PRINCIPLE 30 |
There are two principal reasons for Christians to gather: instruction from the elders, and mutual edification (see chapter 27).
In our North American culture, when adult Christians meet on a Sunday morning they typically have two different types of meetings. One is called the “worship service” and the other is often called the “adult Sunday school” or “adult Bible study.” In view of the fact that the worship service is usually a large meeting while the adult Bible classes involve smaller groups, it seems reasonable to emphasize mutual edification in the smaller groups and emphasize instruction in the larger meeting.
What should the large, plenary gathering be called?
The gathering should not be called a “worship service,” for although worship will certainly take place, instruction, not worship, is the main focus and purpose of the meeting. Using the name “worship service” would perpetuate a misunderstanding about the church’s reasons for gathering (see chapter 27).
We should be careful to avoid any hint that there is some special mystical presence of God in the meeting that differs from God's continual presence with believers, or that any particular activity in the meeting (such as communion or the "eucharist") conveys grace or salvation to the participant. Such a sacramental view is a carryover from certain formal traditions and is very misleading. See the section on "Sacraments as a means of grace" in Chapter 4 of the book "Roman Catholic Teachings Compared with the Bible."
Also, the gathering should not be called a “celebration,” for although it will often have a celebratory or festive tone, instruction, not celebration, is the main focus and purpose of the meeting. Using the word “celebration” in the name of this meeting would only prove that the church knows how to be trendy.
Since instruction is the main purpose, what could be more straight-forward than to call the meeting something like the “Instruction Meeting” or the “Gathering for Instruction”?
Worship does not take place in a vacuum. Nor should it be “worked up” for its own sake. Rather, worship is always a response to truth about God (see, for example, the response of the disciples in Matthew 14:33). This response of worship will come naturally and quickly to Christians as they remember or learn about God’s majesty, love, and grace.
And this response should continue long beyond the instruction meeting. In fact, worship is perhaps most meaningful when it occurs intentionally and spontaneously from the heart of the individual in his daily life, not merely in a meeting where he was programmed through some formal expression (see chapter 28).
Nevertheless, opportunity should be given for believers to express God’s worth along with the rest of the gathered body during the instruction meeting. But since worship is a response, it makes sense to place ample opportunities for expressing worship after the instruction.
Any meeting which includes Christian instruction and worship should be simultaneously Father-centered and Christ-centered. Certainly it must focus on the Father, for Jesus taught that the Father seeks those who worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23). But it is unfortunate that we sometimes remember the Father while neglecting the Son (for example, when we sing only songs which praise the Father).
But God has exalted the Son and we worship Him along with the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). We are, after all, a New Testament church, not an encampment of ancient Israel, nor a gathering at the temple in ancient Jerusalem, nor a modern synagogue. We must maintain the same focus as we find in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, a dual focus on the Father and the Son.
The various New Testament passages which describe music in the early church see music as a channel of instruction, believer to believer (see chapter 29). Since all believers are told to sing to one another, the singing should be primarily congregational singing.
When the main singing activity is on stage (as when an up-front “worship team” sings and is amplified for the congregation to hear) the meeting takes on a flavor of entertainment and the worship team is in danger of usurping the congregation’s responsibility. This curse of entertainment becomes even more potent when the up-front singers feel they must act a certain way (smiles, tears, and gestures, etc.) so that the “audience” has something interesting to see as well as hear – “great entertainment.” In view of the fact that a congregation can sing without a leader, it would be better to have no leader than to have an entertaining leader.
By the way, this unwelcome element of entertainment can also creep into the pastoral teaching. All good pedagogues know that the really significant focus during instruction is on the thinking of the learner. The teacher always hopes his listeners will say, not “I love to hear you talk” (that’s entertainment), but “I love to think about what you explain.”
What should the "order of service" be? Many sequences are possible for the "Gathering for Instruction." Here is one, organized in three parts.
Part I. (10 minutes) Preparation for pastoral instruction. This is made up of congregational singing (mostly about the Father and the Son), scripture readings (mostly about the Father and the Son), and frequently other types of elements also. All elements in Part I serve to prepare for Part II by emphasizing concepts that form a background or support for the subject of Part II, by narrowing the field of focus, by raising significant questions, etc.
Part II. (50 min) Pastoral Instruction. This time can be organized in many different ways, and can use many different methods (see chapters 22-25). It should often include a time for questions, either at the end of Part II, during Part III, or in the smaller meetings which come later. Because of the size of the meeting, the lecture method will often be used, but the lecture should be enhanced by the use of visual aids and should often include a variety of other methods as well – everything from panels to videos – all organized around one central point by the teaching elder of the day.
Part III. (15 minutes) Follow up to pastoral instruction. This would often include congregational singing in response to the instruction (including, of course, worship). But it can also frequently include a wide variety of expressions, everything from a period of silence to spontaneous testimonies to poetic readings.
Plus: Limited announcements (such as urgent prayer needs) and encouragement to attend the smaller meetings that follow.