How a Worship Format is Destroying the Evangelical Church

During my lifetime, many evangelical churches in American have moved from Bible-oriented gatherings to music-dominated meetings. Interestingly, both sets of religious gatherings typically bore the title, “Worship Service.”

When the evangelical church was Bible-oriented, this “worship” paradigm was in place:

(1) Not all elements of the service were considered equally important; the exposition of Scripture was clearly the first and foremost priority. All other competitors vied for a distant second place.

(2) When the term “worship” was used, it was the equivalent of our modern casual expression, “doing church.” It is important to note that the preaching of the Word was considered part of worship, as were announcements, testimonies, communion, prayer, singing, the offering, and special music. This was the typical structure of a “worship service” before 1980.

(3) Many evangelicals viewed music as a “warm up for the sermon.” In this regard, many leaders did not seem to often respect music ministry as actual ministry but many others did.

The change

But the paradigm has changed in many churches. The most important change was what the word “worship” communicates. The word “worship” is now used by clergy and laity alike to refer to the religious feelings aroused by music.

(1) The change in paradigms began with the addition on an article: “the” worship. As trivial as this seems, this was the beginning of emphasizing music and separating preaching and announcements from worship. We now have “the worship” and “the sermon.”

Here is just one possible scenario resulting from this change in definition. John Member has schedule a meeting with Pastor Jones. Let’s eavesdrop.

“Pastor, I think we need to cut down the time you preach. Fifteen minutes is plenty, I think.”

“I don’t agree,” replies Pastor Jones, “studying the Bible is crucial for every Christian.”

“Oh, I agree that the Bible is important, Pastor,” responds John Member, “but our morning service is billed as the morning worship service, so it should be mainly about worship, not preaching.”

In the above hypothetical conversation, you can see how the two meanings of the word “worship” are colliding with one another. In the pastor’s mind, Bible study is an important part of worship, but not in the mind of John Member. He views only music as “worship.”

(2) Other terminology changed. Schools that offered a major in church music (or “sacred music” for the hoi polloi) changed the major to “Worship Arts” (about the same time shades and curtains became “window treatments”). The song leader became known as the “worship leader.”

(3) Music became more emotionally intense, and a confusion between the emotional and the spiritual helped set music on an untouchable pedestal. Worship had become something one felt, not something one did. Worship was judged as good or bad based upon how it made worshippers feel. The Scriptures no longer defined good worship; the individual had become the discerner of truth based upon how he felt.

(4) In mega-churches, elitism and an attitude oriented toward musicians performing to the standards of other musicians (rather than aiming to bless the congregation) seems to be the norm. In some cases, musicians have become a special religious caste (like a priest, they lead the sacrifice of praise into the holy place).

(5) Even though Colossians 3:16 implies we should aim our hymns and songs both vertically and horizontally (we sing to one another and in our hearts to the Lord), the entire concept of worshiping God in the third person is gone, despite the fact that many Psalms speak of God as “He” rather than “You.”

(6) The goal of worship is creating a religious atmosphere and its attendant feelings. Often times worship leaders are weak in biblical and theological matters, but because more Christians value “worship” above theology, some of these leaders are carving out a pattern for church with little regard for biblical teaching about what the church is supposed to do when gathered.

(7) Here is the pattern: eventually worship (music and that religious feeling) is considered almost on a par with Scripture, then equal to Scripture, and eventually superior to it.* The Scriptures become subservient to the music and are used more as transitions between songs than holy word to be expounded. Biblical sermons have given way to self-help lectures or emotionally charged sermons with lots of illustrations—replacing the previous Psalm 1 mentality. The idea of worshiping God through deep Bible study and meditation in the Word is unknown; worship now means music and feelings.

The consequences & dangers of the new “worship format”

  1. Religion is back in vogue. We used to hear “I’m not religious, I just love the Lord,” or “Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship.” Because of the new emphasis on religious feeling, it is fair to say that we have moved back into the domain of religion.
  2. Worship has become a religious experience dependent upon something else than the gathering of Christians to study the Word, pray, celebrate communion, and sing a few hymns. Based upon modern viewpoints, the early church must have done a poor job of worshipping God.
  3. If the church is about worship, and if worship is a religious feeling induced from a church gathering, then, if I get a stronger version of that feeling somewhere else, that is where I need to be. Rather than the Bible, a passionate feeling of worship becomes the canon by which I measure truth.

As a result, Christians not only move from evangelical church to evangelical church, but they also desert evangelicalism. Our heritage is based upon the centrality of Scripture; we are really novices at the religion game. But even if we competed well on a religious level, are we right to trash the primacy of Scripture? What about the convictions of the Reformation?

The problem is not contemporary music, seeking to have meaningful worship through songs of praise, etc. The problem is displacement. When we displace the knowledge of the Word and solid doctrine with music (whether we call music worship or not), we are no longer under the lordship of Christ. The Christian life includes public worship, but the highest form of worship is hearing and doing the Word of God. That is why the ultimate “worship book” in the Bible, the book of Psalms, begins with emphasizing constant meditation on the Word. The longest Psalm (119) makes the point even more emphatically. God seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. It is hard to worship God in truth if you don’t know the truth and if you do not make the truth a priority.

Ed Vasicek Bio

Ed Vasicek was raised as a Roman Catholic but, during high school, Cicero (IL) Bible Church reached out to him, and he received Jesus Christ as his Savior by faith alone. Ed earned his BA at Moody Bible Institute and served as pastor for many years at Highland Park Church, where he is now pastor emeritus. Ed and his wife, Marylu, have two adult children. Ed has published over 1,000 columns for the opinion page of the Kokomo Tribune, published articles in Pulpit Helps magazine, and posted many papers which are available at edvasicek.com. Ed has also published the The Midrash Key and The Amazing Doctrines of Paul As Midrash: The Jewish Roots and Old Testament Sources for Paul's Teachings.

Discussion

I think you make some very interesting points. So much of the debate has focused on contemp vs. trad, and I never considered that there is an underlying change in definition—well, didn’t connect the dots anyway. I think there’s alot of truth to what you’re saying.

I’m not crazy about the old model where you have preaching + “the preliminaries” though. I think it should all be viewed as worship or it should not be in the service. But I do think it’s extremely damaging to subordinate the preaching of the word to the experience of feelings of devotion (generated by music/drama, etc.)

Your use of the word religion… I’m not sure I have the same definition you do. I think most of us could stand to be much more religious. What I mean by that, though, is serious, disciplined. There are forms that the centuries have proven to be helpful to believers in turning hearts toward God. So… I have no aversion to ritual, per se.

So I’m not entirely clear on what you mean by “religion.”

I’ll be out a while so will have to catch up later.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

[Ed Vasicek]

Other terminology changed. Schools that offered a major in church music (or “sacred music” for the hoi polloi) changed the major to “Worship Arts” (about the same time shades and curtains became “window treatments”).

Made me laugh. Nice.

I wish we would move past the Sunday Morning “Worship Service” jargon—at least the way we currently use that buzz word. I agree with Ed that the church gathers around the Word. And the “Music + Preaching” model (or lately, the “Music + Preaching + Sacramental Observance of Communion” model) hasn’t been a rigorous application of New Testament teaching, which is fairly clear in its descriptions of the gathered church.

But it seems like some of those “standard activities” of the gathered church are gathering dust. Confession of sin? Prayer? Testimony? Fellowship?

Ed, I’m thrilled about your position on the centrality of the Word in worship. I entirely agree; that’s why in Protestant churches, pulpits displaced the eucharistic table as the central furniture. With that in mind, though, we do have the danger Aaron mentioned: some churches take the primacy of the Word to mean “the other stuff” is tangential to or merely preparatory for the sermon.

How can we move beyond this impasse? Well, at my church, the congregation follows a modified Genevan church legacy, in which every element of worship is used to be a carrier of the Word. A liturgy from several weeks ago looked like this:

Call to Worship (responsive Scripture reading) - Psalm 97:1-4

Invocation

Hymn of Adoration - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Silent Confession and General (corporate) Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardoning Grace - Ezekiel 36:25-27

Hymn of Pardoning Grace - O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Sacrament of Baptism

Intercessory Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

Old Testament Lesson - Exodus 20:1-3

Sermon - The First Commandment

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Hymn of Response

Benediction

Dismissal (responsive)

Now, the whole liturgy is designed to focus on how law and gospel are resolved in the work of Christ. The call to worship starts with God, in the person of the minister, calling his people to worship. Then they joyfully respond. Baptism follows confession and assurance of pardon, since it depicts cleansing and the new birth. It’s also why the Lord’s Supper comes after the sermon, since it is God’s “invitation” to us to partake of his Son by faith. Our pastor takes a minute before each element to explain the element in light of the gospel, or sometimes more specifically in light of the week’s sermon. The net effect is that each element contributes to teaching. Since a theme in every Reformed sermon is Christ’s fulfillment of the law and offer of the gospel, the ground is plowed before the sermon, and its message is reinforced until the end.

Of course, there may be many ways to uphold the centrality of the word throughout a service, but I offer this modified Genevan liturgy as an example to anyone who may be looking for something.

My Blog: http://dearreaderblog.com

Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin

This is no casual essay, it is IMO, quite book worthy. Thank you Ed for the time invested in carefully considering the topic and articulating with precision the issues you raised. Some magnificent points:
[Ed Vasicek]…a confusion between the emotional and the spiritual helped set music on an untouchable pedestal. Worship had become something one felt, not something one did. Worship was judged as good or bad based upon how it made worshippers feel. The Scriptures no longer defined good worship; the individual had become the discerner of truth based upon how he felt.
[Ed Vasicek]…but because more Christians value “worship” above theology, some of these leaders are carving out a pattern for church with little regard for biblical teaching about what the church is supposed to do when gathered.
When I read in Acts that the Elders devoted themselves to teaching and praying and imagine the primacy in the meetings within the varying congregational subsets being that of how people “felt” and an emphasis on moods and music, it is incredibly incongruous.

The directives and examples that we have in Scripture, while allowing for varying forms, must ultimately lead to just what you stated:
[Ed Vasicek]…the highest form of worship is hearing and doing the Word of God.
So whether a formal liturgy is present or not, whether some traditional form of music is present or not, as you said these are not the problems, rather it is “displacement”.

I suggest, as I believe you will agree, that when the Word of God is considered primary, those attendant issues such as feelings or worship structure and elements will find their appropriate place based on a proper orientation to the Word of God.

Good comments. I would like to add the following:

(1) The old idea about the “preliminaries” is bad, as though the Word were everything. The Word is not everything, but it is to be central, I believe.

(2) Liturgy, etc., as Charlie mentioned is something neutral to me. That is one method to seek to implement a set of priorities. I neither condemn it nor advocate it, but I will acknowledge it as one of many format possibilities.

(3) If you look at the real rubric for what is to be done in a church meeting, that rubric is given by Paul (I Cor. 14:26c), I believe:
Let all things be done for edification.

"The Midrash Detective"

that even when the music portion of the service is great, I’m still glad it’s over when we sit down and open our Bibles?

Great post, Bro. Vasicek- and I think the primacy of Scripture also dictates that the songs themselves reflect solid doctrine and don’t veer into the trite, cute, or an overabundance of distracting metaphors… goes along with your point #7, I think. If the focus of the entire service is worship (and edification and equipping and admonition…) then all things will continue to follow that path.

Are we going to talk about other ‘preliminaries’ such as offerings and announcements? http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php] http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-scared003.gif

From the paradigm of my theological understanding (which is necessarily rooted in my Lutheran upbringing), I have trouble relating to this article.

Since we’re all into lists today :), a few thoughts:

1) I have always believed that the preaching of the Word formed the crescendo of the worship service.

2) I have never believed (at least for a very long time) that things like announcements have any proper place in a worship service. (Would we interrupt a wedding or a funeral to make announcements? :p)

3) I have never believed (at least for a very long time) that “song leader” was a concept compatible with Biblical worship. It appears to be a relic of old-time revival meetings, where the “song service” became an element of entertainment meant to draw the crowd. (Originally, there was no Hi-Def TV back then — the fact that there was a service going on with a “song leader” was big news in many communities. ;))

4) Like Charlie, I agree with Ed that the strength of the old evangelical/fundamentalist paradigm was its emphasis on the primacy of the Word and preaching. I just don’t believe it is an either/or thing. I wish we could have the best of both worlds — Biblical worship tied to worshipful preaching/teaching.

5) I probably don’t agree with Ed on these matters, but I am also sure I do not agree with those he is really writing against. It also troubles me that many fundamental Baptist pastors can conduct a service in good conscience without any public reading of Scripture, any Scriptural call to worship or any Bible-infused pastoral prayer.

The answer is not to place less emphasis on worship; it is to place a more Biblically-literate emphasis on worship.

Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry

[Paul J. Scharf]

3) I have never believed (at least for a very long time) that “song leader” was a concept compatible with Biblical worship. It appears to be a relic of old-time revival meetings, where the “song service” became an element of entertainment meant to draw the crowd.
I tend to agree, especially if we are talking about ‘song leader’ as a paid vocation. I am… shall we say… less than enthusiastic about paid ‘music’ staff. But how many Christian colleges have music majors to fill just such positions?

To clarify- I think the quality of music is important, so talented and trained musicians are valuable, but I think you’d have to go spelunking in the OT to find Biblical precedent for full-time musicians for the church.

One might respond that though the office of a Minister with an emphasis in music is not present in the Scriptures, neither is a Pastoral/church secretary that would be supported by the church. Would it be better qualified by saying there is no example, prescription or license for a church supported ordained Minister to devote his efforts to something other than primarily the teaching of God’s Word (which would include Evangelists whose gifting would be gospel doctrine).

On the other hand, under the category of ancillary, non-ordained positions such as secretary, would it be valid to have a person who is not called a Music Minister, respecting the above, but Music Director (btw none of my response is intended to reveal any personal position, simply playing devil’s advocate)? Not to get too far off Ed’s main focus.

Sure, Alex- if the church wants to compensate someone for their labor, whether it is mowing the yard, balancing the books, or leading the choir, that’s certainly permissible. But making music an ordained calling and church office is taking that function too far IMO.

But tell that to your local Bible college. Then duck and run for cover as the hymnbooks come flying at your head.

The main reason, IMO, that there is a major glut of music majors is this new definition of worship.

[Paul J. Scharf]

2) I have never believed (at least for a very long time) that things like announcements have any proper place in a worship service. (Would we interrupt a wedding or a funeral to make announcements? :p)
I don’t like these as part of the service either, along with “artificial fellowship time,” where a couple minutes (at most) are spent on “fellowshipping” (which really means shaking hands and asking people for names which will be forgotten in seconds).

On the other side, though, announcements are fairly common at the end of funerals (basically after the service part is over) telling people where to go for the graveside service, reception, etc., as well as telling people what to do with money in lieu of flowers, etc. The same at the end of some weddings I’ve attended as well.

If announcements are taken care of before the service starts (sometimes this is done with PowerPoint slides on the walls before the service starts), or done afterward, they are quite useful as a practicality in church families. I agree wholeheartedly with you, however, that the emphasis of a service on God should not be interrupted by announcements.

Dave Barnhart

[Susan R] Sure, Alex- if the church wants to compensate someone for their labor, whether it is mowing the yard, balancing the books, or leading the choir, that’s certainly permissible. But making music an ordained calling and church office is taking that function too far IMO.

But tell that to your local Bible college. Then duck and run for cover as the hymnbooks come flying at your head.

The main reason, IMO, that there is a major glut of music majors is this new definition of worship.
I agree with you, BTW.

Good thoughts and an interesting take on the current situation.

While I understand what your getting at and I agree with your point, I think your title and a some of your explanation is using broad strokes and is putting the blame on something other than the real issue.

I believe you “hit the nail on the head” with this sentence:
The problem is displacement.
Any time we put something in place of the authentic worship of God and the proclamation of his word, we have a major issue.

I’m not sure I agree with your presentation of “music” and “the Word” as an “either/or” idea.
When we displace the knowledge of the Word and solid doctrine with music (whether we call music worship or not), we are no longer under the lordship of Christ.
Our music could/should be scripture filled and doctrinally accurate, keeping Christ as lord and His word central.

I have visited several evangelical churches, a few of them would be some of the most recognized in the country, and I have never been in a service where the music portion of the service exceeded the sermon in either importance or length of time.

Again, I agree with your principle, I’m not sure I would draw the same practical conclusions.

[driddick] Our music could/should be scripture filled and doctrinally accurate, keeping Christ as lord and His word central.

I have visited several evangelical churches, a few of them would be some of the most recognized in the country, and I have never been in a service where the music portion of the service exceeded the sermon in either importance or length of time.

Again, I agree with your principle, I’m not sure I would draw the same practical conclusions.
You know, a broad study of the the primary Hebrew and Greek words used for worship in Scripture and their contexts is very revealing. While music can be a useful tool and a means to an end in worship, there is no support in Scripture for the notion that music is an integral or necessary part of worship. In fact, there are far more examples in Scripture of worship sans music than worship including music. I am not advocating the removal of music from our worship, only suggesting that the displacement Ed warns us about in the article is FAR more pervasive than we readily recognize.

Why is it that my voice always seems to be loudest when I am saying the dumbest things?