Thus, Emerging Worship
is not a label for a specific form, liturgy, or style of music.
Emerging Worship is intentionally ecumenical and multi-cultural,
in purview, celebrating the broad expressions of worship that
are continually growing and developing.
Emerging Worship wells up each week in communities all
over the world. The motivation for worship is not market- or
seeker-driven but flows from our deep spiritual convictions
about God’s grace and initiative in calling us to Christ.
Emerging Worship is not a prescribed model for
worship such as a “Willow Creek Model,” nor an “ideologically-driven”
approach. Authentic and appropriate worship will emerge within
communities that take seriously the challenge of articulating
the ancient Christian faith, synchronically and diachronically,
in their local context. These characteristics should be celebrated,
nurtured and shared as examples.
Emerging Worship responds to God’s Word for us,
the church’s deep tradition, and the context of local
faith communities. Emerging Worship has direction: the
full expression of God’s Way on earth. It is evangelical
by nature and mission oriented in response.
In some contexts Emerging Worship may look like the
“way we have always done it,” while in other contexts
it may look very “contemporary.” Emerging Worship
may be modeled after the prayers of Taize or Iona, the “rave”
culture born in the United Kingdom, evangelical urban church
plants (urban new church development projects) or the “regular”
Sunday service of a particular community.
Emerging Worship is a way of recognizing, articulating
and developing worship that seeks to be authentic to our ancient
faith while being appropriate to our current context. Along
with new technology, Internet resources, global and local artists,
musicians, and poets, the Book of Common Worship and
its supplemental material, the Presbyterian Hymnal and its supplemental
material are examples of important resources for Emerging
Worship.
The Arts (dance, fine art, fabrics, drama, music), modern,
local, ancient and global, are encouraged in Emerging Worship
along with reclaiming ancient rituals and elements used throughout
time and space. Weekly celebration of the Eucharist is encouraged.
Reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant, services of healing
and wholeness, and rituals marking significant passages in people’s
lives are common in Emerging Worship. Oil, water, wine
and bread, the visible signs of God’s grace, are frequently
engaged.
Music is not the defining norm of Emerging Worship.
Some church services may accentuate a particular style, while
others may blend different genres. There need be no conflict
in Emerging Worship between organs and guitars, choruses
and hymns, linear or cyclical musical forms. Each context (defined
by such things as geography, demographics, availability and
skill level of musicians) will have some bearing on the music
offered and the extent to which the music is diverse. Music
does not define worship. Rather, it is the melody upon which
the liturgy will dance. Thoughtful reflection on the text(s)
for the day, the flow of the liturgy and the context of a particular
church should be some of the motivating factors for musical
selection. The text used with the music must also be carefully
chosen. Another important factor is the utilization of the gifts
of those in the community. In Emerging Worship, participation
is more important than perfection.
The normal boundaries which have created divisions in many
churches, such as musical style, technology, and sacramental
practice, are not defined in Emerging Worship. “Worship
wars” are superfluous. The boundaries are broad, but,
the focus is precise: God present in the world and in our lives.
The juxtaposition between broad boundaries and a precise focus
on God sets Emerging Worship apart from understanding
worship in terms of “classical”, “traditional”
or “contemporary” categories. |
