The Challenge of Meaningful Worship

One of the many challenges facing churches today is that of providing meaningful worship -- worship that is authentic and reaches persons of multi-generations in effective ways. What a challenge! Is that possible when a church offers only one style of worship service? That’s a question many churches must address in order to have a more meaningful worship ministry.

Many churches are experimenting with new worship models by offering alterative times beyond Sunday which often include locations outside the traditional sanctuary setting. The struggles I have encountered are between those who cling to worship as they have always known it (usually referred to as “traditional”) and those who want something more fresh and appealing to their media senses (usually referred to as “contemporary.”) Thus the emergence of Praise Worship, Contemporary Worship, Emergent Worship, promoted by names i.e. “Connect,” “The Side Door,” “The Point,” etc. Such services seek to address the needs of those who look for more from worship than provided in a traditional style, and are usually more engaging for a new generation.

More and more books and articles are addressing the challenge to make worship meaningful in a variety of ministry settings. If you are in charge of worship planning or desire your worship experience to become more than it is, you will find this statement by N. Graham Standish of interest. He says he continually seeks to “tweak our worship in a way that will touch people and open them to what I think is paramount in a worship service: encountering and experiencing God in a way that transforms us, even if just a little bit.”

In his book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Bishop Robert Schnase suggests that “people are searching for worship that is authentic, alive, creative, and comprehensible, where they experience the life-changing presence of God in the presence of others.” He uses the phrase “passionate worship” to describe one of the practices that produces a fruitful congregation. Passionate worship, he suggests, “connects people to God and each other.”

Designing and providing meaningful worship relies upon a clear understanding of the purpose of worship and is based on a sound theology that forms and shapes what the worshiper does to relate more meaningfully to God. The goal of a transforming encounter with God lies at the heart of authentic worship. It happens when we rely upon and are open to experiencing the power and presence of the Spirit. It is relationship-focused and enhances the relationship between God and the worshipers. It involves experiencing the reality expressed in the hymn: “There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.”

Perhaps the most important question worship planners must address is this: Do the music, prayers, liturgy, and message not only praise God, but also connect worshipers (on a deeper level) with God? When worship planners experience the awe of what worship was intended to be, do, and can become, and rely upon inspiration from the Spirit’s guidance, rather than doing what has always been done, meaningful worship is more likely to happen.

What will be required for your church to provide more meaningful worship?