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Scripture and Historical Interpretation on Congregational Participation
Of the necessary adjustments attributed to the Reformation, congregational participation is perhaps one of the most all-encompassing and lasting. In a Western society which discouraged participation in corporate worship, Reformers gave hope to believers by implementing the vernacular language, music accessible to the common person, and a biblical canon in the language of the people. Congregants were given the resources to participate in worship and did so with potency. Centuries of expansion, however, brought the church to where it is now regarding worship: a place of consumer-driven and self-centered worship practice. Perhaps subconscious and unintended, the elaboration of what the Reformers intended with congregational participation has caused a morphing in perspective. Shifting back to the original goal of congregational participation is not impossible but requires two primary proposals. This post will examine two primary differences between today’s worship practices and the Reformation’s concept of congregational participation. Furthermore, two essential proposals will be presented to inhibit the continuation of these two detrimental realities of modern Christian worship.
Today’s
Consumer Mentality
Observations
might easily lead to the conclusion that modern Protestant worship has taken
the appearance of consumerism, i.e. the average congregant seeks his or her
preference when it comes to worship of the living God. The Reformation’s impact
on worship participation would likely be considered positive by most
Christians. Perhaps, however, the exaggeration of the concept of participatory
worship has created a greater chasm between solidly biblical worship and the
consumerist mentality. Many local churches today offer what might described as
a concert rather than a corporate worship experience. Even the music utilized
in congregational worship now includes melodies that are more difficult to sing
than prior to the Reformation.[1] Such practices are
indicative of churches which offer entertainment to consumers rather than a
fellowship of believers who worship God.
While
congregational singing became the standard during the Reformation era (Mac,
2020, p. 15) because of Martin Luther’s (1483-1546 AD) drastic influence, it is
unlikely that Luther himself could foresee what would become of Protestant
worship in the centuries to follow. Luther championed accessibility for all
believers. For Luther, because God the Father is accessible to his people
through Christ the Son, Christian living and worship should be as well.
Lutherans worshiped and prayed corporately in the vernacular language, i.e.
German, heard sermons in the same, and sang hymns in their native tongues. Such
was vital to the Christian worship experience for Luther. In fact, Luther
succeeded in publishing a German Bible so that his parishioners could
understand and interpret the text on their own.
Nevertheless,
the centrality of congregational participation developed in the church over the
centuries to take the modern form of consumerism it holds today. Around the
globe, commercial practices by megachurches, e.g. Hillsong Church have impacted
nearly all facets of Western Christian life. Christian worship in most Western
churches today tends to emphasize a conversational and therapeutic approach to
worship (Gerardo, 2017, p. 377). The ending result has been, although perhaps
not purposely, detrimental to the church. Worship exists for the glory of God
alone; thus, the consumer mentality which pervades the modern church has
created a rift in doxological Christian worship.
“Luther's
liturgical reform was guided by the principle that if the Scriptures did not
expressly reject a particular practice, the church was free to keep it.
Consequently, Lutheran worship retained much of the ceremonial practice of
Catholic worship” (White, 2013); yet, congregational participation became
central to Reformed worship and persists today. The Reformers all shared
the common belief that Christian worship is participatory in nature. The goal
of participatory congregational worship, however, was not to form an industry
and offer consumers the best option that matches their own desires. Since
worship subsists to give glory to God, believers should have little to no
consideration of their own desires but rather of what God desires and how his
people worship him. The consumer mentality developed over the centuries perhaps
began with good intentions. What has evolved, nonetheless, is a culture of
professing Christians who seem to approach worship as an element of
self-gratification. Certainly, reform needed to occur in congregational
participation. One would be right, however, to question whether such a concept
has produced biblical worship or merely a manmade device aimed at pleasing
people.
Congregational participation in corporate worship was a drastic reality of the Reformation. Vastly disparate from the previous centuries, the Reformers’ view of an approachable God through Jesus Christ influenced the way they worshiped. Such philosophy exists today but perhaps with an even greater vigor. Not only do modern believers participate in worship, the abundance of offerings for worshipers has seemingly created a consumer mentality among professing Christians. While intended for good, congregational participation should still have in mind the glory of God through Jesus Christ rather than the appeasement of human desires.
Today’s
Self-Centered Mentality
Jesus says, “But the
hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship
him” (John 4:23).[2] Based
on Jesus’ words here, what are commonly referred to as seeker-sensitive
churches should conceivably reexamine their approach to worship, for (at least
in the context of worship), God is the one who seeks rather than people. An
astonishing realization regarding Christian worship, however, is that the act
involves the community of God’s people.[3] God’s
people are primarily a unified body rather than a combination of individuals. “Paul’s
‘organic’ conception of the Church is significant to understanding both its
covenantal and sacramental nature. What is most important to both
understandings, however, is the identification of the Church as the body of Christ.
The Church derives its identity from identification with Christ himself” (Peay,
2001, p. 93).
Christ died for his singular bride, which the plurality of all believers form.
Christian worship then is employed corporately and is designed to form the body
of Christ.
Maria
Cornou writes, “Worship is formative; it not only
expresses but forges the community’s belief. Worship practices are informed and
shaped by doctrine, and simultaneously they embody and express particular
theological beliefs and model ethical praxis” (Cornou, 2019, pp. 166-167). In
an embellished effort to rid themselves
of Catholic practice, Protestant churches in the centuries following the
Reformation moved beyond the practices of the Reformers by inflating individualism
to greater significance than community. “It is generally
recognized that the Enlightenment and the scientific revolution of the
seventeenth century constituted a watershed in the religious sensibilities of Christians
in the West” (Davis, 2008, p. 326). Humanist thought permeated Reformation-era
culture even in the church resulting in centuries of development around
individualism. What has perhaps been lost due to the Reformation’s impact is
horizontal worship, i.e. the corporate body worshipping God. Biblical worship and
indeed the Christian faith itself have always revolved around God’s covenant
with a people rather than mere individuals. While the Reformers, therefore, saw
the great need for congregational participation in Christian worship, the idea
has grown to a greater degree than perhaps intended.
Disagreement with the ritualistic
practices of Roman Catholic worship during prior to the Reformation infused Reformed
thought. The notion was that congregational participation would protrude
sincerity among believers in their worship practice. John Witvliet writes:
Historian Edward
Muir describes the Protestant Reformation as a movement from medieval Catholic
concern for ritual to Protestant concern for sincerity… John Martin describes
the emergence of Protestantism as both a reflection and cause of a radically new
Renaissance conception of selfhood – a “new emphasis on self as subject” – which
reflects a “characteristically modern concern: to state that someone is sincere
or not sincere, to see particular utterances and works of art and
literature as essential expressions of individual selves, above all, to desire
to connect speech with feeling” (Witvliet, 2011, p. 292).
What began with good intention, to
bring the church to a place of right and sincere worship, however, has become a
present-day display of humanism’s influence on Christianity. Stalwartly linked
to today’s consumer mentality, today’s self-centered mentality is also an overemphasis of
Christian individualism.
God’s covenant work is among a unified body rather than mere individuals, i.e. each individual Christian, although possessing unique gifts and a personal relationship with God, is part of a larger picture: namely the body of Christ and his redeeming work within her. Christ, the ultimate example of humility, took on the form of a human and gave his life for those whom he loves (Phil 2:1-11). The Reformation’s shift toward congregational participation in worship was surely necessary; yet, an exaggeration of something good is what developed over the course of the subsequent centuries. Protestant churches today still employ congregational participation but also seem to focus on individuals rather than the body of Christ in existence for the glory of God. The Reformation has assuredly impacted Christian worship and achieved many positive goals. Today’s mentality, nonetheless, seems immensely different from Reformed Protestant thought.
Beneficial
Modifications
To cease the exaggeration of congregational participation to the point of both consumer and self-centered mentality, two respectable proposals would assist: 1) cling to liturgical practices while simultaneously allowing for congregational participation and 2) approach worship as up-reach rather than out-reach.
Liturgy
Adherence to a
liturgy should not imply strict legalism and loyalty to the practice but rather
to the God for whom it is designed to declare. “At its best, liturgy enables a
worshipping community to proclaim and celebrate God’s reconciling love made
known in Christ and transforms that community to be the body of Christ in the
world” (Meyers, 2004, p. 106). Christian worship should be a vivid display of
the body of Christ rather than a hodgepodge of individuals who seek their own
indulgences.
The
Reformation brought several necessary changes to the church including
congregational participation in worship. Due largely to Scripture, the music,
and the prayers being employed in the vernacular language, believers were able
to faithfully worship God with their own personal understanding. The goal in
doing so, however, was likely not to elevate the individual over the body (of
Christ) but instead to give individuals a role within the body; liturgy aids in
that purpose. With liturgy employed, God’s people share common languages,
emphases, and understandings. Rather than preachers acting as celebrities to
whom his congregants listen, a liturgy ensures those who lead in worship remain
faithful to the themes and scriptures and the biblical text from which they are
derived. Rather than merely observing church leaders employ worship practices,
Luther and other Reformers rightly contended that the entire congregation
should participate. To correct the course toward self-centeredness and
consumerism, clarification on the corporate nature of the church through
liturgy could have been supported in a stronger manner. Where the Catholic
Church retained a strict and legalistic adherence to ritual, centuries of
congregational participation developed into today’s common individualistic
approach to worship. A tie to liturgy, however, would likely at least curtail
that development, forcing believers not only to understand the corporate nature
of the church but also to realize that worship does not exist for the
affections of humankind but for the glory of God.
Moreover,
the Reformation saw the centrality of Scripture in Christian worship. While not
a negative aspect, the centrality of Scripture has seemingly developed into
what could be considered a show of teachers in the pulpit, i.e. pastors and
gifted communicators have become idolized because of their teaching ability.
Such a perspective easily engrains in people that Scripture is the most
important part of the worship service when the reality is that all elements of
Christian worship, e.g. music, ordinances, etc. work together to form a whole
with no one element being more essential than another. Liturgy grants an
intentional method for churches to practice Christian worship in a way that
does not glorify any aspect of the worship service above the God it is designed
to honor.
There seems to be a middle area on the spectrum between strict legalism and the severing thereof to the point of enhanced individualism. The connection to liturgy would likely cause local churches to examine their practices and consider their trajectories. The Reformers certainly offered necessary changes to the church; yet, their developments over the centuries have seemingly given today’s church a tainted appearance. Reclaiming liturgy for the glory and worship of God in a corporate sense would surely enhance local churches’ worship practices and diminish the impact of individualism.
Up-Reach
A
second proposed modification would be to approach worship as up-reach rather
than out-reach. Today’s local churches tend to place emphasis on utilizing
worship to evangelize. Worship, however, exists for God and his people. In
fact, one who is not a Christian has no ability to worship God, for he or she
is not in the Spirit. Certainly, the church is given the task of preaching the
gospel to the world (Matt 28:19-20); yet, worship, i.e. glorifying God is the
primary task of the church. All other tasks stem from the overarching goal of
worship.
If
the church would prioritize worship and approach it as act solely devoted to
declaring the Lord, the temptation to craft consumer-driven worship practices
would likely be diminished or eliminated. The Reformation created a way for
God’s people to worship sincerely; centuries of development, however, caused a
self-centered and consumer-driven approach to worship. For God’s people to
realize worship that exists solely for his own glory, the act should be
approached not as a method of out-reach but only as an act which brings triune
God pleasure.
Such a proposal requires a shift in theological teaching from church leaders. The language used in speaking of worship should shift as well as the actions implemented in local church worship. If church leaders would begin to communicate in a way that references worship as up-reach rather than out-reach, congregants would begin to shift their own thoughts and perspectives. Consumer-driven and self-centered worship then would be severed, thus moving the church to the Reformers’ original desire for congregational participation: a body of believers gathered for God’s purposes irrespective of their own preferences.
The
Bittersweet Reality of the Reformation’s Impact on Congregational Participation
Few would argue against the benefits the Reformation had on congregational participation. God’s people were given an opportunity and a mode of worshiping the living God together. Martin Luther himself, however, appreciated liturgy and utilized it in his local church contexts. It is apparent then that his goal was not permanent riddance of liturgy but rather for the people of God to also participate (along with church leaders) in the liturgy. Centuries of congregational participation’s development provided the way for unintended consequences to manifest in today’s worship practices. Consumer-driven and self-centered worship practices have arisen in the church and are evident in many of today’s contexts. This paper has offered two primary proposals for curtailing the continuation of such detriments: liturgy and a focus on up-reach rather than out-reach. Of the vast good that the Reformation brought in the way of congregational participation, the bittersweet reality also includes the negative consequences, which surely exists in the church today. There exists no impossibility of shifting back to the purity of the Reformers’ desire; yet, the church as a whole and her leaders must be intentional about doing so.
References
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John Jefferson (2008). Real Presence, the Ontology of Worship, and the Renewal
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