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According to a recent study by YOUR CHURCH, the growth of contemporary music in worship has slowed, whereas blended worship is on the upswing (see Special Report, Nov/Dec).

Blended worship can be defined in various ways. According to Robert Webber, author of dozens of books on worship including Planning Blended Worship, blended worship is usually defined in terms of music. It's seen as a combination of any kind of older music—ancient hymns, psalms, and traditional gospel songs—with contemporary choruses and praise music.

That's a superficial understanding of what blended worship really is, Webber says. He prefers to define it as "a true convergence of worship rooted in biblical sources, which draws from the great traditions of the church so that it is truly catholic, Reformed, evangelical, and charismatic. It is also deeply committed to contemporary relevance. It is therefore ecclectic and engages people in a relationship with God through all forms of music and the arts, including contemporary choruses, drama, storytelling, common gestures, creative movements, participatory involvement, pageantry, and environmental art."

My How You've Grown
My first experience with blended worship was an effort by a traditional mainline church to incorporate into its traditional services the requests of younger members for newer, more contemporary music. That was part of what later became a growing trend to incorporate new forms of praise and worship music, drama, dance, storytelling, and congregational involvement into worship.

Some people who grew up with hymns, organs, choirs, and straightforward preaching clung to those ways. Others welcomed change. Still others insisted on change. Churches responded to the growing controversy in various ways (see "Triumph of the Praise Songs," CHRISTIANITY TODAY, July 12). Some offered a choice of services including traditional and contemporary. That solution proved successful for a number of churches. But others resisted it, saying such an approach divides a congregation and promotes an us-against-them mentality.

In time, churches began offering blended worship as a way to accept everyone's preferences as valid. In many churches, blended worship is now working well as many independent churches that were birthed to give people a contemporary worship experience begin to work old hymns and songs back into services.

Adjustments Along the Way
Blended worship doesn't always work. I've watched church congregations stand and confidently sing their favorite hymns, then sit in awkward silence as a worship leader tries to teach them a praise-and-worship song. Still, blending the two styles can work if new songs and other unfamiliar elements of worship are gradually incorporated into worship.

Churches that are in the process of developing the contemporary side of worship may encounter some technology issues required to support that kind of worship. Just what kind of sound, lighting, projection, and stage equipment is necessary to support blended worship?

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