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How individualism is killing worship

8/6/2013

17 Comments

 
Picture
So you’re sitting in church, happy for the break. You’ve just stood for 20 minutes straight while the praise band played, “I could sing of your love forever.” It felt like forever, you think to yourself.

But thankfully, the church needs money. So the worship leader prays for the offering, and finally says those blessed words, “You may be seated.”

Out come the offering plates. And the musicians begin to play an offertory song.

You know what happens next.

Before the band gets to the first chorus, he stands up.

You know the guy. He sits about three rows back from the stage. The moment the music starts to play he’s out of his seat, hands waving in the air, head swept back, swaying to the music in rapturous praise. I call him “Mr. First-On-His-Feet.”

Of course, once Mr. FOHF leaps to his feet, we all feel obligated to stand with him. He’s the reason we no longer sing while seated. Mr. FOHF is our role model — that enthusiastic worshipper we’re all supposed to be.

Slowly the rest of the congregation rises “as they feel led,” emerging like popcorn kernels in a skillet, a few at first, but eventually reaching critical mass. By the end of the song about three-quarters of the assembled worshippers are standing, while the rest remain seated. About a quarter are singing – the rest are merely spectating. About 10% are on their smartphones.

We’ve gathered together – to do our own thing.

Church wasn’t always like this.

In the church of my youth we did everything together. We sang together. Read in unison together. Sat and stood together. Took communion together.

We were given a little flyer when we walked in – an “order of worship” that told us exactly what would happen, and in what order. We did as we were told.

No one dared to break from the group and do their own thing.

But in the late 20th century a new focus on personal expression began to take hold in the church.

It started with the Asuza Street Revival in 1906. Pentecostalism encouraged individuals to express themselves within the confines of corporate worship. Ecstatic, individual expressions became the hallmark of Spirit-led worship.

Thus a new idea bloomed – that God touches us individually in worship, and we are free to respond as the Spirit leads.

Today’s hippest churches no longer distribute a order of worship. Although their services are timed down to the minute, the congregation is unaware that there’s even a plan. The worship service seems to start organically. The feeling is informal. The pastor and singers no longer tell us what to do – they simply bring the body of Christ together to respond to Him as individuals.

Now, how has this new understanding of worship affected men? There are a number of positives:
  • Worship is often a bit less predictable than it used to be.
  • Services feel less “stuffy” and “religious.” They appear to be less human-driven and more God-driven (although in many cases this is largely an illusion).
  • Empty ritual and meaningless traditions have been replaced with heartfelt and relevant expressions of faith.
  • Worship originates more from the crowd than it does from the stage.

But every positive change has unexpected consequences. And as the focus has shifted to individual expression in worship, I fear we may have lost as much or more than we’ve gained:
  • If church is dozens of people all doing their own thing, how are we modeling teamwork? Pastors will tell you it’s getting harder and harder to find volunteers. As churchgoers experience God individually they may be less likely to serve him corporately.
  • Modern services are less militant and more intimate. The old worship placed us in a platoon, marching in unison into battle. God is no longer a General in front of us; he’s a friend sitting beside us.
  • The more we individualize the worship experience, the more people will individualize their theology. Today’s believers know the Bible – but feel free to ignore its teachings. Could our meet-God-individually culture be contributing to this rebelliousness?
  • Very expressive worshippers can distract us from God. They sometimes call attention to themselves, short-circuiting the transcendent aspects of worship.
  • And here’s the big one: Individualism may eventually kill corporate worship altogether. If the focus of worship is “God and me” then why go to church at all?

I’m not saying that Mr. First-On-His-Feet is killing Christianity. But my heart slumps every time I see him rise. I used to think this was due to laziness on my part (or sore feet).

But now I realize that I’m longing for the church of my youth, and the sense of teamwork and unity it once fostered.

I’m in charge of my life 167 hours a week, but in church I want to be under authority. I want the pleasure that comes from giving up my willfulness and submitting to God through the leaders he has chosen. For one hour a week I don’t want to make the decisions – I want to be told what to do. I want to be a part of a larger whole, all moving in unison toward the single goal of glorifying God with our minds, bodies and spirits.

I’m not advocating a cold, rote worship in which we’re all automatons, blindly standing and sitting as directed. As with everything in life, balance is the key. How do we model unity while still giving individuals the freedom to worship as they feel led? My generation has thrown off the shackles of old time religion, but at what cost?

Personal autonomy is the god of our age. We’re pro-choice, pro-rights, do-your-own thing people. We are in charge and we make our own decisions. How sad that this mentality is now infiltrating our houses of worship.

This post was written by David Morrow.  For the original post, go to:  http://churchformen.com/church-culture/is-individualism-killing-worship/#sthash.2J7gpPsH.dpuf

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

17 Comments
Fred Woodbridge
8/6/2013 04:45:21

I am in SO much agreement with this, I HAD to comment.
Thank you for pointing this out.

Reply
Dale V. Wayman
8/6/2013 06:29:24

Thanks Fred for dropping by Ironstrikes. You are always welcome here.

This quote is especially poignant, "The more we individualize the worship experience, the more people will individualize their theology. Today’s believers know the Bible – but feel free to ignore its teachings."

Reply
Eoin Suibhne
8/6/2013 08:22:53

We Catholics have a saying for this: "lex orandi lex credendi", which translates to, "The law of praying is the law of believing." Said more plainly, the way we pray informs the way we believe.

Reply
Intell
8/6/2013 06:35:49

Well, I think Mr. FOHF is standing to his feet because he is honoring God and excited to do so. He is actually LEADING in how to worship. I think this is the BEST place to be as a worshiper. I understand some of the things you are trying to point out. I came from a Lutheran background where everything we spoke was written down. Corporate declarations are good and the church I attend does this weekly. Worship is more than just music and songs and standing up. It is reflected in our attitude towards our God and the expression of our thankfulness and reverence toward Him . I think the best thing we can do is model the behavior of worship and encourage it. If people are exposed to the reality of their salvation and what they have been saved "from", then I think people truly cannot help BUT stand and praise the Lord. It is the least we can do to honor our Savior!

Reply
Dale V. Wayman
8/6/2013 07:18:29

Intell - Thanks for dropping by and also thanks for commenting. You are always welcome here at Ironstrikes.

Reply
Doug B link
8/6/2013 07:54:35

Dead-on analysis. Well done!

Reply
Dale V. Wayman
8/6/2013 08:42:12

Doug - thanks for dropping by and commenting. You're always welcome here at Ironstrikes

Reply
Frank Meitz link
8/6/2013 08:07:19

IMO the author left the Holy Spirit our of the equation. The church were we attend now, the first time we went, during the worship, the Holy Spirit was hugely present and I said, I want this every week! I use the music to remove the world and get me to the "place" where I can commune with the Holy Spirit. Sitting, standing, hands raised, singing or not, we need to each learn how to relate to the Holy Spirit so we are available for him to relate to us, what He wants us to know, and worship helps in the process. Peace..

Reply
Dale V. Wayman
8/6/2013 08:38:27

Frank - God's Holy Spirit IS the deciding factor. I want to be where He is working. Music, silence, preaching, in the street, etc. I long for more of Him. Thanks for dropping by and also for commenting here at Ironstrikes.

Reply
Dale V. Wayman
8/6/2013 08:40:43

Eoin - That sounds similar to:

Immediately it stuck into my mind, "Leave off preaching. How can you preach to others, who have not faith yourself?" I asked Boehler, whether he thought I should leave it off or not. He answered "By no means." I asked, "But what can I preach?" He said, "Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith." -- John Wesley, Journal, 4 Mar 1738

Thanks for dropping by and commenting. You're always welcome here at Ironstrikes.

Reply
Frank Mancuso link
8/7/2013 05:09:16

I am all for reevaluating church and worship, which begins with healthy questions. However, community is not built primarily during the worship hour, though what church does during that time may somewhat enhance or detract from it. Community is established by the kind of relationships we have with one another in the presence of God outside of that directed hour.

A chief problem with heavily-ordered worship is the overall negative effect on the congregation who learns passivity and dependence on the leaders, which influences the lack of volunteering and belief that the leaders are the ones who should do it. But if, as was the case in Acts, all the church were active participants in worship, there could be a change in the pervasive idea that "10 percent of the believers do 100 percent of the work."

Reply
drwayman link
8/8/2013 01:48:59

Frank - Thanks for the reminder that our spiritual life is not tied up in just what happens on Sunday morning at the church.

You are always welcome here at Ironstrikes.

Reply
Benjamin Rilea
8/7/2013 19:06:11

The most interesting thing I have noticed as a young man in the age of individualism is that it is nigh impossible to have a sense of one's identity--his individuality--without having a community in which to observe and express himself in. I think that is what is so important about the unity within the Holy Trinity: each member knows the others so well that he ends up knowing himself. That being said, the Church must reflect this sense of autonomous unity in order to convey the image of a redemptive and life-bringing fellowship to the world. Our entire reason for worship--understood by myself to be the culmination of our reason for being--exists in fellowship with each other for the purpose of understanding our relationship with the Trinity. This is done, again, through corporate and individual means. We must work toward threading the ends of individual and corporate life together to create a decisive cohesive means of growth. Church history seems to show that it doesn't work when the emphasis is on one or the other. I think world history reflects the same.

Reply
drwayman link
8/8/2013 02:40:04

Benjamin - Right on! I love your statement, "We must work toward threading the ends of individual and corporate life together to create a decisive cohesive means of growth. Church history seems to show that it doesn't work when the emphasis is on one or the other."

Thanks for coming by and commenting. You are always welcome here at Ironstrikes.

Reply
James
8/8/2013 09:07:41

This statement is so full of error it makes me sick. Its our preference to decide what culture we want to be apart of. The Church is global, not competitive. (assuming we hold the same close handed issues), so before i sate my opinion, go where you please, follow the model you want. However, in general, this model of tight regulation, religious order, and legalistic demand is the reason churches seem to grow old and die. The reason, it feels uninviting, abusive, and the members quite literally grow old and die without allowing outsiders to ever add to the momentum. While you may not define this religious order as "law", you treat those that want to be expressive and free as lawbreakers. This culture does not raise up leaders and innovators of Christianity, it abuses their new ideas and watches from the sideline as a generation slips by unaffected by the gospel.

Our Vision should not change, our strategy should. Our culture is always changing, our methods for advancing the gospel should as well. Im not saying to promote something sinful as a means to reach a lost world, but present the gospel in a creative and spectacular fashion that nobody has seen before to draw them in. The Spirit of God will do the rest in their heart. If a formula does not work, fix it.

If you feel at home in a church where you love order, you want to sit back and forget about the world for a while, and you feel you are truly expressing your worship to God. That is fantastic. But if you are not advancing the gospel, and are not pouring into someone else, you are immature and are abusing its worth. If the reason you are afraid to do so is because you cant imagine an outsider (or new believer) feeling like they could find a place in your church, then i would simply ask the question, what the heck are you thinking.

This is bigger than old school, contemporary, new school, modern, or whatever you want to cal it.
Be apart of something that is changing lives

Love God and others
Expand the kingdom
Serve
Be Unified
Celebrate what God is doing!!

Reply
drwayman link
8/8/2013 12:24:44

James - thanks for coming by Ironstrikes and moreover, thanks for commenting. However, next time, don't hold back, tell us how you really feel. LOL

Truly, though, thanks for your comments. You are always welcome here at Ironstrikes.

Reply
Andy Derksen
2/23/2020 17:24:09

"I’m not advocating a cold, rote worship in which we’re all automatons, blindly standing and sitting as directed. As with everything in life, balance is the key. How do we model unity while still giving individuals the freedom to worship as they feel led?"

This article seems problematic. On the one hand, I know exactly what Morrow's talking about, and I react the same way!

On the other hand, there's zero way to "contain" or "constrain" such an individual without doing precisely what Morrow says he doesn't want: "a cold, rote worship in which we’re all automatons, blindly standing and sitting as directed."

The only solution - as always - is IN-DEPTH BIBLE TEACHING. Congregations need to be discipled, in part, by being taught about the Biblical model of a worship service, and the intertwined theme of how individuals need to *voluntarily subject their individuality* to the needs of the congregation during corporate worship services.

On the third hand - and I'm preaching to myself as well here - Morrow should ask himself why it bothers him that Mr. FOHF is on his feet during praise times.

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