Charismatic Worship Model
All the trappings of historic and well-ordered worship do nothing for the worshiper who is not consumed with the desire to enter into the presence of the Lord "in Spirit and in truth." A people who have seen a vision of the glory of the living Lord, whose lives have been touched by his covenant love and faithfulness, and whose spirits have been caught up in a heartfelt response to the movement of his Spirit—such a people will worship with a worship at once individual and corporate, timeless and contemporary, ordered and free.
The theme of the covenant is a basic theme of worship and is present in the service below in several ways: in the proclamation of the covenant commandments; in the celebration of the new covenant at the Lord's Table, with its emphasis on personal renewal in his presence; and in the sermon, which brings out the covenant bond of the body of Christ as worshipers seek to "admonish one another."
An Order of Worship
This entry describes a worship service that took place on a Communion Sunday in an independent charismatic church in a Chicago suburb. There is great diversity in the way charismatic pastors conduct worship, and this service is typical in some respects and atypical in others. In a general way, it conforms to the pattern: Entrance, Service of the Word, Service of the Lord's Table, and Dismissal.
Praise and Worship in Song (30–40 minutes in free-flowing contemporary style). The service is conducted by a worship leader for approximately the first half hour. There is no formal opening of worship; instead, the organ and piano are playing familiar choruses as the people gather in the place of worship. At the time for worship to begin, the leader steps to the pulpit and begins the first chorus; the people stand and will remain standing through the first half hour or so.
Choruses are selected for both theme and key relationship, so that one may follow another without pause for announcement. The projector operator simply puts the next chorus on the screen when the leader begins it. The congregation is familiar with several hundred choruses, so the projected words are mainly for newcomers. Many of the choruses used are adapted directly from Scripture.
The choruses begin with a note of celebrative praise. The leader then offers a prayer of invocation, based on a traditional collect from the Anglican tradition: "Almighty God, to You all hearts are open, all desires known, and from You no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may more perfectly love You, and more worthily magnify Your holy name, through Christ our Lord." Amen. After this the choruses continue.
The singing of choruses is accompanied, where appropriate, by rhythmic clapping, and worshipers may raise their hands in the scriptural posture of praise and prayer. Although the choruses follow one another without a break, the sequence of choruses may be punctuated with the "song of the Lord." That is, the congregation breaks into spontaneous praise, sung around one chord in both English and the worshipers' personal "tongues." Spontaneous applause may also break out in praise to the Lord. On some occasions one or more words of prophecy may arise out of the congregation at an appropriate moment.
Scripture Reading. On this Sunday the leader has chosen this moment to read from the Old Testament. He begins with Psalm 50:1–7. This is followed by the reading of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20, and concluded by Leviticus 19:2 (nkjv): "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." This serves as an appropriate introduction to the signing of the traditional hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!" All four stanzas are sung, leading directly into a worshipful slower chorus based on Isaiah 6:3.
After the subsiding of spontaneous praise following this chorus, the leader reads the Gospel from Luke 24:13–15. This passage is the narrative of how Christ made himself known to the disciples at Emmaus after his resurrection in the breaking of the bread. It has been selected because this is both the first Sunday after Easter and a Communion Sunday. Slower, more contemplative choruses follow.
Announcements/Offering (with Vocal Duet). The order of service then shifts to a less intense mood, with announcements and offering. During the offering, the music director and a student sing a vocal duet, "He's More than Wonderful," to a taped accompaniment.
Prayer for Special Needs. Prayer requests have been turned in with the offering, and the pastor responds to these in a time of prayer before the sermon.
Sermon. The sermon is part of a series on the "each other" verses of the Bible, and the theme of the day is "Admonish One Another," which relates well with the Old Testament Scriptures on the law of God which have been read earlier. A brief time of prayer concludes the service.
The Lord's Supper. At this point the pastors step to the Communion Table and officiate in a simple administration of the Lord's Supper. According to the usual custom, the unleavened bread is first distributed to the people by the deacons, and all worshipers partake together. The cup is received in the same fashion.
Concluding Chorus. Communion is concluded with the singing of the simple chorus, "Alleluia!" which serves as a dismissal.
While not following a traditional order of worship, the service described above incorporates a number of traditional elements of the Holy Communion service in the Anglo-American liturgical tradition: the collect for purity of heart, the proclamation of the commandments, the "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord" or Sanctus. Yet these elements are woven into a more free-flowing charismatic structure emphasizing praise and worship in the presence of the Lord.