Charismatic Churches

Any Christian congregation open to the practice of the New Testament charismata in its worship, especially tongues, interpretation, prophecy, the word of knowledge, and the word of wisdom, is often described as a "charismatic" church. These phenomena, however, are not the dominant element of charismatic worship, which is more accurately described as worship based on praise in the presence of the Lord. It is often said that informality in worship and a continual openness to the direction of the Holy Spirit are the hallmarks of a charismatic church, but the degree of informality and spontaneity varies greatly from fellowship to fellowship.

The Charismatic Spectrum The spectrum of charismatic churches is a broad one and may even be expanded to incorporate congregations which are part of historic denominations, including those which follow a prescribed liturgy. Some churches belonging to the Pentecostal denominations are also more charismatic in flavor than traditionally pentecostal. The more specifically "charismatic" churches fall into several recognizable categories: Restoration or "revival" churches (not to be confused with the restoration movement of the 1800s, which produced the Christian or Disciples churches) include many whose roots go back to the Latter Rain Revival of the late 1940s in North America. Such churches emphasize the presence of God in the assembly and tend to downplay eschatology. The "tabernacle of David" theology taught in many of these churches results in an identification of the worshiping church as spiritual "Zion." Faith churches are likely to view worship as the celebration of the believer's victory, in the Lord, over economic pressures, illness, or demonic influences. The leadership of these churches is usually influenced by Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, or another of the well-known "faith" teachers. Other churches, not "faith" churches in this sense but like them, focus on deliverance ministry. Vineyard churches are networked through the ministry of John Wimber and those associated with him in what originated as a "signs and wonders" outreach. Inner healing and community are priorities of Vineyard churches. The Vineyard movement produces much of its own music and worship materials. Covenant churches focus on the family structure of the church and the spiritual responsibilities of family heads. These churches (not to be confused with the Evangelical Covenant Church) are often influenced by the Christian Reconstruction movement (better known in Reformed circles). The covenant churches, many of them associated with the ministry of Charles Simpson, have a historic relationship with Integrity Music, a leading producer and distributor of new praise-and-worship music. Similar influences are at work in kingdom churches, which celebrate the present dominion of the Lord and thus hold a nonfuturistic eschatology. Fivefold Ministry churches emphasize church structure, in particular the ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11; these congregations tend to be networked through those exercising the gift of apostleship. The New Testament churches have some traits in common with the Fivefold Ministry churches and stress the role and responsibility of elders in the local church. These and other influences tend to crossbreed within the charismatic community and are likely to be found to some degree in any congregation. It is probably impossible to conceive a generic charismatic church. Although astute leadership often strikes an intelligent balance of emphases, generally one strain of influence predominates. Despite these distinctions, there is a general similarity of worship across the charismatic continuum. Charismatic congregations of all varieties are networked through worship conferences, traveling ministry seminars, music media, and well-known personalities—a whole new worship industry. Trends originating in one band of the spectrum can spread quickly to others, on a selective church-by-church basis. The following discussion deals with some of the themes and emphases that influence the panorama of charismatic worship. Praise and Worship: The "Manifest Presence" of God The praise-and-worship format is virtually universal in charismatic circles and has migrated into evangelical and "mainstream" congregations as well. This style is adaptable to wide variation in liturgical practice and theological coloration. In charismatic churches, the service begins with an extended period (generally 15–45 minutes) of sequenced choruses led by a worship leader, usually backed by a team of instrumentalists and singers. Music usually starts with up-tempo songs, or psalms such as, "I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter his courts with praise … " (Ps. 100). Similar songs follow without pause, inviting the congregation to gather in the praise of the Lord and celebrating his greatness. Before long, however, these opening songs phase into a group of mid-tempo choruses, and finally into the more intense moments of adoration characterized by ballad-like choruses, such as "Alleluia!" or "I Love You, Lord," or the majestic "I Exalt Thee!" In some congregations, these two moods of worship are separated by other material, such as the pastor's greeting and announcements. The congregation is encouraged to participate thoroughly in all aspects of the service, worshiping not only in song but through clapping, raising the hands, or dancing. Depending on local practice, the song sequence may be interrupted at strategic points by a word of prophecy or other utterance under the movement of the Spirit, or the "song of the Lord" may break out in spontaneous praise in both tongues and the vernacular. The goal is that worshipers might "enter into" the presence of the Lord. Theologically, the distinctive feature of the praise-and-worship tradition, as found in charismatic churches, is its emphasis on the "manifest presence of God" experienced by believers during times of corporate worship. The belief that God "inhabits the praises" (Hebrew t?hillah) of his people, drawn primarily from Psalm 22:3, is taken seriously and experienced in a way not unlike that in which sacramentally oriented Christians experience the doctrine of the transubstantiation of the elements of the Eucharist. That is, God is omnipresent, but at certain times in worship, as the congregation enters into the "high praises of God" (Ps. 149:6, nasb), he becomes especially present. This "manifest presence" is often compared to the "glory of the Lord" that filled the temple of Solomon (2 Chron. 5:13–14) to the point that "the priests could not perform their service." It is in this atmosphere that the charismata or giftings of the Lord are often released. Just as many people, throughout the history of the church, have experienced physical and spiritual healing while partaking of the symbols of the Lord's body and blood at the table of Christ, so today worshipers testify to special manifestations of the Holy Spirit in worship, as God is enthroned on the praises of his people. The Tabernacle Model of Worship Though all four elements of the basic early church model of worship (entrance, Word, Table, dismissal) have their place in charismatic worship, the time of praise and worship generally focuses on the "entrance" aspect. That is, the "worship" time is concentrated in the beginning of the Sunday morning gathering (though it may recur as an "afterglow" at the end of the service, or as a response to the sermon). The entrance itself, as described above, takes the form of the joyous celebration of worshipers gathering in praise of their God. However, as the mood intensifies, and the congregation "enters into" the Lord's presence, the flow of worship approximates the movement from the outer court of the sanctuary into the inner court, and finally into the Holy of Holies, the presence of God himself. As one chorus expresses it,

Take me past the outer courts,

And through the holy place, Past the brazen altar; Lord, I want to see your face. Pass me by the crowds of people, The priests who sing their praise; I hunger and thirst for your righteousness, And it's only found one place. So take me in to the Holy of Holies, Take me in by the blood of the Lamb; So take me in to the Holy of Holies, Take the coal, cleanse my lips, here I am. (Dave Browning, "Take Me In")

In this way the architecture of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple are taken as a model for the progression of worship. The pattern of outer court and altar, sanctuary, and Holy of Holies also serves as an instructional paradigm for personal growth in Christian commitment and spirituality. The Davidic Model: Psalmic Worship Another model influencing charismatic worship has been the Davidic or psalmic style, which may be traced to the Latter Rain Revival that began early in 1948 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. A number of Pentecostal believers, hungry for a fresh move of God, gathered at a Christian school to fast and pray. The resulting revival brought new insights into worship, especially the concept of the restoration of the tabernacle of David. Students of the Bible have always been aware that King David, upon recovering the ark of God from the Philistines, placed it in an open tent in the city of Zion instead of returning it to the tabernacle of Moses in Gibeon. The significance of this, however, went virtually unrecognized until the Latter Rain movement. Davidic worship was seen as foreshadowing New Testament worship, for two reasons. First, unlike previous Israelite worship, it was carried on directly before the ark, the visible representation of God's presence. The New Testament makes clear that in the crucifixion of Christ the veil of the sanctuary has been stripped away, revealing God's glory to his people (Matt. 27:51; Rev. 11:19). Second, it employed the New Testament sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15), rather than animal sacrifices such as were still being offered on the altar at Moses' tabernacle. God's promise to restore the fallen booth of David—recorded in Amos 9:11–12 and quoted by James in Acts 15:16 in connection with the entrance of Gentiles into the covenant in the last days—seemed to confirm the idea that the Davidic worship of Zion was God's pattern for worship in the church. This Davidic worship was marked by festive celebration and the outbreak of prophetic song. Many of the psalms contain words spoken by the Lord himself; these, it was thought, could well have come through the prophetic anointing upon David or the other musicians he had appointed to worship and prophesy continually before the ark (1 Chron. 16:4–7; 25:1–31). This anointing was also understood to include prophecy upon instruments and the "song of the Lord," or free-flowing, spontaneous praise, equated with the "selah" that appears frequently in the psalms. (Selah may be related to the verb salal, used of "lifting up" a song in Ps. 68:4.) This spontaneous song was seen as equivalent to "singing in the Spirit" (1 Cor. 14:15; Col. 3:16), a phenomenon that had reappeared during the Pentecostal revivals but had not been regularly practiced. Spoken prophecy was accepted in Pentecostal churches, and praise was sung to instrumental accompaniment, but the idea of prophesying upon an instrument alone, or of regular praise to the Lord in spontaneous song, was new. Other celebrative aspects of Davidic worship, such as organized dance (not the individual "dancing in the Spirit" already familiar to many Pentecostals), represented a breakthrough in the worship of these groups. As revolutionary as was the concept of psalmic worship, it began to appear in the "restoration" churches that emerged from the Latter Rain Revival and eventually came to impact the charismatic community as a whole. One vehicle through which the "tabernacle of David" concept has been propagated has been the International Worship Symposium, which originated in a 1978 music ministers' conference in Oakland, California, organized by Barry Griffing (later joined by Steve Griffing, Larry Dempsey, and David Fischer as Symposium directors). By 1980, the Worship Symposium had introduced banners carried in festive procession, on the basis of Psalm 68:24–26. Processions, the use of banners, and festive dance (already in use in varying degree within the historic denominations) were a departure for Pentecostal worshipers and an approach toward the incorporation of the fine arts into emerging charismatic worship, the aim being to "make his praise glorious" (cf. Ps. 66:2). Many churches, while not completely accepting the Davidic restoration theology, have adopted elements of psalmic worship. The movement is propagated through worship conferences and dance workshops; a midwestern ministry, Pazaz, produces streamers, banners, flags, dance costumes, and instructional materials for festive worship. Every year, thousands of North American Christians gather in Jerusalem with other believers from around the world, to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in music, dance, and pageantry. Traditional Influences and Convergence Worship The specific musical expressions of charismatic worship range from the traditional to the contemporary. The maturing of the charismatic church has brought a deepened appreciation for the great hymnody of the faith. A significant number of churches are finding it quite natural to incorporate some of the older hymns into their worship life, just as the more "mainstream" or standard evangelical churches are finding a new release in worship by blending appropriate worship choruses with their hymn singing. The new phenomenon of "convergence worship" creates a blend of charismatic praise and worship with historic liturgy. Whereas charismatic congregations have tended to concentrate on the Entrance as the heightened time of worship, many are now giving renewed attention to the service of the Word and of the Lord's Table as elements that come within the framework of worship. The Lord's Supper, especially, is being celebrated with greater ceremony and festivity, without the loss of the Spirit-led spontaneity and intensity that characterize the entrance. With respect to the service of the Word, recent years have seen an increased interest in doctrinal instruction and exegesis, as leaders of charismatic congregations have made a serious effort to impact their constituents with the core principles of Christian faith and practice. Scandal among some of its more highly visible figures has brought about a sober self-assessment within this tradition and a strong move toward the lifestyle of holiness, unity, doctrinal integrity, and stability. Freedom, Order, and Government The balance of freedom and order in the charismatic churches is a matter determined largely by the pastor or eldership of the individual congregation. Most of these churches do not follow the pattern of some older denominations, which practice democratic rule or government by committee. Neither do most of these churches practice total autocracy. The general pattern of leadership is that of an "elder among elders," one pastoral elder taking the lead in decision-making and church government. Often, during an invitational moment toward the end of the Sunday morning service, the elders as a group will be called upon for specific ministry to the congregation, such as counseling or prayer for the sick. Other functions of the eldership and the diaconate in this tradition include involvement in the general ministries and helps that facilitate the weekly business and activities of the church and the service of the Lord's Table. Churches of the charismatic tradition have seen significant growth in the last decade, due perhaps to what John Naisbitt, in his best-seller Megatrends, referred to as the need for "high touch" in our "high tech" society. People are hungry for an experience to accompany their theology. With much variation in style and expression, charismatic Christians join with those in liturgical churches, who celebrate Christ with historic ceremony and a belief in his special presence in the Eucharist; with their creative and contemporary evangelical brethren, who utilize the praise-and-worship style and a more relational approach to teaching and preaching; and with more traditional evangelicals, who emphasize evangelism and discipleship, with stress on family life and church activities. In short, charismatic churches embrace much of the experience and truth known to their Christian brothers and sisters universally; increasingly, they emphasize a lifestyle of worship, both individual and corporate, as well as the foundational doctrines of the inerrant Word of God.