PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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American has become a consumer society, driven by marketing, advertising, and retailing. Everything is sold, everything from groceries to clothing to furniture to cars to entertainment. Consumerism is evident in television commercials, newspaper ads and the public relations segment of the business world. Consumerism is the engine that drives American society, and it is the driving force as Americans choose their churches (but that doesn't make it right). THE GLUE OF CULTURE Before the Industrial Revolution of the 1840's, America was an agricultural society, with 92 percent of Americans living and working on the farm. The driving force of our society was rural. With the Industrial Revolution, people moved to the cities, and American culture evolved from a rural society into an urban industrial society to provide jobs and income. The nation became one of the world's largest producers of steel, cars and machinery. Industry became the driving force of our society. After World War II, America changed again. We were no longer a producing society, but we became a consumer society. Now the glue that holds our culture together is marketing, selling and buying. Less than 25 percent of our society is employed to produce or manufacture something. Less than 5 percent work on a farm. We are a nation that is driven by consuming things. The majority of our people work as salesmen, service technicians, consultants, managers, waiters, and so on. We are a service society, we sell to one another, serve on another and live off the profits of a consuming society. Our favorite pastime seems to be walking the malls, not necessarily to purchase necessities but just to shop. We look for trinkets, what is new, or just the experience of seeing new things. What we call shopping is really "consuming." We buy what is comfortable, enjoyable, flattering or entertaining. In the same way, America's Protestants choose churches on the basis of what entertains us, satisfies us or makes us feel good about God and ourselves. And, to a growing degree this freedom of choice is also the reason some Roman Catholics and others from non-Christian religions switch to Protestant churches. If we recognize church worshipers as consumers, we will recognize church programs as menus, and types of worship as the main entrees in a restaurant. Consumers need food to keep them healthy or to keep them form starving. But, in a nation with an abundance of food, consumers go where the menu fits their taste. Americans can pick gourmet, Chinese, Mexican, fried chicken, a steak, hamburger, tacos or from an abundance of other options.
A similar variety of consumer options is available when it comes to churches. The worship menus are not filled with doctrinal options but with a variety of worship options. Americans worship where they feel comfortable with the style of expression that best reflects their inclinations and temperament: A Lutheran couple chooses a charismatic Renewal Church because they like positive exaltation. Perhaps they thought their former Lutheran church was dead. Baptist leave the revivalistic Baptist church to attend a Bible Expositional church because he feels his former church was superficial and the new church has in-depth teaching. A pentecostal leaves the church of his birth claiming that "wild fire" has no place in his life. He chooses a mediative Liturgical Church experience in a Lutheran or Episcopal church where the atmospheric worship experience enables him to stand in awe of the majesty of God. The Salvation Army sergeant leaves the familiar surroundings of the citadel to become involved in the small groups of a Body-life Church. lifestyle HOW PEOPLE CURRENTLY CHOOSE A CHURCH 1. Function: the style of worship 2. Form: the quality of ministry 3. Doctrine: belief that influences When someone tells him the sermons are not holiness-oriented as in the Salvation Army, he doesn't care; he finds meaning in making new relationships in a small group. No matter what the style of worship, there seems to be a two-way door in and out of most sanctuaries. New people are entering to seek its strength, while others are tired of the routine and leave to seek their Sunday morning "high" elsewhere.
Page 1 and 2: PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS By E
Page 3 and 4: INTRODUCTION Since this is a book a
Page 5 and 6: True worship involves change and it
Page 7 and 8: under Martin Luther was a reformati
Page 9: these names represented a sect, an
Page 13 and 14: SIX WORSHIP STYLES 1. The Evangelis
Page 15 and 16: The pastors told me they had not ch
Page 17 and 18: The Liturgical Church eagerly carri
Page 19 and 20: The average Christian knows about a
Page 21 and 22: So, let's learn what we need to kno
Page 23 and 24: young people from my church were co
Page 25 and 26: Dallas taught me to preach differen
Page 27 and 28: would not preach boring Pentecostal
Page 29 and 30: The third question I ask my student
Page 31 and 32: CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH TO DETERMINE
Page 33 and 34: that no man could count, from every
Page 35 and 36: outwardly committed to the process
Page 37 and 38: 2. Church Planting. At the beginnin
Page 39 and 40: METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO WORSHIP How
Page 41 and 42: CHAPTER FOUR WORSHIP WARS The churc
Page 43 and 44: The pastor liked the Bible Expositi
Page 45 and 46: Whether people disagree because of
Page 47 and 48: that help them cope with their prob
Page 49 and 50: society is apparently retreating fr
Page 51 and 52: 4. New worship forms have robbed th
Page 53 and 54: The ultimate question that some wou
Page 55 and 56: elationship with God we've been tal
Page 57 and 58: in evangelism are effective in maki
Page 59 and 60: soul-winning and reaching every ava
Page 61 and 62:
have not been trained. Others fail
Page 63 and 64:
While some expository preachers ten
Page 65 and 66:
CHAPTER SEVEN THE RENEWAL CHURCH Ev
Page 67 and 68:
demonstrated in that miracles are o
Page 69 and 70:
most human needs can be met in a va
Page 71 and 72:
musical instruments including piano
Page 73 and 74:
ut the time is getting late. I thin
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pastor to emerge as a leader. Also,
Page 77 and 78:
Church. This includes ministries su
Page 79 and 80:
CHAPTER NINE THE LITURGICAL CHURCH
Page 81 and 82:
the sanctuary and challenged the pe
Page 83 and 84:
individuals. Those gifted in this m
Page 85 and 86:
strengths of this worship style int
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CHAPTER TEN THE CONGREGATIONAL CHUR
Page 89 and 90:
This view of the church and ministr
Page 91 and 92:
THE STRENGTHS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
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He has given them to accomplish wha
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The critical group usually attacks
Page 97 and 98:
Therefore, the question becomes one
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However, this does not mean that ex
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experience. Those attending The Bib
Page 103 and 104:
What are some changes in worship me
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3. Recognize the strengths of the c
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THE FUTURE OF WORSHIP 1. A thirst f
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This involves kneeling at the altar
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Churches will use more video filmed
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The New Testament is different unli
Page 115 and 116:
ADMINISTRATION, GIFT OF APPENDIX ON
Page 117 and 118:
areas. 4. Bridging - growth of the
Page 119 and 120:
fellowship of a local church. Those
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RENEWAL CHURCH A unique worship sty
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of the relationship between worship
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The Use of Proskuneo in the New Tes
Page 127 and 128:
APPENDIX THREE CHRISTIAN LEADERS ON
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Worship is the exercise of the mind
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Dawn, Marva. Reaching Out Without D
Page 133 and 134:
Morgenthaller, Sally. Worship Evang
Page 135:
Sermons on worship from various 19t
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PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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