Christian Churches And Churches Of Christ

From the movement's beginning, worship in the Christian churches and Churches of Christ has been evangelistic in orientation. In recent years, however, many congregations have begun to adopt a more contemporary style of worship based on worship renewal itself, as well as making the service more attractive to seekers. In this way, worship is being more fully integrated with other ministries of the local church.

Historically, churches of the American restoration movement have focused more on evangelism than on worship. Even today, despite the renewal of interest in worship among many of the independent Christian churches and the Churches of Christ that use instruments, worship is largely seen as a means to an end, and that end is evangelism. So, in reality, much of the so-called worship renewal is a renewal of evangelism methods. Worship and Evangelism Most of the Christian churches have historically used the Sunday morning evangelism model common among nineteenth-century evangelical churches: singing songs of testimony (largely directed toward the unconverted), preaching a rather lengthy evangelistic message, offering a clear invitation to respond at the end, and preparation for baptism. This method has become less effective as the new generation of "?baby boomers?" has appeared, and churches have realized that new music and new methods must be used. Many are looking to churches such as Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago for a new model, and are developing seeker-sensitive services. These services incorporate more contemporary music, develop a sense of flow to the service, eliminate "?dead?" time, add drama and other creative arts, and use less pressure in the invitation. This new style of contemporary worship feels different to the congregation, and has sometimes been controversial. However, it is well received by younger adults. Churches that have adopted it are usually experiencing growth. This shift in style is clearly not due to a fundamental shift in the philosophy about the Sunday service. The goal is the same as always: worship as evangelism. Only the particular methods have been altered to reach a new generation. At the same time, many among the churches are waking up to the whole concept of worship. Therefore, many of these churches are making similar changes in their worship service for the sake of worship renewal itself, rather than evangelism. In such cases, churches are attempting to make their worship more "?visitor-friendly,?" without significantly diluting their understanding of the assembly as worship. Because Christian churches are generally conservative, they have traditionally given biblical teaching a higher priority than contemporary issues. Therefore, social action, women's issues, and other matters are largely untouched in the worship assembly. Women in Worship Women are rarely given leadership positions in the mixed assembly of men and women. However, among these churches there is lack of uniformity in this matter. Some will not allow a woman to stand behind the pulpit; others have a woman as a full-time ordained music minister, doing everything another minister might do except preaching. The majority of Christian churches fall somewhere between these extremes in their position on women. Almost no women among the churches wear head coverings. They are permitted to sing solos, to give testimonies, to read Scripture, and perhaps even to pray in public, to direct the choir, and to lead singing on occasion. But most congregations do not feel comfortable with women leading worship regularly or teaching doctrine in the full assembly. Only a few churches ask women to collect the offering or to serve Communion. Children's and Educational Ministries Very common among the churches of Christ, also, is the use of children's worship and other alternative opportunities for children during the worship hour. Of those churches that have children present for the service (mostly small and rural churches), the preacher will often give a children's sermon. Several larger churches with sufficient staff to coordinate such things will integrate the Sunday morning message with the educational/discipleship program of the church. Either discussion questions from the sermon are included in small group activities, or Sunday school classes will discuss subjects related to the sermon. Rarely will the preacher build the sermon around the Sunday school lessons or the lectionary. The weekly sermon is considered the core of congregational instruction and programming. Bringing About Renewal The local preacher is the leader and catalyst for change and ministry in the congregation. Thus, the ministry often takes on the personality and agenda of the preacher. The way in which outreach ministries, social action projects, educational opportunities, or opportunities for testimony are spotlighted during the worship assembly will depend on the preacher's style and preferences. Change can occur fairly quickly on the congregational level, especially when the local minister has the enthusiastic support of the elders. However, for change to occur in all of the churches, it must be modeled in a local church, written about in the Christian Standard, discussed at the North American Christian Convention, taught in the seminaries and Bible colleges, or passed by word of mouth. In short, sweeping change can only happen at the "?grass roots?" level. Such change has been taking place among Christian churches and Churches of Christ over the last decade or more. Small groups are more common; music is more contemporary; women are more active in the assembly; and churches are more aggressively reaching their communities for Christ. The corporate assembly is the rallying point for change in the church. The assembly is still the primary gathering place for worship within the churches.