Evangelical Free Church Of America

The pattern of local church autonomy in the Evangelical Free Church of America results in great variety among the local churches in worship and in the impact of worship on other ministries. This entry selects one local region and congregation as a representative of what may be characteristic throughout the denomination of the relationship of worship to evangelism, education, social action, spiritual formation, and the role of women.

Churches affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America enjoy autonomy and broad freedom within the denomination. The confession of faith of the denomination's Ministerial Association declares "?that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church, and that every local church has the right under Christ to decide and govern its own affairs.?" Therefore, one cannot make sweeping generalizations about worship practices throughout the Evangelical Free Church of America. In discussing the ways in which worship relates to and informs the various ministries of Evangelical Free churches, I will limit the scope of this article to one representative area, the Great Lakes District, and particularly to one congregation, the Evangelical Free Church of Naperville, Illinois. Worship and the Arts. Recently, a number of ministers of music and worship in the Great Lakes District formed a committee for worship and the arts. The purpose of this group is to help local churches to fulfill their purpose in worship. This group seeks to fulfill this purpose by (1) cultivating a scriptural understanding of worship as the church's highest priority; (2) providing resources and ideas for pastors and leaders, through a variety of forums; (3) encouraging musicians and artists in the local church; (4) promoting the development of interest in the arts in the local church, and (5) developing a network for communication among worship leaders in the district. To facilitate these purposes, ministers of music and worship from the Great Lakes District meet once a month to share ideas and resources and to pray for and encourage one another. Worship and Evangelism. The Evangelical Free Church of Naperville, Illinois, a thirty-five-year-old congregation of about a thousand worshipers, serves as an example of a Free church dealing with the relationships between worship and other church ministries. The church has articulated as its task the fulfillment of Christ's great commission to make disciples and followers of all people (Matt. 28:19–20), and has sought to relate all ministries of the church, including worship, to this task. Each worship service is viewed as an opportunity, not only for participation in the expressions of praise and worship to the Lord, but also for evangelism. Visitors often attend worship, and the church aims to be "?visitor-friendly?" and sensitive to those who are seeking a relationship with God. Wherever possible, archaisms and religious clichés are avoided in hymns and Scripture lessons. When teaching from the Scriptures, illustrations relevant to contemporary society are used. Often, people are invited to respond to the gospel in ways that demonstrate the Holy Spirit's prompting. The congregation reaches out to the community through music/drama groups and concerts by guest artists. Evangelism Explosion teams visit those who attend worship services, welcoming them with a personal call. Worship and Educational and Children's Ministries. The Evangelical Free Church of Naperville provides classes for the time of each of the three worship services. Worship services are not generally integrated with the education program, except during a week of special emphasis, such as missions. Usually worship services are targeted to an adult audience, although occasionally a children's message will be given in a morning worship service. A separate worship service is provided for children through the fourth grade. Currently the church is experimenting with a kids' bulletin to make the services more meaningful for children. Sunday evening services focus on the family unit, with more attention given to the needs of junior and senior high school students. The service includes a fifteen- to twenty-minute period of upbeat contemporary praise led by a variety of worship teams with the piano and other instruments. Young people are also involved regularly in singing special music, playing accompanying instruments, reading the Scripture, or leading in prayer. Other features of this service include opportunities for spontaneous testimonies, the sharing of concerns, and prayer. Younger children take part in separate choir rehearsals and separate times of praise during the time of this service. Worship is a key theme for the annual Great Lakes District youth festival, held each year at the denomination's Trinity College. Here, the young people from Naperville meet with those from other Evangelical Free churches in order to fellowship and to share their gifts in music, art, drama, writing, multimedia presentations, and public speaking. Those who demonstrate superior ability are encouraged to attend the denominations' biennial national youth conference, where they are further challenged to commit their lives and talents to Christ. The youth festival has a noticeable effect on worship in the local churches that participate. Worship and Social Action. Social concern is a by-product of the worship experience. As the church worships, God awakens within each worshiper the desire to respond to the needs of the community and nation. At the Evangelical Free Church of Naperville, worshipers are challenged to vote and to exercise Christian citizenship. They are encouraged to participate as God directs in a variety of programs involving inner-city missions, right-to-life concerns, addictions, financial difficulties, needs of the homeless, marital and family counseling, job placement, and other areas of critical human need. Women and Worship. "?Does the Word of God permit a woman to appear as a preacher, to take part in the general Christian work, and have a voting right in the urgent matters before a congregation??" This question was addressed as early as 1888 in a conference held by delegates of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church. Shortly after this conference, four women were sent as missionaries. In 1896 Fredrik Franson, who was a powerful and articulate force in the formative years of the Evangelical Free church, wrote a pamphlet entitled The Prophesying Daughters. This pamphlet provided biblical support for the conviction that the great commission was not for men only. In the Norwegian-Danish Association, an early constituent of the Evangelical Free church, Catherine Juell was listed as just one of many women evangelists and teachers before the turn of the century. Today in the Evangelical Free church, women minister in most areas of service. They direct missions and other programs. They teach and lead Bible studies. In worship services, they lead in prayer, in readings, and in drama. They direct or accompany choirs and congregational singing. Although there are no ordained women pastors or elders in the Evangelical Free church, women are licensed as full-time pastors serving in areas such as the military chaplaincy, children's ministries, or Christian education. Free churches consider these leadership roles for women as biblical since most Free church pastors are limited in their authority over congregations. Instead, authority rests rather in the elders, who represent the people of the church. Worship and Spiritual Formation. Accountability groups, discipleship groups, and other Bible study and prayer groups are all vital ministries in the Evangelical Free Church of Naperville. They aid in spiritual formation because they bring people together at times other than the formal worship services. The church also has approximately thirty "?flock groups,?" which meet regularly for worship, Bible study, prayer, and social activities. This network of groups assists people in identifying their gifts and finding their service niche in the body. Choir, instrumental groups, and drama groups integrate times of worship, biblical teaching, and prayer with their artistic preparation for services. In this local congregation as in many Free churches, each ministry is equally important and complements all others. At the same time, each ministry is dependent upon worship in which Almighty God is the primary focus. As we as a congregation adore God, he inhabits the praise of the people of God (Ps. 22:3). As the Holy Spirit links with our spirits in a life-changing way (John 4:23–24), worship becomes the catalyst for the growth of other ministries in the church and the hub from which all the spokes in the wheel of church ministry radiate.