Churches Of Christ (Noninstrumental)

A strong renewing movement within the Churches of Christ has made its impact on the integration of worship with other areas of ministry. While worship has historically been evangelistic in emphasis and focused on the preaching of the Word, in many congregations these emphases are shifting to small group ministry and the renewal of corporate praise to God in the worship assembly.

God is the focus of worship. Worship is a divine activity because of the involvement of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. At the same time, worship is a human activity. We cannot discuss worship without considering its relationship to individuals, groups, and various ministries of the church. What is the relationship of worship in the Churches of Christ to contemporary issues such as social action or the role of women in the church? The Role of Women Until recently, the question of women's role in worship was seldom raised in Churches of Christ. Based on the church's interpretation of passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1–13 and Titus 1:6–9, women did not meet the qualifications for serving as elders or deacons in the church. According to the church's interpretation of other New Testament passages, there are no public leadership roles women can fill in the worship assembly. If women must remain silent in the church (1 Cor. 14:34–35), and if they must not teach men or have authority over them in the assembly (1 Tim. 2:11–12), then they are prohibited from key worship leadership roles such as preaching, reading Scripture, and leading prayers. Women often fill many other positions of leadership in the congregation, such as leaders of Bible school and benevolence ministries. However, in the public worship assembly of the Churches of Christ, women are led—they do not lead. These convictions concerning women's roles in worship leadership still largely characterize Churches of Christ, even among the majority of those engaged in worship renewal. There are some rare exceptions to this position. A few congregations (primarily those who sing a lot of praise music) may use a mixed worship team to lead singing. A few congregations use mixed groups of men and women to usher and to serve the Lord's Supper. The issue of the women's role in worship leadership has not been a burning question in Churches of Christ—at least not yet. With few exceptions, the issue is largely ignored. However, as women continue to assume increasingly more responsible leadership positions in the marketplace, this issue is likely to become a greater concern to the church. Worship and Social Action One area that is beginning to see some change in many renewing Churches of Christ is the way worship relates to social action. The growing popularity of expository preaching has enabled worshipers to see the practical applications of Scripture to daily living. The Bible announces God's concern for the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the homeless. God wants the people of God to be individuals of integrity, compassion, mercy, and justice. An example of a Church of Christ responding in social involvement is the Madison Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. For more than thirty years, this congregation has heard sermons which have encouraged its members to get involved in the lives of needy and hurting people. The church has built an extensive benevolence ministry, which helps thousands each year with such services as food, furniture, clothing, foster homes for children, domestic violence counseling for abused women and children, a meals-on-wheels program for shut-ins, and a "?room-in-the-inn?" program, which provides hot meals and temporary housing for the homeless. Yet social concerns are not viewed as the focus of worship; worship belongs to the Lord alone. However, many congregations view social action as a natural outgrowth of worship. Spiritual Formation in Small Groups Another resource helping to bring about renewal in worship in the Churches of Christ is the small group ministry. These groups take a variety of forms. Some are Bible studies that follow a carefully prepared curriculum. Other groups meet just to praise the Lord in song, read the Bible, and pray. Some meet on the church campus, while others meet in homes. Some meet early in the morning, while others meet at night. No standard pattern exists concerning the formation of these groups. Some groups are formed within Bible school classes; others are formed by random selection; and still others are formed by assignment. All of these groups are formed on a voluntary basis—people choose whether or not they want to be in a group. A number of congregations are following a small group format that looks something like the following. On the second Sunday evening of each month, each small group meets in a home, rather than assembling at the church building. The meeting includes a time of informal fellowship (refreshments are optional). Next, the group joins in a period of prayer and praise. During these sessions, many people learn some of the new praise songs that are being used so effectively in worship renewal. The group leader then shows a brief video clip, which serves as the basis for discussion. The session concludes with more praise and a time for prayer requests. The entire period may last an hour and a half. Almost without exception, congregations that have adopted this format have found the combined attendance at all the small groups greater than the attendance at the assembly at the church building. Some congregations coordinate Bible school curriculum with the themes of worship services. For example, the Madison Church of Christ studied the topic of worship for thirteen weeks in its adult Bible school classes. During this quarter-long study, the preacher delivered lessons that paralleled the Bible school emphasis on worship. Each service was carefully planned to help people learn how to both worship God appropriately and experience the joy of true worship. This dual approach made an impact on the congregation that would have been impossible if only the Bible school or the sermon alone had been used to communicate the worship theme. Worship and Evangelism Worship also has a relation to evangelism in the Churches of Christ. Most sermons conclude with an invitation to the audience to make a public response to the call of God. Throughout most of this century, sermons were highly evangelistic. Lessons were carefully prepared and earnestly delivered to convert those who were not Christians. This evangelistic emphasis probably grew out of the American frontier tradition. Congregations interested in worship renewal are also interested in converting lost sinners. However, they question the highly pragmatic approach that makes conversion of the lost the primary focus of worship services. Worship leaders in worship renewal churches insist that God is the focus of worship, and that our primary motivation for assembling on the Lord's day is not to convert sinners (although that is extremely important), but to adore the Father. They believe that when God's people worship God as he deserves to be praised, unbelievers will become conscious of their sin and will also fall down and worship him (1 Cor. 14:24–25).