It seems like everybody's talking about starting new worship services. "Contemporary" worship/style seems to be what's preferred by the (nonchurched) folks in the Bay Area. (Just do a PERCEPT "FirstView", and you'll see what I mean). But what's "contemporary" in 2003+??
A lot of people have a lot of ideas. Robert Webber (Episcopalian/evangelical/scholar/author of the book Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail that shook up some thinking a few years ago) says this:
"Future worship will move toward these style characteristics:
More use of ritual and symbol
More spaces for quiet and contemplation
More frequent celebration of communion
High participation
Convergence of musical styles
More use of string and wind instruments
Recovery of the Christian year as a spiritual discipline
"The future of worship can be caught in the phrase 'ancient worship with a contemporary flare.' Millennials don't want fifties worship. They want, as one said to me, 'the old stuff.' They want substance, depth, challenge, and encounter."
Webber says a lot more. If you're planning a new service this is a must-read. See: How Will the Millennials Worship? A Snapshot of the Very Near Future.
Posted by mbarlowe at April 25, 2003 09:00 AMThanks for this coverage. I am interested in the idea of ancient/modern -- surely the ancient speaks, refined to symbol next to the new.
Posted by: N. Starr at May 17, 2003 12:33 PM