Is it possible to change without changing? Reflections on worship

I asked a colleague what he thought the biggest questions facing pastors in the Presbyterian church.  He immediately said, 

How should we, in more traditional churches, approach the question of changing our worship to accommodate a more contemporary style?

This is a major issue for many churches.  And a very touchy one.  Anyone else out there want to try and answer it?

There are two pressure points.

One is that many members don’t want any change at all. A new hymn disturbs the peaceful security of their Sunday morning worship experience. They just do not like it, and will strongly resist any attempt at change.

The other pressure point is the cultural expectation for churches to adapt to a more contemporary worship style.

Changing worship styles is a no-win situation for many churches. You can’t change, but you must change. As a result, no one is happy with the situation.

It shares a theme with those who lament that the church has just become a commodity that people buy, sell and trade to meet their personal preferences.

It is a tough dilemma that requires a great deal of wisdom, diplomacy and clarity of thought. Here are a few of my thoughts.

First, it is important to recognize that there is truth in the church-as-commodity complaint. People are making judgments about joining a church based on a number of criteria. They are shopping.  They aren't choosing your church because you are the closest to their home. 

They look at your children’s and youth program. They look at your worship style and the quality of the sermon. They test the ease of parking and how they are greeted before and after the service.  New members are shopping, and every aspect of your church is open for consideration.

To change the commodity issue is to make the "recruitment" process, also called evangelism, or new members assimmilation, as personal and social as possible.  Personal because if they are personally touched by your congregation, you have bridged the gap between the church as a shop for spiritual activities and a community of seekers of Jesus Christ. Social because they find people that they may want to get to know and serve along side of. 

Ignore the commodity issue, or, just reject it as unspiritual, and you send a message that you are unconcerned or insensitive to the preferences of people. This mindset actually puts your church at a disadvantage because many of the churches your potential members are considering recognize that the issue of the church as a commodity is really a search by people for an authentic community of faith.

One of the reasons that this is happening is that the range of worship, program and mission outreach choices has grown beyond what any one church can provide effectively. Here is evidence of the growing diversity of the church. As a result, each congregation has to think more clearly about precisely what kind of church it wishes to be.  And this dilemma falls squarely in the lap of those who plan worship services.

If you try to serve a wide range of worship preferences, you run into two additional problems.  One is doing a diversity of worship styles well is difficult.  Blending styles can dilute the best of what you do.  Also, as I have heard countless times from pastors, it is difficult to avoid creating separate congregations all under one roof.  This is why dealing with change in the context of worship requires the wisdom of Solomon.

So, where do we start?  How should we address this problem? Can we change without changing?

The place to begin is to recognize that as important as the worship service is, it is still a tool, a means to an end.  What is the expected outcome of the liturgy, music, prayers and the sermon? By what criteria do measure each facet of a worship service.  Is it measured against what happens at a rock concert or a Rotary Club luncheon?  What do you expect to happen?  That is a question I cannot answer for you and your church. 

The question that is more important than style is what should be the impact of the worship service upon people? Not just one type of person, but the wide diversity that may come on Sunday?  How should be change because they have worshipped in your sanctuary on Sunday morning?

If this is a really significant issue with your members, it may be a good idea for your congregation to have a focused conversation about the nature and purpose of worship. It has to be an honest discussion that respects all sides. The discussion also has to transcend what my personal preferences are. Our communication about worship often does not rise above debates about praise music and abandoning the Red hymnal.  If we continue to treat worship as nothing more than an issue of style then we play into the hands of those who are shopping just for a worship experience.

Your conversation as a congregation needs to be open-ended. It can’t be just what do you like or don’t like. Rather, you need to talk with one another about the purpose and more importantly the impact of your worship.  My recommendation is that you hire a facilitator from outside the church to manage the discussion. 

The next step is to explore new worship styles.  Some of the churches that I know well have a virulent aversion to contemporary worship. They are practicing the self-identification through not being the negative other.  Meaning, we don't know who we are, but we certainly aren't like that mega-church down the street. It is bad spirituality, bad psychology and bad organizational development.  It is a church life built on retrenchment into the memories of the past, trying to hold on to what we used to be, and not changing at all because there is only one option out there, and we don't like it.

You don't have to bring a rock band into the sanctuary in order to innovate your worship service.  The range of styles that can be adapted continues to grow.  If want to know what I mean, come visit our family's church, First Presbyterian in Asheville.  Every Sunday the worship is a moderate high church form, with an eclectic, yet very well intergrated music style.  It is fresh.  It is more than Taize and Iona style music.  It is worshipful and participatory.

How should worship touch your congregation’s life? How should people’s lives be changed? How is your service a genuine interaction with God’s Spirit? Answering these questions will lead you to develop worship services that impact people’s lives.  As a result, I think you'll find that the issue of worship style becomes less important over time, and the spiritual vitality of the service has a greater impact upon people.