by
Philip P. Eapen
Copyright © by Philip P. Eapen, 2005, 2023.
First Edition
2005
Revised Edition 2023
All rights reserved.
No
part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic
or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval
systems, without permission in writing from the author, except by
reviewers or students, who may quote brief passages in a
review.
This publication shall not be disassembled or
modified.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible © 1960,
1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1977 by The Lockman
Foundation, A Corporation Not For Profit La Habra, CA, USA
Contents
IN THIS ERA of neo-Charismatic1 movements, “praise and worship” sessions, not to mention the leaders of such sessions, have taken on a role of special importance. “Praise and worship” sessions, people think, can make or mar a church service. Today’s churches need spirit-filled, dynamic men and women who can lead God’s people to meaningful moments of worship, consecration, encouragement and edification.
Have you attended a Pentecostal or Charismatic church and felt the worship service was not up to the mark? You certainly have company. Despite the pomp and splendour employed to make the time of worship significant, despite the money and talent deployed in musical accompaniment, services crash-land due to the ineptness or lack of preparation of so-called “worship leader(s).” Participants who have access to the best worship songs in the world are none too willing to forgive worship leaders who neither understand the basic principles of Christian worship nor the dynamics of a post-modern worship service.
Vinson Synan, a scholar on Pentecostalism, in his book The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition, says that popular discontent with liturgical forms of worship contributed to the growth of Pentecostalism in the twentieth century. Pentecostals and Charismatic Christians who prefer liturgy-free worship services generally look down on churches that follow a liturgy. “Their prayers are all written down—straight from the cold storage. We are led by the Spirit,” they claim. Yet, many of them have become disillusioned by the free structures of their services.
Churches that do not follow a liturgy are often at the mercy of the whims and fancies of a worship leader(s) or someone else in charge of the service. Don’t pastors become nervous when a member hijacks the service with a lengthy testimony, a prayer or an out-of-tune song? It is to avoid such haphazard events that ancient churches sought refuge in written liturgies.
In spite of the Pentecostal dislike for written liturgies, I believe it is worthwhile for them to examine several liturgies to appreciate their content, structure, and progression. A lot of care goes into the construction of a liturgy. Popular liturgies extensively use the Psalms and other Bible portions.
Moreover, “liturgical churches” consider a worship service a form of testimony or proclamation to the world. These liturgies are also confessions of faith (doctrines) that serve an educational purpose. For instance, any member of a Protestant mainline church is familiar with the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed, which neatly summarises the Christian faith. Many will be able to recite it from memory. If you wish to know why knowing one’s creed is significant, get hold of a member of one of these liturgy-free churches and ask him to recite his church’s “Statement of Faith.”
It is, of course, true that liturgical services lack the flexibility of a non-liturgical service. Besides, lay participation in liturgical services is limited.
People complain about liturgical services and move on to Pentecostal churches only to discover that they have jumped from the frying pan into the fire! Why is this so? Most Pentecostal/Charismatic services do not deliver on their promises of greater flexibility, use of charismatic gifts, and lay participation.
Pentecostal and Charismatic churches tend to settle for “unwritten liturgies.” These can form rigid structures in people’s minds. Pastors, too, get tied to these structures. Thus, most Pentecostal churches do not, in reality, enjoy the full extent of flexibility that a non-liturgical service can offer. Whatever flexibility is left is found in the “praise and worship” session. The proper use of it depends on the “worship leader.”
What about charismatic gifting? Pentecostal churches generally do not seem to show much interest in spiritual gifts other than praying in “other tongues” and in prophecy. Lay participation is limited to a few opportunities to lead public prayer and to share one’s testimony. The clergy-laity divide in Episcopalian churches is present in most congregational churches.
Am I trying to promote written liturgies? I wouldn’t mind if people accused me of doing so. I wish to encourage pastors and worship leaders to scrutinize their “free” worship services. I hope my readers will understand that in rejecting liturgical worship services, Pentecostals and most Charismatics threw the baby out with the bath water. We abandoned written liturgies to gain flexibility and “freedom in the Spirit.” In the process, we turned our backs on the good elements in them.
Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, due to their lack of understanding and careful preparation, miss out on the essentials of a worship service—the public reading of the Scriptures, intercessory prayer, and fellowship meals, to name a few. Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians are vulnerable to false doctrines based on hearsay, faulty interpretations, and mystic experiences, given the rising number of pastors who refuse theological education and of busy churches that hardly have time for Bible teaching. Worship leaders blurt out blunders without regard for newcomers or detractors in the congregation. Their brothers and sisters in Christ will forgive them, but others may not.
A few theological seminaries in India offer a course that trains worship leaders. There are a few quality websites offering online articles and help, and there are seminaries in the West and in Australia that offer such specialized courses. Western music leaders and singers visit India to conduct “worship seminars.” Very often, their methods are not suitable for Asian contexts. Even so, our worship leaders are too eager to mimic these teachers down to their odd clichés.
Week after week, millions of Christians find themselves caught between unrefined Pentecostal worship services and the memory of the traditions they had left behind. If they are dissatisfied with Pentecostal worship services, they do not have a place to go. Worse still, many are not even aware of the shortcomings of the services they attend.
Therefore, I felt the need to pen some guidelines for those who lead God’s people in worship week after week. This book is not just for pastors or worship leaders. Neither is it just for Pentecostals and Charismatic Christians. I pray that the Body of Jesus Christ will benefit from this humble effort.
The following chapter, “The Essence of Christian Worship,” presents biblical teaching on Christian worship. Without grasping the nature of true worship and what God demands from us, any attempt at leading a worship service is pointless.
Note: I have used male third-person pronouns in the generic sense to refer to both men and women.
Proceed to Chapter 2: The Essence of Christian Worship
Philip Eapen, an environmental scientist by training, devoted his life to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ ever since he realized that the world needs Jesus Christ more than anyone or anything else. Apart from sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, Philip teaches Christians in order to equip them for service. He is supported by donations from readers. Philip is married to Dr. Jessimol and they are blessed with three sons and a daughter.
Date: May 8, 2023
