Worship Should No Longer Be The Central And Defining Practice Of The Church

Worship is not a Biblical concept. At least not worship as most North American Christians know it. Nowhere in the Old or New Testaments is found a faith community that worships in ways most Christians today would consider the norm:

- Gathering once a week at a regular time and location (typically on Sunday morning), in a sanctuary designed and built primarily for that purpose.

 - Sitting in an arrangement of pews or chairs, with a handful of designated speakers and a choir up front.

- Having worship leaders wear ceremonial garb such as robes, and having all attendees dress to a certain level of formality above everyday dress.

- Centering the gathering around a sermon written and delivered by a well-trained professional.

- Congregational singing led by a well-trained professional.

- The collection of monetary donations.

In recent years, a few of these norms - such as formal dress and worship times - have been relaxed and altered in many churches. But the basic idea of gathering each week, sitting for an hour or so, and leaving a donation remains. In fact, this kind of service is considered by most to be the central and defining act of a congregation - despite the distinct lack of Biblical precedent.

In my calling as a new church development pastor, I have found this weekly “sit and pay” expectation to be very limiting as I meet people and seek to bring together a faith community. The appeal and the sense of obligation to “go to church” once a week are rapidly fading. People are still interested in faith and in following Jesus, but more in the form of service and mission in the world. 

It’s no longer about checking the “worship box” each week and leaving a check in the offering plate. Engagement and action for justice, peace, and a better world are what will energize the people who aren’t coming to church anymore, or who never did. Making attendance at a weekly worship service the one thing they have to do to be considered part of the church is a sure-fire way to guarantee they will never be part of the church.

Which means that it’s absurd that most churches continue to consider weekly worship attendance the central and defining act for their members. Perhaps its time we made developing a vocational identity beyond the church the one thing that all church members are expected to do.

I suspect that the reason we are slow to make this shift is because of finances. Passing the plate during the weekly worship service is our tried and true method of fundraising. As we struggle with diminishing overall numbers, we are hesitant to do anything that might diminish giving any further - a survival mentality which we need to resist. 

In future posts, I’ll look at Biblical models of membership and financing, and how we might begin to think about a sustainable future for churches where vocation in the community is the central and defining focus.