PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD 1. Begin with a problem. 2. Gather data/facts to solve the problem. 3. Suggest a hypothesis to solve the problem. 4. Test the hypothesis to determine its validity. 5. Establish a principle(s) to solve problem. The church has faced the problem of ineffective evangelism. It asks questions. What are the barriers to reaching people for Christ? How can the task of evangelism be done more effectively? The science of Church Growth has gathered data from any and every service. It begins with the Bible to get its mandate and marching orders. The principles of the Bible are analyzed to make sure the church properly understand what God meant. Also, data from culture are examined to determine how best to reach people with the gospel. Facts are gathered from church history, case studies, surveys and interviews. Church Growth methodology gathers information from any and every source concerning God and His world. The next step in the scientific methodology is to suggest a solution to the problem. The educational world calls this solution a hypothesis, (from Latin, hypo, proposal and thesis, a law or principle to solve a problem). A hypothesis is a suggested law or an unproven thesis. Then the hypothesis must be tested to determine if it is true or valid. Since truth is consistent with itself and corresponds with the rest of the world, any new principle must be consistent with all other truth and it must fit into the world as we know it is true. Since the Bible is the highest truth, any Church Growth principle must be in harmony with Scripture and correspond to what God is doing in the world. After a suggested principle is validated, then it is presented to the church. Most Church Growth authorities like to give name to the principle they discover and verify. Christianity Today accused the Church Growth movement of inventing "cute" and fancy titles for the principles it discovered. McGavran began with the names Homogeneous Unit and People Movement. After I studied the research of Flavil Yeakley, I gave the names, "The Law of Three Hearings" and "The Law of Seven touches" to his results 1 . As I edited The Practical Encyclopedia of Evangelism and Church Growth, I discovered the Church Growth leaders had literally hundreds of names for this growing discipline.
METHODOLOGY APPLIED <strong>TO</strong> <strong>WORSHIP</strong> How can we determine which worship is best, and/or which worship is best for you? A few church leaders want to control the worship expression of others. They seem to say, My way of worship is the best way. My way of worship is the only way. Like a battery with two poles to produce power, there are two factors to make worship valid or authentic. First, worship must be in keeping with the Word of God. God must be worshipped as He is revealed in Scripture, adding nothing to Him, taking nothing from Him. The Bible, and only the Bible verifies the validity of your worship. Second, you must worship sincerely from your innermost being, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37). Applying the research methodology of Church Growth we begin with a problem. Different cultures use different musical instruments to praise God. Different age groups express their love with different types of music. Different classes (upper class and lower class) express their values by different ways of singing. Like the differences among the caste system of India that produce the "untouchable," America has cultural differences. Must all Americans express their worship the same way? What expression of worship is best? Data must be gathered. This involves looking at the purpose or aim of worship. Next, the principles of worship must be established. Finally, the desired results of worship in the individual must be established. These facts are gathered, analyzed and classified in Chapter 5- 10. Next, the hypothesis or proposed solution is suggested. Rather than saying there is only one expression of worship, i.e. the European tradition; this text suggests there are six valid expressions of worship. Each expression reflects a dominant biblical principle and each produces a biblical result in the life of the worshipper. The six worship expressions must be tested by scripture. Do they fit a biblical model and does each follow biblical principles? Does each worship expression produce biblical results? When the results are consistent with Scripture and they correspond to Christian tradition and history, then there is credibility in the six worship expressions. CONCLUSION If there are six valid worship expressions, whereby each born again believer can worship the one true God with his entire being, then there remains some therapy for the body of Christ. Christians disagree and they fight. They have destroyed churches, split churches and quit churches, all over worship. They have ostracized pastors, criticized pastors and fired pastors, all over disagreement with worship.
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 and 10: these names represented a sect, an
Page 11 and 12: A similar variety of consumer optio
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: 2. Church Planting. At the beginnin
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
Page 75 and 76: 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
Page 87 and 88: CHAPTER TEN THE CONGREGATIONAL CHUR
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This view of the church and ministr
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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
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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
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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
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ADMINISTRATION, GIFT OF APPENDIX ON
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areas. 4. Bridging - growth of the
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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
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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
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Sermons on worship from various 19t
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PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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