PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

There has usually been a relationship between what a church taught and what it practiced
in worship. By this I mean that most main-line denominational high-churches gravitated to a
liturgical expression of worship. Also, most Baptist churches gravitated to congregational type
of worship.
Historically, churches with deeper commitment to doctrine have tended toward less
outward emotional experiences in their worship. These churches tend to emphasize thinking,
rationality, insight and acting on what is known. On the other hand, those churches that have a
deeper commitment to experiential Christianity such as found in holiness, soul-winning and
pentecostal churches have tended to gravitate toward worship experiences that reflected feeling,
sensitivity and intuitive experience. When this happens, it is difficult to determine if scripture is
used to verify experience, or if experience is verified by scripture? However, both become
foundational to the church's mission.
10. No one type of worship service meets all the needs of all of its members. The
seeker-service may meet evangelistic needs, but people may leave not having felt the presence of
the Lord, nor has God touched them. Also, contemporary worship may get people involved in
worshipful expressions, but they go away hungry because they were not fed the Word of God.
11. Some believers begin at one experience and gravitate throughout life from one
worship experience to another. While this process is not a scriptural exhortation, nor is it
normative; it may represent some who are caught up in what experientialism or experimentation
have done to some Christians. When a believer gravitates from one worship experience to
another, it is not necessarily growth in grace, but it is growth in experience. It is probably not
healthy for a person to continually change his worship experience. However, when a new
worship experience makes Christ more real in their life, I am not against changing one's worship
experience. But, when a person is motivated by love, it is easy to see how they constantly go
deeper in his perspective, and go from one worship experience to another. A person may begin
in The Evangelistic Church and sensing his shallowness of doctrine, gravitate to The Bible
Expositional Church. Next, sensing a shallowness of feeling, gravitate to The Renewal Church.
As his love is renewed, he feels a desire for closer harmony with other believers, hence he
gravitates to The Body Life Church. This person always wanting to go deeper, begins looking
for the next experience and finds a deeper warmth with God in The Liturgical Church whereby in
silence, meditation, and deep awe; he worships God. Could this person finally end up in a
Congregational Church becoming completely involved in the local Body of Christ? However,
the Bible calls this type of person immature, " . . . children tossed to and fro . . ." (Ephesians
4:14).
Let's be slow to criticize those who change their worship experience. Christ may become
more real to him, even though his experience reflects some aspects of emotional immaturity.
12. Some worshippers are converted within one worship experience and remain there
throughout their lives. Those who open their heart to God and the teaching of their church,
usually have the type of conversion experience that is suggested or expected by their church.
Those who are converted in Renewal Churches, tend to have a deeply emotional conversion