PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

strengths of this worship style into their ministries. This can be done by many evangelical
churches in two areas. First, we can learn to appreciate the rich worship traditions of other era
and cultures as a part of our contemporary worship of God. Second, we can learn from the
Liturgical Churches to develop unique ministries that meet the felt needs of people in our
community.
There are various ways in which traditional worship expressions can be incorporated into
church worship services. Some pastors have incorporated the recitation or reading of a creed
such as the Apostle's Creed into their worship services on a short term basis during a preaching
series on that creed. A similar approach has been used incorporating praying the Lord's Prayer
into a church service during a preaching series on that topic. Also, many pastors of non-liturgical
churches have opted to incorporate a Pauline blessing or one of the other blessings of Scripture
into their benediction. Perhaps the most common season for incorporating aspects of the
Liturgical Church approach to worship into other worship styles is the Christmas season. The
use of carols represents a music style more common to another era than that of contemporary
worshippers.
The example of Christmas demonstrates that non-liturgical church members can find rich
meaning in liturgical worship styles. The wise worship planner will periodically look for hymns,
carols and choruses written in other cultures and times to add variety to the church's worship
experience. When used appropriately and blended with the usual worship style of the
congregation, the total worship experience can be more meaningful. A common example of this
practice is seen in the use of a fifth century Latin hymn, Adeste Fideles (O Come Let Us Adore
Him), which is often sung as part of a series of choruses in many renewal congregations. Some
in those congregations might argue the singing of Latin hymns would hinder worship not
realizing that they themselves have used such a hymn to express their own desire to worship
God.
A second strength of the Liturgical Church which can be adopted by other worship styles
is the expression of worship in service to others. Many churches have done this to some degree
with special collections of food and/or gifts for the poor at Thanksgiving or Christmas. More
significant ministries to address social needs in the community can also be developed by
churches willing to invest the time and effort required.
Churches interested in making a significant impact on their community usually begin by
investigating the unique needs of their community. Many city planning departments compile
information on various neighborhoods within the city. This demographic information is usually
available to business and community groups upon request. Other churches conduct community
surveys to identify the felt needs of the community in which the church is located. As a result of
this approach, many churches have become involved in providing a Day Care ministry or after
school care within their church facilities. While these ministries involve a major financial
investment, other ministries may be developed with little or no cost to the church. Many
churches have used their facilities for a coffee-house/drop-in center or to conduct a midnight
basketball league in an effort to help youth avoid involvement in drugs or crime. Others have
developed special summer ministries such as Vacation Bible School or camps to assist parents in