3.4 Church Visit
BIL-115: Life and Faith in the New Testament
How to Visit a Church
1. Church Background
As stated in the workshop materials, your individual experience with church may vary widely from other students. Before beginning this assignment, please pause for a moment and consider some of these factors and how they may impact you personally:
· Positive and negative experiences that you have had in church.
· Experiences from your childhood and experiences more recently as an adult.
· Your beliefs, personal convictions, and style preferences about public worship.
· Your interactions with Christians from various traditions with various styles of worship.
Worship is profound, personal, and public. It is meant to touch the deepest part of our beings and put us into contact with a holy and loving God. Please consider how your previous experiences may affect both your participation in and observation of Christian worship.
2. Choosing a Church to Visit
For this assignment, you should plan to visit a typical Sunday morning worship service. Bible studies or prayer meetings will not fit the assignment as well. Some churches have multiple Sunday services and may even have an alternative service on a Friday or Saturday evening. Check on these ahead of time if you cannot attend on a Sunday morning.
If you belong to a church, then we encourage you to simply attend your regular service for this assignment. This assignment will most likely give you a deeper appreciation for the worship that you share in each week. If you have a “family” church or a church that other family members attend (but you do not regularly attend), you may benefit from joining your family for worship. Finally, if you do not have a home church and are not familiar with any churches, then we recommend that you attend church in the larger Protestant tradition somewhere in your area or neighborhood (e.g. Wesleyan, Methodist, Vineyard, Lutheran, Assemblies of God, etc.). Indiana Wesleyan University is part of the larger Wesleyan Church and this class and several others will make a bit more sense within the Protestant tradition.
Even though we encourage those of you without a church home to visit a church in the Protestant tradition, you are still allowed to visit a Catholic or Orthodox church (the other two main Christian traditions). However, you may not attend a service at the Mormon Church, A Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Unitarian Universalist Church or similar offshoots that most deem to stand outside of the (rather large) fold of Christianity. These groups have very different traditions around worship and scripture that will not fit well with the parameters of this assignment. If you are uncertain about what church to attend or how to choose, please contact your instructor personally. He or she will be glad to speak with you about it.
3. Varieties of Worship Traditions
Even with all of that advice, you should still be aware that styles and traditions of worship vary widely across Christian churches. Below you will find a brief introduction to worship traditions that may help you understand your own church better or help you choose a church that you may like to attend.
A word on labels—You may be familiar or unfamiliar with some of the labels used below. This is a very general overview of types of worship. There is perhaps as much variety as there are individual congregations. You may be surprised at how your church or denomination is labelled. The labels are only meant as an initial guide. For instance, while our culture has largely shifted to the term “African-American,” the label “Black Church” is still used widely to describe a distinctive style of worship and church practice (one that is, of course, strongly associated with African-American communities). These categories are not exclusive: one can find mostly African-American liturgical churches and charismatic Catholic churches.
Many churches have adapted a variety of styles and forms of worship from various traditions resulting in “blended” services. For example, a very liturgical Lutheran church may sing contemporary worship music instead of hymns. A Charismatic service may insert the more liturgical recitation of a creed. Most worship services you attend will have some combination of these elements. Please use the following categories merely as a broad orientation to all of the variety you will find in particular churches.
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Liturgical Protestant Traditions
Examples: Most Lutheran Churches, Most Episcopal Churches, Some United Methodist Churches, Some Presbyterian Churches
This grouping of Protestant churches expresses their worship of God though planned orders of service, readings, and singing that incorporate scripture and other traditional elements in rich and diverse ways. This style emphasizes reverence for God and the way that patterns of corporate worship shape the souls of believers. A liturgical Protestant church will typically have a service with several specified parts, including written prayers, traditional creeds, an offering, hymns, readings from both the Old and New Testaments, a sermon, and the Lord’s Supper (also known as Communion or The Eucharist). The service seeks to have a well-rounded portrayal of God’s character and the gift of salvation in its various elements.
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Free Church Traditions
Examples: Most Wesleyan Churches, Most Baptist Churches, Most non-denominational Churches, Some United Methodist and Presbyterian Churches
Free church worship is probably the most common style of worship in America. Free Church traditions emphasize members of the congregation praising God in contemporary style songs and the power of the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to change lives. It has a very general order of opening greetings, worship through singing, offering, pastoral prayer, and a sermon. Scripture may be read during the singing, and there is typically a planned reading of scripture in preparation for the sermon. There is typically no explicit order of worship and the atmosphere and dress is much more informal than a liturgical service. Free Church worship embodies the conviction that God accepts as we are in Christ but also seeks to transform us through our encounter with Christ.
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Black Church Traditions
Examples: Various Apostolic Churches, African Methodist Churches, National Baptists, Church of God in Christ, Missionary Baptist, etc. Some other denominations have mostly African-American congregations as well
The Black Church tradition covers a wide variety of churches influenced by African-American history and culture. Black Church traditions cut across many denominational lines and worship services may include elements of Liturgical, Free Church, and Charismatic traditions. Black Church traditions also have a deep connection to the experience of racial injustice, which prompts to themes of liberation and justice to be included in worship. The Black Church tradition emphasizes the shared experience of the community expressing their worship in songs, prayers, testimonies, and preaching that transforms people through a deep encounter with Jesus in both suffering and joy. Worship services may be led by various pastors and preachers, but the entire congregation often participates in all these elements as they join in the celebration. Scripture may be included at any point in the service, but there is also commonly a specific biblical text read in preparation for the sermon.
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Charismatic Worship Traditions
Examples: Assemblies of God, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, The Pentecostal Church, Some non-denominational churches
Charismatic worship services tend to have the informal atmosphere and general order of the Free Church and some Black Church traditions. Charismatic services can have an even more spontaneous character in response to the Holy Spirit and are often characterized by the expression of emotion, hand raising, and movement during singing (pictured) as well as an emphasis on healing and blessing in the preaching. The expressive worship reflects the many ways that God touches our minds, hearts, and bodies through worship. Scripture may be read or quoted at various points in the service but particularly before the sermon. The Charismatic tradition has touched many lives in Central and South America, and the Charismatic movement has influenced Hispanic, African-American, and Caucasian congregations in America.
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Orthodox and Catholic Traditions
Examples: The Roman Catholic Church, The Russian Orthodox Church, The Greek Orthodox Church
Catholic and Orthodox churches tend to practice liturgical worship that maintains and updates ancient traditions of the church, honoring the way that God has shaped the church throughout history. The order of the worship is spelled out in great detail, and a priest leads most elements of the service, celebrating what God has done for us in Christ. Scripture readings are done according to a specific calendar and usually include readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Gospels. Catholic and Orthodox churches usually celebrate the Eucharist (also known as Communion or the Lord’s Supper) at each worship service. These services seek to cultivate a sense of awe in the worshipper and to bring the community together to share in worship that incorporates scripture, art, and tradition in ways that enrich the spiritual lives of the followers of Christ.
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4. A General Order of Worship
Even with all of the diversity discussed just above, we can generalize a bit and identify some common elements of most Christian worship to help you be prepared for the service in general and where you may encounter scripture as part of the service. The order below is typical, but variations abound.
· Call to Worship/Invocation: Many churches will have a specific opening designed to start the worship service. This may include a reading from scripture and/or a prayer.
· Worship through music: This portion of the service probably has the greatest diversity in terms of style and presentation. However, sometimes scriptures are read in-between songs or often biblical passages are incorporated into the lyrics.
· Confessions or Creeds: Many worship service employ corporate readings of various kinds of creeds. Sometimes this may be a general confession of sin or an ancient Christian statement of belief (like the Apostles’ Creed). There may also be a corporate or responsive reading of scripture.
· Offering: Most churches will take a collection of money from its members and regular attenders for the support of the church and its ministries. Scripture and prayer may be incorporated. The offering is viewed as an act of worship and a form of sacrificial giving as a response to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross for forgiveness of sin.
· Prayer: Most worship services will include prayer either a recited prayer or spontaneous prayer typically led by the pastor or priest. Prayer requests may be listed in the bulletin or offered by the congregation.
· Scripture Reading: More liturgical churches follow a scheduled calendar of readings called the lectionary. Churches in the free or charismatic traditions will often read specific passages of scripture that will be expounded on further in the sermon.
· Eucharist/Communion/Lord’s Supper: Some churches celebrate this re-enactment of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples on a weekly basis and some only 4 times a year. This is practiced in a variety of ways. Most churches believe that only members or committed followers of Jesus Christ should take the bread and wine/juice as part of the Eucharist. You can simply stay seated or not receive the bread and wine/juice if you choose not to participate.
· Sermon: Most churches will have a sermon by the pastor or priest. However, these may vary widely in length and style. Many sermons will focus either on the message of salvation in Christ or how to live as a Christian.
· Closing/Benediction: Almost all churches will close with a final prayer or blessing (called a benediction). This closes the service and sends out the worshippers with the blessing of God. Some churches utilize an “act of sending” Christians back out into the world as a response to the message or in response to God’s love for the world as the service closes.
5. Practical Preparations
You should confirm the exact location and time of the church you plan to attend if you are not a regular attender. Also, feel free to call the church to ask for information or any questions that you may have about the service. You should plan to arrive early to allow time to park, navigate the building, and find an appropriate seat. If you have children, you can bring them with you, and many churches have child care, children’s church, or Sunday school classes for children and teens. Some churches will have a printed bulletin, but others do not so you may want to bring a pen and pad of paper for any notes.
You may feel awkward and unfamiliar if you do not attend a church regularly. Do not be afraid to identify yourself as a visitor. Most churches are delighted to have visitors and may have some additional information to give to you. Many churches are large enough that you probably would not be noticed as a visitor unless you say something. You can remain anonymous, but you will probably learn more and have a deeper experience of worship if allow someone to welcome you to the church. You may have to ask a few questions of other attenders to answer the questions on the Church Service Report, and remember you are required to ask someone on the church staff at least one question about the service or the use of scripture as part of the Report.
While this is a class assignment and while you do need to be prepared to fill out the Report, we hope that you can experience this as a true service of worship where you can encounter God, hear about the gospel of Jesus, and be changed by the Spirit.
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