctions. Never mind that worship style and worship are cousins at best and not at all the same thing. Nevertheless, it seems to be a profitable endeavor to listen and watch for what we might catch by focusing on what is happening in your church at "worship time."
In a graduate class on public worship at La Sierra University, my students and I have, over time, developed a "report card" to be used during visits to public worship in area churches. The students visit churches representing four different worship traditions or denominational affiliations. To prepare, we created a useful reporting instrument comprehensive enough to be helpful yet not cumbersome. We agreed that it should reflect Scripture and allow for significant differences.
As currently refined, we have six questions that seem simple but probing when asked in a worship setting. We do not claim they are the best questions, and we invite all who read this article to contribute significant improvements. But it is important to affirm that we humbly approach worship in any place where believers and disciples of Jesus gather.
Our goal is not to identify what is wrong but rather to find what is working so that what's working can be magnified so as to contribute to growing the worshiping community.
The six questions on our report card are seeking growth objectives:
- Did I meet God there during worship time?
- Do the worshipers love each other?
- Do they care about the community?
- Is there energy?
- Did I learn anything new?
- What is the barf factor?
We have no idea how many visitors come "to church" in Adventist churches week by week around the world worshipers who have little or no knowledge of how worship is done or what worship is. We have framed these questions so that both a beginner and an experienced worshiper can be stimulated by examining them.
The implications attending each question are worthy of examination.
Did I meet God during worship time?
Another way to ask this question: How can I be open to God during public worship? The alternative question deals with positive intention as crucial in the mind of the worshiper. That is, God comes to those who want Him to do so more readily than to those casual worshipers who come to "get something out of church."
God and Jesus do come to us in unanticipated ways during worship. God is present "in church," but He needs us to help Him make contact, a truth well stated in The Desire of Ages1 : "Christ does not choose angels who have never fallen, but human beings, [men and women] of like passions with those they seek to save. . . . Divinity needed humanity; for it required both the divine and human to bring salvation to the world. Divinity needed humanity, that humanity might afford a channel of communication between God and [men and women]." The channel established involves prayer, song, sermon, and any verbal and nonverbal forms of communication "in church."
Do the worshipers love each other?
In class the students have come up with several supporting questions: How can I tell if they love each other? Do they speak to each other? To me? Do I speak to them? Do they touch each other? Do they look at me and each other in the eyes? How do they occupy the space between them?
Worship research has demonstrated that "growing churches possess, on the average, a measurably higher 'love quotient' than do stagnant and declining ones."2
To determine the love quotient, these questions arose: How much time do members spend with one another outside official church-sponsored events? How often do they invite each other home for spontaneous social get-togethers or for meals? How generous is the church in doling out appreciation?
Two key love quotient principles were identified: laughter in church and hospitality. Unfeigned, practical love has a divinely generated, magnetic power far more effective than evangelistic programs, which depend largely on verbal communication.
Does the congregation care about the community?
In today's mobile society with people often driving miles to go to church a long distance from where they live, and when building committees choose church sites in lower cost locations, the real question can be phrased: What community or what area will the church be serving?
Most churches are surrounded by people who could be identified as neighbors. How can the neighbors tell if the church cares about them? What kind of outreach is encouraged a proselytizing one or a disinterestedly benevolent one? Is there a balance?
Clearly it is the task of church members to use their gifts to serve non-Christians and to focus on the needs and questions that they may bring to the relationship. This is no easy task as demonstrated by our Lord: "Christ's method alone will bring true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with [men and women] as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, 'Follow Me.'"3
Is there energy there?
Energy does not necessarily mean fast and loud. In our university class we phrased the question another way: When did the Spirit arrive, or when did the Spirit "manifest Himself"?
When in the order of service did divine energy inspire the congregation? We agreed that when one becomes aware of "divine energy," its presence is sensed. We recognize that inspiration constitutes an "inspiredness" that comes from the Holy Spirit. Whenever the Holy Spirit is truly at work (and His presence is not merely presumed), it will have a concrete effect upon the way a worship service is conducted, including the atmosphere of a gathering and the response of the worshipers.
People attending truly "inspired" worship typically indicate that going to church is fun. When worship is inspiring (has energy), it draws people to the service all by itself.
Did I learn anything new?
Class members agreed that worship is not a lecture or an academic exercise. This is not the focus of the question. The focus of the question goes right to the heart of God's creative wishes for His people.
Think of all the exciting and rewarding experiences God provides for people to see, hear, and feel in worship. How many ways can a song be sung or played or listened to! How many contrasting lessons can be taken from the preached Word or for that matter from the enacted Word.
When we began to look at the variable possibilities that could be included in a worship service, we saw how absolutely infinite are the ways God can come to us and communicate with us in ways we have never thought of. Just look at the list, which is not intended to be exhaustive:
Expository. An exposition of a biblical passage, often used in a sermon series.
Topical. An approach to a subject using several texts to explain the topic. Most evangelistic sermons are topical.
Thematic. Utilizing, just as it says, theme and variation. This approach can be done well by experienced and creative preachers.
Story. Narration of a Bible story, if well done, can be very powerful; it can also be very dull.
Dialogical. Two voices (preachers) in dialogue can produce a message twice as powerful and arresting if they guard against quickly becoming predictable and ho-hum.
Drama. An insightful script, good acting, and a demanding director are the ingredients for effective church drama.
Choreography. Interpretative movement can provide a powerful communication medium. Careful choreography, talented and well rehearsed participants with deep sympathy for the worship experience make the difference.
Music. Music of some form is an integral part of worship. In today's cultures, there are wide variations in sound preference and availability. The balance between worship and entertainment is sometimes difficult to distinguish. Sensitive appreciation for various tastes can establish an atmosphere of acceptance.
Prayer. Spoken prayer, sung prayer, silent prayer are all forms of worship prayer, and for centuries have been used effectively in public worship.
Silence. The Quakers brought to America a tradition of silence in public worship. The appropriate use of silence in combination with other worship forms prayer, preaching, and drama has been experienced by most of us.
Puppets. Masquerading as a children's feature, puppets demand the attention of adults as well. In the hands of a gifted ventriloquist, pup pets have taught many valuable lessons in church.
Architecture. When careful thought is given to the surroundings in which worship occurs a chapel, church, hall, room, or outdoor amphitheater the results can be rich and inspirational. The symbols of Christianity are many, depending on the time and place. Attention to landscaping and upkeep can become a positive witness.
In our class on public worship we agreed that in many worship services the range of new experience with any medium beyond preaching and music vocal and instrumental is sparse. Thus many Sabbath worshipers could have a new and possibly enlightening experience when pre sented with one or more of the worship mediums in the foregoing list.
The sermons, which many worshipers view as their major inspiration, should also be carefully prepared, convincingly given with passion to shed hopeful light on living in a world gone mad. Another way to phrase the question: Did I hear or see the gospel sung, preached, or enacted in worship? It's a big order, but God is more than up to it.
What is the barf factor?
This is not a flippant or careless question but a deeply serious, penetrating query, dealing with the very essence of public worship.
In our class, we concluded that the essence of public worship is directly related to the preparation the worshipers make to enter into God's presence as a worshiping congregation. We agreed that God can be worshiped in many ways, in many places, under differing circumstances. But when the saints "come to church," there had better be some careful thought and planning.
To clarify this question, the opposite of careful thought and planning for public worship is exhibited in the barf factor. Time taken with thought less, wandering announcements, commentary about the obvious (such as the weather), involved reminiscence about one's connection to the speaker in an introduction, vacuous sing-alongs going nowhere, prayers that lapse into mini-sermons for the congregation instead of conversations with God all qualify as the barf factor.
The primary "competition" to public worship today is television and the entire fast-moving media enterprise. Simply to ponder the money, time, rehearsal, and preparation that goes into the production of a 15- second commercial is instructive. Should worship preparation be treat ed less seriously? No.
When the various parts of public worship reading of Scripture, prayer, music, announcements, preaching, enactment are left to spur-of-the-moment processes or entered into in either a routine or casual way, worship deteriorates rapidly, and the Spirit is shackled by human indifference.
In class as we all reported our worship experiences of the weekend, we were amazed how very similar worship was in a wide range of worship settings ranging from free church worship to carefully defined ritual worship.
How predictable it all was. Our God, who created cardinals, parrots, kingfishers, and hummingbirds, must long for some worship creativity when He comes to church on earth to meet His people. He loves us and regularly draws near; for this we are grateful. Let's surprise Him next Sabbath!
1 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), 296.
2 Schwartz, Natural Church Development, 36.
3 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), 143.
