What if church were different? What if we were historically and spiritually rooted instead of following a fad? As Kendall Vanderslice has said,

It is good to have words we repeat that were thoughtfully written by generations past, to have sacraments we share that remind us over and over again that we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves, so much bigger than our moment in time, so much bigger than the community of people immediately around us.[1]

What if we didn’t practice empty rituals but appreciated the rich history of the Church, recited her creeds, sang her songs, and told her stories? Os Guinness has said, 

By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and our relevance.[2]

The Church has a long history of timeless relevance. The Church has “the words of life” (Jn. 6:68). What if we tapped into that history and showed people Christianity has unmatched depth and answers to life’s deepest questions? But what if we weren’t stuffy and ritualistic? 

We will worship so we must worship wisely. Intentional liturgy is vital. As the gathered church we purport to worship the Lord, so we must do so in an intentionally biblical and wise way. By my calculations, most Christians spend around half a year of their life participating in the gathered worship of the church. We must make the best use of that time! The gathering of the church is an important way the church is equipped to be the church scattered.

It is of utmost importance that the liturgy of the gathered church be deliberate. Even simple, seemingly insignificant, things in worship communicate doctrine and teach people. This is true, for example, of terminology (“priest” or “pastor”) and architecture (simple or elaborate; God’s people are the temple, or the building is the temple).

Liturgies have been in use in Christian worship from the earliest of times so it’s important that we consider what liturgy means and its place in the life of the church. All churches have a liturgy but some churches seem to be less intentional about their liturgy. It seems some churches operate on a default liturgy. A pastor may inherit a liturgy from the previous pastor and it remain essentially unchanged for generations. That, however, is problematic for a few reasons. As Timothy C.J. Quill has said, “Worship practice reflects and communicates the beliefs of the church. Liturgy articulates doctrine.”[3] Eric L. Johnson has said, “Worship reorders our hearts by putting everything else in perspective.”[4] So, liturgies are formative. The liturgy of the church whether “more liturgical” or “more nonliturgical” is vital to think about because the way one worships shapes the way one believes and lives.

We must hold to the traditions that we were taught (2 Thess. 2:15) and maintain them (1 Cor. 11:2). There is a place for Christians to be historically rooted. The gathering of the church must be carried out according to God’s revealed will. We want to worship God in the way He has prescribed as best as we can.[5] We should acknowledge, however, that “The New Testament does not provide us with officially sanctioned public ‘services’ so much as with examples of crucial elements.”[6] Even though the New Testament does not give us a complete manual of what the church gathering should be like,[7] it does give us clear things to do.[8]  

I really appreciate this summary by Edmond Clowney: 

The New Testament indicates, by precept and example, what elements of [corporate] worship are. As in the synagogue, corporate prayer is offered (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 2:1; 1 Cor. 14:16); Scripture is read (1 Tim. 4:13; 1 Th. 5:27; 2 Th. 3:14; Col. 4:15, 16; 2 Pet. 3:15, 16) and expounded in preaching (1 Tim. 4:13; cf. Lk. 4:20; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 4:2). There is a direct shift from the synagogue to the gathering of the church (Acts 18:7, 11; cf. 19:8-10). The teaching of the word is also linked with table fellowship (Acts 2:42; 20:7, cf. vv. 20, 25, 28). The songs of the new covenant people both praise God and encourage one another (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:15; 1 Cor. 14:15, 26; cf. 1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 5:9-13; 11:17f; 15:3, 4). Giving to the poor is recognized as a spiritual service to God and a Christian form of ‘sacrifice’ (2 Cor. 9:11-15; Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:16). The reception and distribution of gifts is related to the office of the deacon (Acts 6:1-6; Rom. 12:8, 13; cf. Rom. 16:1, 2; 2 Cor. 8:19-21; Acts 20:4; 1 Cor. 16:1-4) and to the gathering of believers (Acts 2:42; 5:2; 1 Cor. 16:2). The faith is also publically confessed (1 Tim. 6:12; 1 Pet. 3:21; Heb. 13:15; cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-3). The people receive God’s blessing (2 Cor. 13:14; Lk. 24:50; cf. Num. 6:22-27). The holy kiss of salutation is also commanded (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Th. 5:26; 1 Pet. 5:14). The people respond to praise and prayer with the saying of ‘Amen’ (1 Cor. 14:16; Rev. 5:14; cf. Rom. 1:25; 9:5; Eph. 3:21 etc.). The sacrament of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are explicitly provided for. Confession is linked with baptism (1 Pet. 3:21); and a prayer of thanksgiving with the breaking of bread (1 Cor. 11:24).

Another foundation of healthy church gatherings is public sharing. The church is instructed in 1 Corinthians 14:26 that when it comes together each one should have a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. When the church family gathers each member should be prepared to do its part and share something to build up the others who are present. The operation of spiritual gifts[8] for the upbuilding of the body is important because “each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7). Each part of the body playing its part is vital (Rom. 12:4-8). It’s good to be “eager for manifestations of the Spirit” but it’s even more important that we “strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Cor. 14:12).

So, what would it look like for churches to have an intentional liturgy and recite creeds like the Nicene Creed but also leave room for authenticity, lament, relationship, and the moving of the Spirit? I’m not entirely sure. But my church is working towards it. I do know if we are to move in this direction we must plan differently. We must make room for the creeds, communion, and the moving of the Spirit. We must have intentional congregational prayer and not just as a ploy to move people on and off the stage. 

Notes

[1] Kendall Vanderslice, “The Church of the Chronically Online” 56 in Common Good issue 17.

[2] Os Guinness, Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003), 15.

[3] Timothy C.J. Quill, “Liturgical Worship,” 19 in Perspectives on Christian Worship.

[4] Eric L. Johnson, God & Soul Care, 171. “Christian liturgical practices… reorient our hearts and our identity to our ultimate concern” (Johnson, God & Soul Care, 172).

[5] I appreciate what Michael A. Farley says: “Evangelical scholars employ a range of very different hermeneutical strategies in applying the Bible to worship. This is not surprising, of course, since evangelicals are divided over the theory and practice of biblical hermeneutics in many areas of theology. The first step toward progress in reconciling divergent views is a clear recognition and accurate characterization of the diversity of hermeneutical approaches to constructing a biblical theology of worship. If discussion can take place at this level, evangelicals can avoid the frustrating experience of talking past one another without comprehending why one’s arguments are not persuasive to one’s interlocutors” (“What Is “Biblical’ Worship? Biblical Hermeneutics and Evangelical Theologies of Worship,” JETS 51/3 [2008]: 610).

[6] D.A. Carson, Worship by the Book, 52.

[7] Farley, “What Is “Biblical’ Worship?,” 610. “There is no single passage in the New Testament that establishes a paradigm for corporate worship” (Worship by the Book, 55). “The New Testament allows significant freedom to test and mold the forms of local churches to cultures, contexts, and circumstances” J. Scott Horrel, “Freeing Cross-Cultural Church Planting with New Testament Essentials” in Bibliotheca Sacra 174 (April-June 2017), 224).

[8] Clowney, “Presbyterian Worship,” Worship: Adoration and Action, ed. D.A. Carson, 117 as quoted in Worship by the Book, 48.

[9] See “The Work of the Spirit within the Church” at https://www.academia.edu/43153921/The_Work_of_the_Spirit_within_the_Church