A Worship Conversation
By John Atherton
Sunday, August 17, 2003A Worship Conversation by John Atherton
A friend who is a worship pastor wrote to ask about emerging trends in worship; here is my response.
Worship today is most often characterized, as I perceive it, in several ways:
By Music Style
1. Hymns
2. Choruses
3. Alternative
By Liturgy Style
1. Traditional Liturgy
2. Contemporary Liturgy*
3. No real order of service (which some claim, but few have)
*Worship, Announcements, Special Music, Sermon
By Focus
1. Word-Centered
2. Image-Centered
I am most interested in this last category. For several hundred years we have been word-centered, that is, we use words to convey our message. This is most clearly seen in our focus on preaching. However, nearly everyone would admit that today we live in a culture that is primarily image-based. I believe a growing number of churches are experimenting with image-based worship.
This is kind of an ancient-future focus—in that pre-modern worship was very much image-based. Communion was the center piece, but icons, stained glass, symbols like the cross, robes, choirs...even the pipes of the organ were image-based.
As we move forward, I think power-point is just the beginning or tip of the iceberg. Image can come in so many art forms, painting, dance, sculpture, video, pageantry, and so much more. I also think there is a move in some circles to bring communion back as a center piece, as opposed to preaching. I did not say no preaching...it just isn't the focus.
There is a growing movement toward multi-sensory worship, where all five senses are used. Then there are some churches that are experimenting with creating environments for people to worship that directly reflect the message. This can be done with the use of props to create a set. It can also be done in a home..around a meal and art that was created to be given away...it can be done in a labyrinth which relies on quiet moments of reflection and high interaction...and who knows how many more ways.
I think that the key focus in all of this is people are looking to CONNECT WITH GOD. They want to touch transcendence. Now you would be quick to say, I am sure, that this can happen and has been happening through music for some time...I would agree, but I think people are looking beyond just music to find other ways to connect with God.
Meaningful times of quiet are also being introduced in many places, to help people stop DOING and start BEING. After all, we were created as human beings, not human doings.
I also know that worship is taking on a more holistic approach where more planning goes into the service (I mean experience) so that everything ties together, which means that instead of component parts—music, communion, preaching, etc.—the whole thing is worship start to finish. So you don't hear people talking as much any more about worship being the music part, but the whole thing's being worship.
The focus is definitely moving away from gaining information, toward experiencing God. Interestingly, more and more people are dumping the ANNOUNCEMENTS, because it is information giving, not worship. They are finding other ways to convey this information, predominantly through email and websites.
Beyond all that, worship is becoming more participatory in so many ways...In many places the monologue message is dead, replaced by either dialogue, or at minimum, a time for people to respond at the end in a multiplicity of ways.
The physical set-up of worship is changing too...moving away from pews and chairs in rows to multiple spaces...for instance: open space for people to stand with room to move and respond to God, tables which allow people to interact with each other during worship, couches and chairs facing each other, multiple video screens around the room that allow people to experience more than one thing going on at the same time...multi-tasking. It is all about creating divine space for a Holy God to be present, and for people to experience God and respond.
For much of this to take place requires worship teams, (and I don't mean instrumentalists and singers) who, as a team plan and carry out worship experiences. It also means the professionals have to be willing to have less focus on them, so that an empowered congregation or community becomes the facilitators of worship as believer-priests.
John Atherton
Chattanooga Resource Foundation