Sally Morgenthaler Rethinking Worship Evangelism?
Brian
2 Comments
Most in the world of worship have heard about, or even read, Sally Morganthaler's popular book Worship Evangelism. It was extolled as the must-have book for understanding missional or emerging (re-imagined) worship experiences. I read it several years too late and while I enjoyed her diagnosis of both traditional and contemporary worship, I felt her prescription could come off as just a repackaged, cooler version of what 90's passe contemporary worship had already become for younger generations. Based upon an article I just read by Ms. Morganthaler it looks like she agrees. After spending time speaking at churches across the country, it became apparent to her that re-imagined worship had already become formulaic and wasn't making a dent into the culture because they can sniff out faux worship like hound dogs.
Though she states in the article that for mission to truly occur it has go outside the door of the sanctuary, and while I can say "amen" to that, I don't think we have to chuck out doxalogical evangelism all together. Perhaps Robert Webber was on to something with his ancient-future series of books. Maybe the language of worship transcends an ever-fluid culture and the key is not just changing for the sake of changing, but adopting a posture that allows for both a connection to the past and the present. Tradition does not have to equal traditionalism; ritual does not have to become ritualism.
Postmodernity is swimming in an abyss - never quite touching down, as if suspended in mid-air; and many long for a degree of rootedness; knowing that the service they perform on Sunday goes a little farther back than just the latest Dove awards show. Additionally, when you open up an older prayer book from any tradition you are struck by how much scripture and prayer used to saturate older services. Now I am a musician and I know this is going to sound sacreligious, but what if we took a song (or two) and replaced them with readings from the scripture and corporate prayer (and by corporate prayer I mean everyone prays together so it is participatory and communal)? Just a thought.
Check-out the full article here.
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Reader Comments (2)
I might add that my impression of Sally's evolution is not so much that the version of worship evangelism she described in the book doesnt' work, but that many people gobbled it up as another way to grow your church. Many people thought the book was about how to make your worship 'evangelize' or bring or more people - church growth talk.
Really, the book was about how deep, rich, theological, authentic worship by believers is what truly evangelizes. And that the church growth, seeker-sensitive thing reeked of inauthenticy and faux-worship, isolated from culture.
To me, her recent comments is more of a reframing of or rather, an extension of what she was saying in WE. As both the wider culture AND the Christian sub-culture has changed, so has she in finding a way to talk about worship that takes into account the day we live in, which is mission or cultural engagement outside of the corporate worship time may be our only hope to invite folks into our corporate worship time.
She is quick to say too that we must resist the tempation to use mission for this purpose alone. In fact, much like Dan Kimball, she say this missional engagement away from church should be the norm and the corporate worship time should be looked upon as just a 'gathering' not an event.
Her impetus seems to be that in the 80's & 90's, she saw people would still come to church to see the 'show.' They aren't coming in like that anymore.
So she says church as we did it in the 80's & 90's isn't going to work. Mission, primarily, is going to come before belonging which will come before becoming. And she is excited about this paradigm because then worship truly becomes 'liturgy' - the work of the people.
Thanks for the comments, Brad; although I'm not completely satisfied with viewing Sunday simply as "gathering". It is in fact THE reoccurring event in the life of the church as she weekly reminds herself in word and sacrament that our sins are forgiven. The caveat is that this is NOT the kind of event that our culture is looking for, and in fact, not the kind of event that even most Christians are looking for. If I want entertainment, I'll go to a rock show or the movies where the quality will be much better. But for worship? Give me the apostles doctrine, the prayers, the bread and wine, and the fellowship with God's people for encouragement (Acts 2:42). I think you're right - evangelism can occur in the Sunday service (and does) as people enter and see Christians pouring forth their hearts in prayer, song, and in listening to God speak to them. They are drawn to this and they don't need the faux entertainment. One of the things missing often in this conversation is the Holy Spirit. If we believe in a sovereign God who is going to draw sinners to himself, and the tool is the gospel as applied by the Holy Spirit, then we should be content to rely upon his work rather than our own as we come faithfully week after week.