Progressive National Baptist Convention, Incorporated Churches

Worship in the Progressive National Baptist Convention is rooted in a conviction of God's sovereignty and liberating character as revealed in the Exodus. The style of worship is participatory and uninhibited. Music, in a variety of styles, plays a vital role.

In his analysis of the distinctive character of African-American worship, Dearing E. King, editor of the Progressive National Baptist Hymnal, describes its most basic feature as "an unwavering faith in the absolute sovereignty of the supreme, infinite creator" ("Worship in the Black Church," in Emmanuel L. McCall, ed., The Black Christian Experience [Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972], 34). He argues that this distinction enabled African-American worshipers "to affirm their personal identities in an authentic sharing of God's presence, grace, power, will and purpose for the betterment of their own lives and for others" (Ibid., 33). In their worship experience, African-American Christians have long identified with the Hebrew slaves. The faith of the Hebrew slaves in the absolute sovereignty of God fortified them to deal with the oppression of Pharaoh. Identifying with Hebrew oppression continues even to this day to help African-American worshipers survive oppressive social structures. Faith in a gracious, liberating God enables them to make sense of the insanity of their disconnected, disturbed, and disorganized lives. Freedom in Worship Their response to God in worship is creative, spontaneous, and liberating. The language and liturgy are lyrical, poetic, majestic, and living. Although the worship has order and structure, there is no room for either inflexible religious routine or spiritual boredom. Traditional hymns and contemporary songs are sometimes rendered with the more personally meaningful through improvisation. Those who lead the services are not performing before spectators. The preaching, praying, and praising of God through musical expression are acts of participation by the total community of worshipers. The aliveness of the worship experience is based on an awareness of God being in, with, and for the people in worship and in the totality of their lives. African-American Christians make no sharp line of demarcation between their secular activities and their sacred responsibilities. Worship is the celebration of gratitude to the living God who never leaves the worshipers. So, in the worship services, they may sing and pray, "He woke me up this morning and started me on my way." This style of creativity and celebration is not limited to one socioeconomic class. Progressive National Baptist churches have members who have earned doctorates as well as members who have no degrees. The mixture of social classes contributes to the richness of diversity in the worship experience. Although there is no single order of worship that is rigidly followed by all worshiping congregations in Progressive National Baptist tradition, there is an implicit commitment that worship is the grateful, creative, and celebrative response to the sovereignty of the liberating God, whom the worshipers have come to know in Jesus Christ. The worshipers recognize that this liberating God is absolute, supreme, infinite, and creative in maintaining a historical relationship of grace, mercy, and redemption with those who genuinely worship with an unwavering faith. The expressions of worship are oral and uninhibited. There may be times of pensive silence, critical reflections, an oral utterance of "amen," hand-clapping, hand-raising, laughter, tears, or even ritualistic or spontaneous dance. All of this is accepted because the freedoms denied the worshipers in society are freedoms permitted as they worship God in the beauty of holiness. As Progressive National Baptist Scholar W. A. Jones would say, "There is a balance between sense and soul" (J. Alfred Smith, Sr., Outstanding Black Sermons [Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson Press, 1976], 7). Musical Traditions There was a time when all Progressive National churches had antiphonal singing or what is called "the lining of hymns." This method of singing has African roots. The words of the song sometimes were created spontaneously—as the leader was so inspired during the singing. The song leader would sing a line, and the audience would repeat the line as it had been sung. These songs have lasted through the process of oral tradition. As the elders have moved on to the next world, successive generations have lost the art of antiphonal moaning and chanting of hymns. However, the Hampton University Ministers and Musicals Annual Conference, the L. K. Williams' Minister's Institute, and black church departments in well-known theological and divinity schools are helping to bring back antiphonal singing. In many Progressive Baptist churches, two adult choirs lead the worship services. A gospel choir sings the gospel music made popular by the late Thomas A. Dorsey. This gospel tradition has been advanced and elaborated upon by musicians like Doris A. Akers, C. A. Tindley, Clara Ward, Lucy Campbell, Mahalia Jackson, Sallie and Roberta Martin, Aretha Franklin, J. Robert Bradley, Lucie Campbell, and the Reverend James Cleveland. Pastors like Cleophus Robinson, James Cleveland, Walter Hawkins, Clay Evans, Robert T. George, and M. T. Thompson are a few of the present-day pastors who keep the gospel tradition alive. The majority of pastors do a limited amount of singing to prepare the worshipers emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually to hear the preaching of the gospel. The second adult choir is often called the sanctuary choir. This choir sings stately hymns, classical negro spirituals, anthems, and music often heard in Anglo-Protestant churches. On some Sundays this choir might be a children's choir, a youth choir, or a men's choir. Music is a powerful carrier of "an unwavering faith in the absolute sovereignty of the supreme, infinite creator."