PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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caring for children during the summer vacation. A church concerned about neglected seniors in its communities found a successful hot lunch program and church sponsored bus day trips were popular among the group they had targeted to reach. Jesus said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Jesus' example of ministry to others is a challenge to His disciples today to follow His example. Significant ministry is an expression of our worship of God and can be used to lead others to worship God as they experience God's love through God's people.
CHAPTER TEN THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Although the worship service does not begin for another twenty minutes, there are already a dozen cars crammed into the small church parking lot. It is unlikely more than one or two more cars will arrive before the service itself begins. Inside the small church building, fifty-seven people are already "in church" doing what they do every week about this time on a Sunday morning. They do not call it a sanctuary, but the church auditorium. Without stained-glass windows or liturgical atmosphere, it is a simple room with pews, pulpit and a choir loft. The people are not reverently praying, but "catching up" on what has been happening in the life of their friends. Children are having fun with their friends, yet behaving themselves in church while their parents exchange greetings with others. While much of the conversation takes place in the church foyer, it carries over into the auditorium. Finding a seat is not difficult. Families sit in the same pew week after week unless ill health or the annual family vacation prevents them from doing so. A few minutes before eleven, the pianist and organist begins playing. The auditorium becomes quieter as people prepare for worship. A few look over the order of service printed in their church bulletin and find the first hymn in their hymn book. Some are praying silently awaiting the beginning of the service. The worship service begins as the pastor makes his way to the pulpit and says, "Let's pray." Following a brief prayer from the pastor, a prominent layman in the church makes his way to the pulpit. "Turn in your hymn book to hymn number thirty-seven and let's stand to sing as we worship the Lord together," he announces. The people find the designated hymn as the organist begins playing the first verse. When the pianist joins on the last line, the lay songleader raises his arm and the congregation stands together. With minor variations, this same service is being conducted in over half the churches in America on any given Sunday morning. Different hymns will be chosen, but there are usually three or four in the course of the service. The last of these expresses some aspect of personal commitment to God and will be sung following the morning message by the pastor. Special music will take various forms. Sometimes the church choir will sing. On other occasions an adult member or group of members will sing. Occasionally, a group of children or young people will provide the special music. Following the special music, the pastor returns to his pulpit. He thanks the person who has just sung for their "ministry in song this morning" and then reads the Scripture passage designated for that day. As he concludes the biblical passage, he invites the church to join him in praying for the needs of the church. The five minute pastoral prayer which follows mentions
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PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS By E
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INTRODUCTION Since this is a book a
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True worship involves change and it
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under Martin Luther was a reformati
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these names represented a sect, an
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A similar variety of consumer optio
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SIX WORSHIP STYLES 1. The Evangelis
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The pastors told me they had not ch
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The Liturgical Church eagerly carri
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The average Christian knows about a
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So, let's learn what we need to kno
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young people from my church were co
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Dallas taught me to preach differen
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would not preach boring Pentecostal
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The third question I ask my student
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CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH TO DETERMINE
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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
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: strengths of this worship style int
Page 89 and 90: This view of the church and ministr
Page 91 and 92: THE STRENGTHS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
Page 93 and 94: He has given them to accomplish wha
Page 95 and 96: The critical group usually attacks
Page 97 and 98: Therefore, the question becomes one
Page 99 and 100: However, this does not mean that ex
Page 101 and 102: experience. Those attending The Bib
Page 103 and 104: What are some changes in worship me
Page 105 and 106: 3. Recognize the strengths of the c
Page 107 and 108: THE FUTURE OF WORSHIP 1. A thirst f
Page 109 and 110: This involves kneeling at the altar
Page 111 and 112: Churches will use more video filmed
Page 113 and 114: 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
Page 121 and 122: RENEWAL CHURCH A unique worship sty
Page 123 and 124: of the relationship between worship
Page 125 and 126: The Use of Proskuneo in the New Tes
Page 127 and 128: APPENDIX THREE CHRISTIAN LEADERS ON
Page 129 and 130: Worship is the exercise of the mind
Page 131 and 132: 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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