Contemporary worship

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This article is about a form of christian worship. For the musical genre, see Contemporary worship music.
A contemporary Christian worship in a Western congregation.
A contemporary Christian worship in a Western congregation.

The term contemporary worship generally refers to a form of christian worship that emerged within western evangelical protestantism towards the end of the twentieth century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found to varying extents in a wide range of churches, including many that do not subscribe to a charismatic theology. Contemporary worship is generally characterised by the use of contemporary worship music in an informal setting. Congregational singing typically comprises a greater proportion of the service than in conventional forms of worship. Where contemporary worship is practiced in churches with a liturgical tradition, elements of the liturgy are frequently kept to a minimum. The terms historic worship or traditional worship are sometimes used to describe conventional worship forms and distinguish them from contemporary worship.

Contents

[edit] History

The consensus is that contemporary worship is a product of the charismatic movement, which began in the 1960s and saw aspects of pentecostalism enter traditional churches. Attitudes to worship shifted amongst those affected by this movement and there was an openness to new music that expressed worship in a style more in keeping with the culture of time. The growth of contemporary christian music happened in parallel and there was a degree of crossover between performance and congregational music.

A major factor in the spread of contemporary worship has been christian conferences, bible weeks, and similar conventions. These often featured contemporary worship and frequently exposed numerous churchgoers to this style of worship for the first time. The delegates then returned to their home churches with the desire to introduce what they had experienced.

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[edit] Controversies

The shift towards contemporary worship has been a source of significant controversy (sometimes called 'worship wars') in many churches. Whilst some disagreements have primarily resulted from a resistance to changes to the accustomed syle of worship, more substantial concerns have also been raised.

The musical style of contemporary worship is very much influenced by popular music, and the use of modern instruments is commonplace. Objectors feel that this style of music is 'worldly' and associated with an immoral lifestyle. A very small number of theologians oppose it based on their interpretation of the regulative principle of worship.

Additional controversy results from the lyrical content of much contemporary worship music, which differs from traditional hymnody and often reflects a charismatic theology. The increasing influence of this music is seen as introducing charismatic teachings by the back door. In addition, criticism has been made of the simple wording of many contemporary worship songs, which is felt to be banal and lacking in depth.

Finally, critics have argued that contemporary worship services are actually 'entertainment', claiming that the increased amounts of music (often played by a band) create the atmosphere of a concert or performance.

Opposition to contemporary worship has been most vocal from the conservative evangelical wing of the church, which also opposes the charismatic movement.

[edit] Practical details

[edit] Block worship

Contemporary worship normally includes a number of songs sung in succession, with little or no intermediate speaking. In more traditional forms of worship, it would be normal for hymns to be interspersed with prayers, readings, liturgical items, etc. The traditional practice is sometimes referred to as a 'hymn-prayer sandwich' and the contemporary form 'block worship' or the 'praise and worship'.

[edit] Worship leader

A notable feature of contemporary worship is the worship leader. A worship leader is normally a musician (often a guitarist or pianist) with good singing ability whose role it is to lead the congregational singing. Many composers of contemporary worship songs are also worship leaders. The worship leader has a prominent role in contemporary worship services and is responsible for much of the spiritual direction of the meeting and often will choose the songs that will be sung. This can be contrasted with traditional churches, where the entire service is normally led by a member of the clergy.

[edit] Worship band

A modern Western worship band leading a contemporary worship session.
A modern Western worship band leading a contemporary worship session.

The style of contemporary worship music is influenced by popular music and not suitable for the traditional church organ. Most churches adopting contemporary worship therefore have a worship band or praise band to provide music during their services. Other terms such as worship group, praise team or music group are also used. Worship bands are most common in the evangelical denominations, but can also be found in other Protestant churches as well as in Roman Catholic worship.

Most worship bands are church-based and seldom play outside their own churches. However, some contemporary Christian music bands also act as worship bands for events, and may label themselves as such.

Worship bands have varying compositions and use a variety of non-traditional church instruments. In the 1970s and 1980s, a folk music style was commonplace with acoustic string or woodwind instruments being popular. Today, the influence of rock music is widespread and the use of electric instruments has increased.

Worship bands normally also include vocalists and a worship leader and usually lead congregational singing replacing the traditional church choir and pipe organ, although occasionally churches use both bands and choirs. A worship band can create a contemporary sound to the worship that younger worshipers can identify with. Worship bands can also be utilized in order for non-churchgoing visitors to feel more comfortable, whereas in traditional worship settings they may feel intimidated.

[edit] Projected lyrics

The charismatic movement also resulted in large numbers of songs being written. It became impractical for churches to use hymn or song books, as a single book rarely contained all the material they wanted to sing, and the turnover in songs was rapid.

Hence many churches that adopt a contemporary style of worship project the words to the songs onto one or more screens. Originally, this was done using an overhead projector or occasionally a slide projector, but as video projectors fell in price and improved in performance, it became more popular to use a computerised system. Specialised software known as worship presentation programs was developed to generate the images for display.

[edit] Creative arts

Contemporary worship often includes other elements not found in conventional forms of worship. Drama, typically in the form of short sketches, is sometimes used to highlight a topic of teaching. Dance is commonplace and includes both choreographed and improvised dance as both an expression of worship and again for teaching purposes. Occasionally short videos or film clips are shown.

[edit] Blended worship

As previously noted, matters relating to worship (particularly the choice of music) are often the subject of much heated debate within churches. It has sometimes been necessary to adopt a style that is acceptable to everyone, and in recent years the term 'blended worship' has been created to signify the use of both traditional and contemporary elements.

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Pro contemporary worship

  • Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defense. John M. Frame, P & R Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0875522122.

[edit] Anti contemporary worship

  • Worship in the Melting Pot. Peter Masters, Wakeman Trust, 2002. ISBN 1870855337.

[edit] General - not categorised

  • Selling Worship - How What We Sing Has Changed The Church. Pete Ward, Paternoster, 2005. ISBN 1842272705.
  • Worship In The Spirit. James H. S. Stevens, Paternoster, 2002. ISBN 1842271032.
  • America's Worship Wars. Terry W. York, Hendrickson, 2003. ISBN 156563490X.
  • Putting an End to Worship Wars. Elmer L. Towns, Broadman & Holman, 1997. ISBN 0805430172.
  • Worship in Spirit and Truth. John M. Frame, P & R Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0875522424.
  • Blended Worship: Achieving Substance and Relevance in Worship. Robert E Webber, Hendrickson, 1996. ISBN 1565632451.
  • Guiding Your Church Through a Worship Transition. Tom Kraeuter, Emerald Books, 2003. ISBN 1932096086.

[edit] External links