Part 3: The pro's and con's of the "seeker" style service ~ Erin Dunn

Seeker styles are geared toward simplifying the gospel message and welcoming the non-believer, so that people from non-Christian backgrounds can feel more at ease attending a church service. This type of approach, to win the lost, is exactly what the church is called to do. Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” Furthermore, in Matthew 18:11, Jesus said: “I have come to seek and to save, that which was lost.” Clearly, the church is called to seek the lost out and to preach the gospel to them, so that they may know and serve Jesus Christ.

Willow Creek Community Church, in the mid-70s, was the first church to break from tradition and explore what seeker services might look like. The seeker service style approach was born out of the desire to fish for men, to see the lost found.

According to Spectrums of Worship, aspects of the Willow Creek seeker service included, “From the very beginning we decided to devote our weekend services to evangelism and outreach. We wrote dramas, created multi-image slide shows, and gathered in the wee hours of the morning each Sunday to set up some basic sound and lighting equipment in the local movie theater.”

How then is the “seeker” service better in its approach than the traditional style?

The seeker service is designed to be more evangelistic in nature, rather than assuming the people in the congregation understand the concepts of the gospel. This approach is excellent and requires that the gospel is shared in simple terms each week in the church. 

It is absolutely essential that the church remains focused on simplifying the gospel, so that anyone who attends a service can understand. Therefore, the move from a theological hymn based worship service, complete with expository preaching to a service with more dramas, gospel videos, and story-like sermons, positively affected the way in which outsiders were able to hear the gospel.

How has the “seeker” service had a negative effect on the church?

The long-term negative effect that occurs when the church is too seeker friendly on Sunday mornings, is the lack of discipleship and teaching that believers need in order to really grow up in the knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Unless there are opportunities for spiritual depth in the body, the church will suffer lack of community and spiritual nourishment. 

Willow Creek Community Church said: “If weekends were for outreach, however, then we quickly realized that we would need an additional time designed to grow and deepen our believers’ relationship with God.”

In short, seeker services can have negative and positive effects. The goal of a seeker service is certainly godly in nature and worthy of a church's time and effort. However, unless balanced with programs designed specifically for the believers to receive deeper nourishment, it has the potential to weaken the body of Christ.

Part 2: The pro's and con's of the "seeker" style service ~ Daniel Thornton

First I want to be clear of what I am calling a seeker style of worship. I take this definition from the Shawnee Park Christian Reformed Church’s description of a seeker service,

The seeker service is committed first and foremost to calling people to Jesus Christ, not so much by means of persuasion as through allowing them to hear, see, think, and decide about their relationship to Christ. Every aspect of the service is directed toward that goal. 

A seeker style of worship is being acutely intentional about every aspect of a worship service, and making sure that those seeking God would feel comfortable. This includes the design of a building, the music played upon entering, the music played during the service, the clothes people are wearing, how greeting is done, etc. Every aspect of the design and implantation of a service is done to make those seeking feel comfortable, rather than making them feel out of place and uncomfortable. The biggest pro for a seeker style of worship is that it can bring people to faith in God. As a result of the efforts that are made, those seeking can find God. It is an evangelism tool in which people are brought to an ultimate encounter with God. Maybe for the first time or maybe several times and finally it sinks in for the seeker. 

This pro can quickly be taken into a con of the seeker service. Everything is done to make certain people feel comfortable, that the services becomes about making people feel comfortable and less about taking people into an encounter with God. The worship service is about God and for God, not about people and for people. I think the seeker service can easily become all about the people and about God second. 

Another pro is that through the seeker service people begin to think intentionally. They start thinking about their service through the lens of an unbeliever or a guest. When this happens, you can make changes that will make those people feel more welcome. We can make changes or explain things in a way that someone seeking will appreciate. When people begin to think intentionally about how they can better reach the lost, I think this is always a plus. 

A con of the seeker style of worship is that it can easily neglect those in your congregation that are looking for solid food. While some churches are not making this the main worship service, some are. If it is the only worship service that the church has, your members may be lacking spiritual depth. 

With all of these things, a healthy balance must be found. I am not going to say which style a church should have. All decisions must look at the pros and the cons and determine how a style can be incorporate so that the pros are utilized and the cons minimized.

Part 1: The pro's and con's of the "seeker" style service ~ B.J. Price

Through the years since Saddleback Community Church (1980) and Willowcreek Community Church (1975) came on the scene, there has been a lot of discussion regarding whether or not the church is “seeker sensitive,” and to what degree. Many good things have developed from the seeker sensitive idea. However, there are still very good reasons Christians need to consider the topic and its implications for local church ministry today.

What does it mean to be a “seeker sensitive” church?

A seeker sensitive church intentionally tries to address the felt needs of attenders. This approach to doing church came about through the church growth movement whereby various strategies where adopted by churches in order to facilitate numerical growth.

Churches, especially Baptist churches, are quite unique in their style of ministry. As with many other aspects of church life, it is difficult if not impossible to generalize the seeker sensitive approach of ministry simply because churches come in so many different shapes and sizes. Biblically defined, the  church is the people not a building or organization. It is simply the fellowship of Christ followers.

So, what’s the big deal about a seeker sensitive worship model? 

In short, the seeker sensitive model of worship has changed the way churches conduct regular worship services. Some for the better, and some for the worse.

The Pros

• A seeker sensitive church is in touch with the lost community.

Churches do well to speak to people where they are. It is important to establish credibility with the community by first recognizing where they are and what practical issues they are dealing with. Churches go a long way to reaching their community by first creating a platform through which they can personally identify with the lost.

• A seeker sensitive church is aware of the blind spots in their traditions and make intentional efforts to address them.

Every church has traditions and every church has a reputation. A seeker sensitive church recognizes that their traditions have established their reputation. They are able to address their blind spots and reach their community by creating a church culture that is welcoming and inviting to the spiritual seeker.

• A seeker sensitive church assumes nothing about a person's spiritual background.

By starting with a blank slate, a seeker sensitive church communicates more clearly than a traditional church in how the gospel addresses every day life. Seeker sensitive churches communicate their message more clearly than traditional churches simply because they do not assume that their attenders have ever darkened the doors of the church. For example, the formal welcome given during the service in a seeker sensitive service is typically much more explanatory and inviting to the casual attender then the "welcome" in a traditional church service. Churches that don't have visitors and guests regularly can get out of the habit of explaining how and why we do certain things in our liturgies and worship practices. The church growth movement ushered in these type changes out of necessity simply because so many new visitors were attending services with little or no frame of reference to church life.

The Con's

• A seeker sensitive church can turn worship into a performance. 

True worship involves the heart, the body, the emotions, and the mind. However, true worship does not involve performing for entertainment. In an effort to become more culturally relevant, seeker sensitive churches have incorporated many aspects of contemporary entertainment. As churches use modern music and technology the atmosphere and sound of worship can easily become more performance driven. The seeker sensitive church must make an intentional effort to keep the main thing the main thing in worship. Jesus must be at the center of it all!

• A seeker sensitive church can water down the gospel. 

In an effort to make the gospel accessible and understandable to the average attender, the seeker sensitive church can inadvertently water down the message too much. Seeker sensitive models cross a critical line when they fail to preach the true gospel which encompasses a seriousness over sin. Seeker sensitive models must never compromise the essence of the true cost of following Jesus as a faithful disciple. It is far too often the case that seeker sensitive churches end up playing games with church—where everyone is happy, chipper, and smiling. If seeker sensitive churches are not careful they will begin faking the whole experience and lose sight of the heart of worship. If we say we believe the Bible we must preach the whole Word of God with seriousness, reverence, and conviction. Encountering God is not to be taken lightly!

• A seeker sensitive church can easily lose people in the crowds. 

It is unfortunate that in many seeker sensitive churches vast numbers of people get lost in the crowds. Churches that adopt such models can easily begin to lower the level of commitment. Sadly, many people settle to merely attend worship without ever committing to the fellowship of believers. Over time the seeker sensitive model can create a community that fails to take church membership seriously.

"It's all about me! Isn't it?"

• Perhaps the most serious objection to the seeker sensitive church is the reality that people can begin to think that church is all about them, their personal preferences, their needs. 

Church is not about us! The Body of Christ is about Christ being exalted in our lives as individuals and corporately as a community. There is no question about it biblically—the church is established by God for the glory of God!

The way we "do" church says a lot about what we believe. Christians must be vigilant and aware of the temptation to make things about us. Our flesh (our sinful nature) and our enemy (the Devil) are always looking for an opportunity to turn the tables and make a situation more about us and less about God. In and of itself the seeker sensitive model does little to combat this way of thinking. Churches who adopt such a model must be intentional to prioritize the supremacy of God in the regular gathering of believers.

There are other positives and negatives to the seeker sensitive model. What would you add? Join the conversation today.

Part 3: Contemporary worship at its best (and worst) ~ Daniel Thornton

At its best, contemporary worship leads people to have an authentic encounter with God. It is high energy, hands up in the air, people pouring their hearts out to God. It is songs that people are familiar with, and can relate to. It is language that they understand.

Contemporary worship at its best is also good music. Now understand me, I recognize that the music being good in no way is a prerequisite for authentic worship. We are told to make a joyful noise, not a skillful noise. However, think with me to a time where you heard bad music. Now I am in no way a skillful musician, in fact I would not even call myself a musician. Still, I do know when I hear good music or bad music. When I hear bad music all concentration is diverted to thinking about how bad the music sounds. I am also not saying that there cannot be bad contemporary music, however, when it is good, the music has a way of making the outside world disappear. I can close my eyes and almost see Jesus standing before me. Good music allows me to concentrate on the encounter that I am having with God. 

Contemporary music at its best is also organized. The songs are an intentional progression of worship that leads you straight to the feet of Jesus. I have witnessed some of my friends who lead contemporary worship plan their service. With the modern technology, they are able to loop their music when they feel God moving, and they are able to instruct the rest of the musicians as to what direction to go, and all of this happens without skipping a beat. In fact, the audience would never know, which allows them to stay in their encounter with God uninterrupted.

Yet contemporary has its moments that are not so good. While I thoroughly enjoy contemporary worship, it does have some moments where it is at its worst. It is because of these worst moments that I believe people hesitate from going to a more contemporary style. They believe that the moments when contemporary music is at its worst, is what contemporary worship is all the time. 

At its worst, contemporary worship is just another concert that one pays to go see. The music is loud and rocking, hands are held in the air, someone to the left even has a lighter app up on their phone. The worship leader introduces the guitar player for his rocking solo, and attention is on the player instead of encountering God. The LED lights are flashing and moving, and are constantly blinding the audience. Side note, I love LED lights, but they are meant to help set a mood or backdrop, some of the ways they are being used today subtract from the mood. 

At its worst, contemporary worship is hardly worship at all. It is no longer about the authentic encounter with God and it has become about the music, or the lights or anything else. But we must remember that the moments it is at its worst does not have to define what contemporary worship is all about. We should however be careful to not let it become what it can become.

Part 2: Contemporary worship at its best (and worst) ~ B.J. Price

Christian worship practices have evolved over the last two millennia extensively. Today Christians worship in many different styles across the globe. Many churches (especially in the West) generally define their style of worship as either a traditional, blended, or contemporary style. These titles are somewhat helpful but often leave much to be desired in terms of clarity. This post is simply to help define what contemporary worship is and what are the best and worst aspects of it.

Defining contemporary worship is like trying to hit a moving target. At its most elementary definition, contemporary refers to that which is current, relevant, or in style. Worship refers to giving honor or worth to and object, person or being. For the sake of having a working definition, contemporary Christian worship is offering praise to God in Biblically appropriate and culturally relevant ways.

At Its Best

• Contemporary worship at its best enables worshipers to experience God in authentic and fresh ways.

Worship is a personal and corporate experience that affects the hearts and the minds of the worshipers. Contemporary worship taps into man's desire for novelty—that searching for newness—in order to experience more of God. In every expression of worship, Contemporary worship calls for  a fresh perspective. A new angle. Scripture reading in the contemporary worship context may take on a modern translation or a memorized and quoted passage over a contemporary music bed.

• Contemporary worship at its best calls all living generations to experience God in the here and now. 

God is alive and at work in every generation, and contemporary worship comes from a desire to praise and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, with new and fresh songs and artistic offerings that are relevant to the current culture. In order to fulfill the great commission he church must engage in reaching the culture. At its best, contemporary worship opens the door to cultural engagement as it utilizes (redeems) many current art forms and expressions.

• Contemporary worship leaders lead their teams to sing songs that are biblically sound and culturally relevant. 

Worship is far more than singing yet singing is often the first thing we think of when considering the subject of worship. And rightly so, singing praise to God is a Biblical imperative. It is the right response of the creature to his Creator. But what should our songs say and how should we sing them? First of all, every person has a unique voice. Therefore, every worship gathering should be a bit unique. The sound of the singing should reflect the people in the gathering. At its best, contemporary worship utilizes the people in the gathering to lead the singing. The key should fit the voices you have in the congregation as much as possible. (This can be a challenge for some since modern worship music is often written for mutant tenors! But, with a little effort and skill most musicians can find a good key for the core of the congregation.)

At Its Worst

Unfortunately, Contemporary Christian worship is not always expressed in its best possible light. In fact, because of many negative personal experiences and heated debates, contemporary worship may have a bad reputation in some Christian circles (and, for good reasons).

• At its worst, contemporary worship draws attention away from God and more on the music or those leading worship.

It is a sad reality, but, in many contemporary worship services the music or the performance of the music is the focus of the service. Many elements contribute to this perception such as enhanced stage lighting, cameras, solos, etc. In these types of environments, worship leaders must go out of their way to intentionally explain, teach, and remind the congregation who it it they are worshiping, King Jesus!

• At its worst, contemporary worship falls into the ditch of emotionalism.

We are emotional creatures. God made us with great capacity for a broad range of emotions and our emotions are highly volatile. Music affects our emotions on a subconscious level. Since we know that music can play a large part in our overall emotional state, it is not hard to see the danger of placing too much emphasis on the music. There is a point in which worship leaders must we careful to follow the Spirit and Word in worship so as to avoid crossing the line and just working everyone up into an emotional frenzy.

• At its worst, contemporary worship isolates older generations and hinders robust corporate multigenerational singing.

Contemporary worship is always changing. New music is being uploaded and downloaded every day around the world. Contemporary worship is thriving in the day of social media and global technology. However, worship leaders would do well to recognize the unnecessary gap that persists between those on the cutting edge of modern worship music and everyone else. Many leaders fail to recognize that when they turned the band up and introduced all the new music the congregation all but stopped singing! Sure, they stand and mouth most of the words. But, sadly, many are not singing at all. Worship leaders need to make an intentional effort to educate their congregations on the new music and strategically teach the songs one at a time. 

Part 1: Contemporary worship at its best (and worst) ~ Erin Dunn

First of all, what is contemporary worship?

According to Spectrums of Worship, “Contemporary worship endeavors to use modern instrumentation, contemporary musical styles, and freshly written or arranged songs, in the language of this generation to lead people into authentic expressions of worship and a genuine experience of the presence of God” (p.61).

Contemporary worship is the desire to use modern resources coupled with new heartfelt expressions of love for God. 

The worshipper must write songs that are scripturally based, full of truth. In Psalms, David was honest about his feelings, whether they were up or down. Therefore, using the Psalms as a biblical reference, we should not be afraid to express our gratitude towards God and the brokenness of our hearts, our need for God. God wants us to encounter Him wherever we are in our understanding of who He is.

Paul Baloche and Bob Kauflin are wonderful examples of leading the church in right worship through the contemporary style. Paul and Bob both, always write songs that point church members to remember the cross, to focus on the gospel as they sing unto the Lord. The songs that they write are full of praise and truth. Another great example of a contemporary worship leader is Matt Redman. Redman continually writes new songs that are full of the gospels truths.

Contemporary worship can be very detrimental if worship leaders stray from keeping the gospel the central theme in the service. 

About 7 years ago, I visited a church with a good friend. Their opening song was “You Are My Sunshine.” They continued to sing three more songs that gave the congregation a sense of “happiness”, but did not lift up the name of Jesus at all. The preacher’s sermon was very watered down, not convicting or leading to a call of repentance and obedience. The goal of this contemporary service was clearly not to lift up the name of Jesus, but to make people feel good in hopes they would return. I also sensed that the leadership wanted people to feel unified and friendly towards one another. There was a sense of community and love between one another, but it was not rooted and grounded in the person of Jesus Christ. I do not know what has become of that church, but I know that if anything challenging has blown their way over the last 7 years, their weak foundation was not able to withhold the strong winds.

If contemporary worship will keep the gospel the center of their entire worship service, than the church will be built up, rooted, and grounded in the love of Christ.

Part 3: What is the goal of worship, and does the contemporary style accomplish that goal? ~ B.J. Price

Few issues have caused greater debate and discord in the modern church as worship practices. But, the debate is not new at all. In fact, the Bible records the that the first sibling rivalry (and subsequent murder) was over acceptable worship practices. It is an important subject which all Christians should consider carefully and prayerfully.

The Goal of Worship

What is the goal of worship? How does the Bible define it? How should Christians engage in worship together? These are a few questions we must consider before examining styles.

The goal of worship is multifaceted, but at the pinnacle is the magnifying of the glory of God as displayed in Jesus Christ. Many people engage in worship for other purposes but the goal should be first and foremost to make much of Jesus! Well, if that’s the goal, what should be said about the styles and expressions of worship we use in our gatherings?

Defining A Few Styles of Worship

Before considering whether or not the contemporary style of worship accomplishes the goal of true worship one must consider carefully how they define a few different styles of worship.

The Traditional Style:

For the sake of definition in this post, think of traditional style worship as worship services where Christians gather and sing and express their worship the way they did about 50-100 years ago. The primary sources of their singing and modes of expression are clearly dated. Most of the songs are printed in hymnbooks. The services are more formal and patterned. There is very little emphasis places on modernizing the aesthetics of the room or the flow of the elements in the service.

The Contemporary Style:

Again, for the sake of definition, think of contemporary style worship as worship where much thought and effort has been placed on keeping the worship environment updated to contemporary culture. The flow is intentionally seamless from start to finish. The instrumentation of the service is more modern. The leadership dresses in a more culturally casual way. And, overall there is a greater use of technology.

The Blended Style:

For the sake of definition think of the blended style worship as a worship service which utilizes elements of both traditional and contemporary worship services. Some blended services look more contemporary but sound traditional, while others look more traditional but sound more contemporary. In reality, churches who embrace a blended worship style are the most difficult to define.

Does the Contemporary Style Accomplish the Goal of Worship?

Let me answer the question this way: a contemporary style of worship may or may not accomplish the goal of true worship. The subject is simply too complex to generalize. So, let me be more specific.

• A contemporary worship style accomplishes the goal of worship when it allows a worshiper to express themselves authentically before the Living God. 

Take singing for example. If a person sings a traditional hymn but fails to understand what they are singing because of the archaic language they are not accomplishing the goal of worship. Singing a contemporary version of the hymn could enable the person to worship simply by creating the clarity.

• A contemporary worship style accomplishes the goal of worship when it allows people to use their God-given talents to lead others in worship. 

Traditional worship often uses a very limited number of instruments and leaders. A more contemporary style opens the door for an additional instrumentalist and vocalists. This is a Biblical model and brings glory to God by encouraging the Body to use their gifts when they gather for worship.

• A contemporary worship style accomplishes the goal of worship when it embraces new songs of praise.

The Bible says to sing new songs to the Lord. “Oh sing to the Lord a new song sing to the Lord all the earth!” (Psalm 96:1) In traditional worship services almost all the music used is in a published hymnal. Contemporary style services utilize technology which enables them to project song lyrics thus opening the door for using new songs on any given week.

Part 2: What is the goal of worship, and does the contemporary style accomplish that goal? ~ Erin Dunn

Before we can answer the question, “What is the Goal of Worship?” we need to know the correct definition of the word “worship”. According to Holy Gatherings worship is meeting or encountering God (p. 29). However, unless our encounter turns into action it useless.

The book of James makes it clear that faith without works is dead (James 3). It is not enough to encounter God, we must have faith and carry out the actions God requires. For example, in Luke 1, Zechariah the priest encountered an angel of God in the temple. The angel told him he would have a son and that he should name him John. Zechariah laughed in disbelief. Consequently, the angel took away his ability to speak until after the boy was born.

Clearly Zechariah had an encounter with the Lord, but it was not coupled with a faith response, a faith obedience. Nevertheless, after the baby’s birth, while Zechariah was in the process of writing the name John down for all to see, he miraculously received his voice back. 

The moment Zechariah’s faith and action met, is when his voice was returned to him. Each time we meet with God, God is leading us to do something and we are called to respond with obedience.

Obedience is the true act of worship, the encounter is not the end. 

1 Samuel 15:22 says; “But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” Therefore, the goal of worship is meeting with God and obeying His voice.

Does contemporary worship lead Christians to hear the voice of God? Do our contemporary worship services clearly lead people to respond to the voice of God in faithful obedience?

According to Spectrums of Worship, “Contemporary worship endeavors to use modern instrumentation, contemporary musical styles, and freshly written or arranged songs, in the language of this generation to lead people into authentic expressions of worship and a genuine experience of the presence of God” (p.61).

Even in the Spectrums of Worship definition above, the obedience factor in worship is left out. Obedience should flow from an encounter with God. Worship through song can truly lead to an encounter and a need for response. As long as Contemporary Worship through song is done in Spirit (prayer) and Truth (God’s Word), and the worshipper allows God’s Spirit to stir their hearts to obedience, Contemporary Worship will accomplish the goal of worship.

Part 1: What is the goal of worship, and does the contemporary style of worship accomplish that goal? ~ Daniel Thornton

In the book Holy Gatherings we are given what worship involves. Worship involves surrender, a relationship, an encounter, reverence, perspective, regard, and confidence. Understanding what worship involves helps create a better picture of what worship is. At times worship is an event and at times it is a lifestyle. In Holy Gatherings, the authors understand that worship has a common theme: worship is about an encounter with God. Therein lies the goal of worship - to make an encounter with God possible for all who are in attendance. We must be careful in our worship to not allow it to become a ritual. If we are not encountering God with a sincere heart, then we are wasting our time.

Hosea 6:6 says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.” Psalm 40:6 says, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened—burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.” If we are not careful our worship can become like a burnt offering or sin offering that God does not desire or require. Isaiah 29:13 says it this way, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” The goal of worship has to be to creative an encounter with God where the people are drawn near to God with their hearts and mouths.

When we look at any style of worship whether it be contemporary, traditional or blended, I believe that the goal of each of these is to provide a sincere encounter with God. I believe with all of my heart that any of these three styles of worship is capable of doing just that. Traditional worship can provide a meaningful and sincere encounter with God. So, YES contemporary style of worship can accomplish the goal of worship. Joe Horness says this about contemporary worship in the book Exploring the Worship Spectrum,

Contemporary worship endeavors to use modern instrumentation (e.g., guitars, drums, synthesizers, percussion, horns), contemporary musical styles (e.g., rock, jazz, hip hop, rap, gospel), and freshly written or arranged songs (both new choruses and fresh treatments of traditional hymns), in the language of this generation to lead people into authentic expressions of worship and a genuine experience of the presence of God.

For some congregations the use of contemporary worship allows them to have an authentic encounter with God. I think it is important to understand that contemporary worship is not the only way to provide an authentic encounter with God. While we understand that worship is not about appealing to the wants of the people, we also understand that it is about directing people to have an authentic encounter with God. Thus, contemporary worship can be a tool that your church uses to do just that.