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Why Does Worship Keep Changing?

Throughout history, evangelism and aesthetics influence the way Christians meet with God

-by Bruce L. Shelley

With the mention of one word, I discovered how explosive are feelings about worship.

I was speaking to a group of senior adults about recent changes in evangelical churches. We were meeting in a retreat center high in the Colorado Rockies. But even the breathtaking surroundings could not suppress the sanctified outrage I heard when I happened to mention the "D" word—drums. Like a match dropped on a haystack, the room erupted first in a corporate groan, followed by an outburst of laughter.

Today, churches across the country are torn between the tug of tradition and the pull of style. Seniors want harmony; boomers want beat. Each has difficulty accepting the other with enthusiasm. Can anything alleviate this tension? An understanding of history may help.

Prior to World War II, worship in America drew from two primary movements: Puritanism, then revivalism. Both shaped the way Christians thought about church.

The English Puritans, even more than the Protestant Reformers before them, were determined to purge worship of all practices not mentioned in Scripture (holy water, clerical collars, etc.). Simplicity was the order of the day.

For Puritans the sermon, not Communion, became the focus of the service, and the role of the preacher was central. Congregational participation shrank to a minimum. Even hymns were downplayed for a time.

Major changes came with revivals. The slow, persistent trend of Protestant worship had been away from the Holy Church and toward the sacred individual. Revivals were a giant step further in this direction. The Puritans had emphasized personal devotions and worship from the heart; the revivals watered this seed of individual faith until it became virtually the whole garden.

Among New England Puritans, under the leadership of Jonathan Edwards, revival showered churches in the 1730s. By the nineteenth century, this stream of "Great Awakenings" had reached flood stage. Like any flood, the currents reshaped the surrounding landscape-including Sunday morning worship.

Means to move the soul
Among whites, "new measures" became the magic words. Charles Finney, the converted lawyer and popular evangelist, insisted churches must discard hidebound forms and adopt new methods that would "awaken the unconcerned and reawaken the complacent." According to Finney, "There are so many exciting subjects constantly brought before the American public that churches cannot command attention without very exciting preaching to get the public ear."

Churches that supported these revivals were called "free churches." Many Baptists, most Methodists, Churches of Christ, and later Bible churches, all stand in this tradition. Some of these groups brought their simple forms of worship from Europe, but revised them during the nineteenth century. That modified pattern, still used in many traditional, non-liturgical churches today, reflected a passion to evangelize the unconverted.

The freest churches of all were the black congregations formed during slavery. Gospel and soul music was born in the rhythmic worship of African-American churches, where every worship service was an emancipation proclamation.

He set me free, He set me free.
He broke the chains of bondage for me.
I'm glory bound, my Jesus to see.
Glory to God. He set me free!

This free or frontier style of worship, whether white or black, usually began with a "song service" to elevate the emotional pitch of the congregation. Impromptu prayers added an intensely personal note. After an offering was received "for the spread of the gospel," a choir sang a gospel song emphasizing conversion or personal holiness. Then the service reached its climax with an evangelistic sermon and "altar call" to the unconverted or unsanctified.

And many came. Worship then, as today in seeker-sensitive churches, served evangelistic purposes.

A little dignity please
Revivals are always tamed. By World War I, professionalism was taking root in America's churches. The church building was usually the center of a community. One service a week was not enough. Morning and evening services on Sunday were the rule, with the evening service dedicated to winning the lost. During the week there were committee meetings and choir rehearsals.

Churchgoers now expected a higher level of performance. A shabby, spontaneous worship service was no longer acceptable. Gradually people came to attend church much as they would a concert or theater. And the standards set by wealthier congregations affected the standards of the lower middle class.

Even church buildings reflected this focus on professionalism. In the 1880s and '90s they were built like theaters with banked seats, so that the audience—like spectators—could clearly see the speaker and the choir loft. Wooden walls and pews gave a warm, dark cast to the interior, broken only by the colorful stained glass windows or glistening pipe organ.

In the 1930s, when the Depression propelled blacks to surge into northern cities looking for a better life, only a few churches could afford pipe organs. But when the electronic organ appeared in the 1940s, less affluent churches could afford them. The organ quickly became the instrument for gospel and soul.

Worshiping with the times
Today many evangelical churches still follow their inherited forms of worship: singing, prayer, Scripture reading, choir or soloist, sermon, and invitation. Often, however, expository preaching has replaced the evangelistic sermon, and the invitation has enlarged to include a desire for church membership or some dedication.

Traditional hymns or gospel music from the 1940s or '50s are usually featured. Robed choirs or soloists sometimes introduce a popular contemporary Christian song. But piano and organ accompaniment supports the congregational singing. Everything is in order, thoughtful, and assuring.

In other congregations, the emphasis is more contemporary. After World War II, two significant developments united to reshape worship in America: the growth of counseling and the influence of television.

Reflecting the cultural emphasis on therapy, these congregations focus on the felt needs of the individual's private life. The worship in many growing churches is warm and relational. The sermon resembles a dialogue between preacher and congregation. Like an effective counselor, the preacher understands people's failures and doubts. He is less an authority figure and more a friend.

Television's influence parallels the influence of counseling. If some Rip Van Winkle were to return, after a twenty-year nap, to the evangelical church of his childhood, he would probably be astounded at how television has reshaped worship. Many soloists bend and sway with their mikes, just like the TV stars. Almost everything is sight and sound. Applause regularly punctuates Sunday morning services, as if congregations were studio audiences.

Many Christians today appreciate this contemporary model of worship because it involves the worshiper in much more than sitting and listening to a speaker. After all, how can worship be worship without joyous expression of praise? How can the psalms be read or recited without emotion? In the light of God's works of mercy and love, worship leaders call the congregation to emotional, even physical expressions of praise.

Still, television is an entertainment medium. And for most of us, entertainment is mostly fun and excitement, a break from the serious business of real living.

The Bible's picture of worship is something else. True worship was never intended to be dull and emotionless, but there are spiritual risks in making it an escape from life. Before God we must make promises to one another, assume responsibilities, and respond to our failures by repenting and obeying.

I think this is what those seniors felt when they groaned about drums in the sanctuary. They knew instinctively that worship is more than fun and excitement; it is also the serious task of living with promises, failure, and grace.

Meeting God in a way that magnifies him, and also invites others into his presence, may be the biggest challenge for the church in the next century.

Copyright © 1996 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
Click here for reprint information.

Last Updated: October 18, 1996

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