Baptist (Evangelical Denominations & Independent Baptist Churches)

The worship of the Independent and Evangelical Baptist groups traditionally features strong preaching, gospel music, and invitations. New emphases include thematic planning, a wide variety of music styles, and greater congregational participation in prayer and in the use of the senses.

Independent and smaller Evangelical Baptist groups have historically worshiped in the traditional evangelical style, including preaching of the Word of God, congregational singing, choir specials, an offering, and an invitation to accept Jesus as personal Savior. In many of our churches, this structure remains the normal experience. Increasingly we are realizing that Christians in worship need to experience the presence of God and respond by offering praise and adoration in this presence. If we are merely spectators we will probably miss this vital encounter with our Lord. Carefully planned services motivate the congregation, choir, and worship leaders to respond to and communicate with God during the service. Varied Worship Styles Independent and Evangelical Baptist churches draw from a vast and diverse background of Christian traditions both liturgical and nonliturgical, Catholic and Protestant, traditional evangelical, and Pentecostal. We have learned that sometimes people experience intimacy with the Lord best within the familiar contexts of their first Christian worship styles. However, sometimes the opposite is true. For example, a person raised as a Southern Baptist may feel much closer to God drawing from the quietness and private prayers of the Catholic or Anglican tradition. Conversely, a person coming from a Catholic tradition may feel profound freedom in experiencing God's presence without the historical practices of the Roman Church or even the necessity of a priest to lead her in worship. Our goal in planning worship is to assist people to worship, not to make them conform to a single worship style. We want to discover and employ structures that help worshipers communicate with God. Many of our congregations plan worship, therefore, around a specific truth or theme. Ideally, services will be planned out by the pastor, musicians, and others many months in advance. The truth, stated in one sentence and written down, becomes the organizing factor as the service is planned. Music in Worship. Music plays a significant role in our corporate worship. We strongly emphasize congregational singing, often using four or five hymns in their entirety. The choir may prompt the congregation to worship by singing choral works, responses, and calls to praise. Musical styles include a significant variety of contemporary and classical, while the hymns range from unpublished original hymns through praise songs to traditional hymns of the fifteenth to eighteenth century. We are committed to singing the Scriptures. Congregations and choirs usually sing the Psalms, using traditional metrical hymn tunes as well as four-part Anglican style chants. Since the chant melodies are simple and repetitive, they help make the singing of Scripture an expression of our hearts. The Place of Scripture and Prayer. Scripture is read as the drama that it is. Some congregations may use two or three readers, or the choir may lead responsive readings. Both Old and New Testament lessons are chosen to emphasize the truth around which the service is designed and to reinforce the idea to be presented in the homily. Prayers take several forms in our services. In bidding prayer we pay attention to specific needs in the world, our community, or our church. Written prayers from prayer books may be read by the entire congregation. The emphasis is on prompting the congregation to pray rather than praying on behalf of the congregation. Communion. Though we do not hold uniform theologies about Communion, our common agreement is that during Communion we experience the personal presence of God. We see the bread and juice as set apart for a holy purpose. For all of us they are at least symbols of Jesus' sacrifice. For some of us they are even more. Some congregations use portions of The Book of Common Prayer for this portion of the service. Celebration of Holy Communion is often quiet and somber—a time for reflection, confession, and prayer. We invite people to come forward and receive the elements individually, as groups of close friends and as families. Sometimes following the words of institution, the elements are blessed at the table, and people come to the altar and take them without further contact by worship leaders. Sometimes they are served individually by elders as worshipers come forward. The elders and pastors may also pray for individuals and anoint with oil as a symbol of the healing power of the Holy Spirit if desired. However, since our practice of Communion is almost always central to a response to God in our services, it is not always quiet and reflective. Sometimes the congregation and choir sing historic joyful hymns of praise to God using a full organ with choral descants. Often the choir sings the Gloria as a call to Communion. Proclamation and Response. Proclamation of the Word is included in each service. Program notes in the bulletin prepare worshipers to anticipate the truth around which worship will be centered. From time to time we employ drama such as reader's theater to proclaim the gospel. We also follow the seasons of the Christian year to a great extent, celebrating many of the historical feast days of the church. Every service calls the worshipers to respond to God in a manner appropriate to our focus for the day—coming forward for prayer by others, focusing upon one particular truth throughout the following week, celebrating the confidence that we have been forgiven. The use of all our senses in worship is evoked through symbols. Processions, crosses, banners, candles, colors, original bulletin covers, art, altar cloths, ballrooms, aroma of fresh bread baking, ashes, oil, startling sounds, confusion, varied physical arrangements of the sanctuary—all, used sparingly, become symbols to help us focus on specific truths. Focus. In order to focus during corporate worship on encountering God's love together, we deal with agenda items such as announcements either before or following the service. Once the service has begun, we talk primarily to God, not to each other. If worshipers can enter into this kind of focus, we can later draw great strength from God as we recall, in the midst of our hectic schedules, these moments of encounter. Leaders and planners of worship are encouraged to labor and discover ways of making each service personally meaningful to those whom we lead in worship.