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An Overview of Worship in the Evangelical Free Church

by Howard Stevenson | Jan 24, 2013 | Tags: , ,

 

Ehe Evangelical Free Church does not dictate worship style to its congregations. For this reason, each community may respond to various trends. Some have been influenced by the liturgical renewal, but most are shaped by an evangelical gospel tradition or by the more recent praise-and-worship tradition.
The Evangelical Free Churches of America has no board or commission or committee that dictates or coordinates worship practices. In fact, protest against a policy-making board or commission in such matters is rooted in the denomination’s tradition. The word free in the title means that the churches are free from edicts and statements from headquarters that are intended to be adhered to by each and every church. This polity is both a unique strength and a peculiar weakness.
Autonomy and Diversity. Each church is autonomous in establishing methods and style of worship, choosing a pastor, and initiating evangelism programs. Consequently, any attempt to define worship renewal in the entire denomination will remind the reader of a place where the tides or currents of several confluent streams come together: there will be a swirling and a backwashing in the eddies that almost defy description of the movement and direction of the stream itself.
One may visit a church, perhaps in the eastern part of the United States, where there is a rather purposeful adherence to liturgical matters in the observance of the church year, the Eucharist, creedal statements, and various traditional ceremonies of long standing. But another Evangelical Free church may have, in marked contrast, a spontaneous, free-flowing style of corporate worship.
Musical Innovations. Most of the churches in the denomination are responding to some of the new methods, new sounds, and new materials for worship leadership. A survey published in the denomination’s magazine, The Evangelical Beacon, in July of 1990 revealed that most of the responding churches are seeing increased use of rhythm instruments (drums, electric bass, guitars, synthesizers), as well as a growing use of choruses in equal proportion to hymns.
Furthermore, the two most popular hymnals in these churches are Hymns for the Family of God and the Hymnal for Worship and Celebration. This marks some movement away from traditional hymnal resources to more contemporary approaches to congregational music leadership. This would not be at all significant in some circles, but it is worthy of note for the Evangelical Free Church, with its Scandinavian and Midwestern roots.
Creative Planning. Innovation is also seen in the creative planning that is being given to corporate worship. The old picture of a pastor simply changing the page numbers of the hymns, responsive readings, and Scripture references is now being replaced by the conscious effort on the part of leadership to shape and mold the order of services in a variety of ways from week to week, so that there is flow, logic, sequence, and drama in the congregational experience.
Most of the ministers of music in the denomination realize the risk involved in such “tampering” with the order of service, but, as one music minister from Indiana put it, we “proceed with great caution and sensitivity to change, listening to what people say, making sure that our changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary.”
More and more of the churches appear to be developing greater consciousness of the mandate to be worshiping assemblies. More advance thought and self-examination is evident on the part of laity as well as clergy. Credence is given to the unifying themes and subjects of worship as church leadership is reading, discussing, attending conferences, and sharing experiences related to the challenge of worship.
Ways are being sought to encourage members of the congregation to be involved in worship, rather than be passive spectators. Some assemblies are allowing or encouraging the physical involvement of kneeling, raising hands, clapping, and standing. Others are incorporating elements of the liturgy in the use of creedal statements, doxologies, confessions, congregational readings of adoration, and symbols.
In a few instances there has been a conscious effort to build upon the church year with its consistent emphasis on the life of Christ and his ministry on earth. The Lord’s Table has not taken on the formal, dramatic nature of the weekly Eucharist of mainline liturgical churches, but it remains as a monthly observance with slight variations in preparation and observance in most places.
In summary, the worship styles and form of most of the Evangelical Free churches are probably still focused on the sermon as the hub of the worship service. But time, thought, leadership, and attention is more and more being assigned to the equality of the worship events of adoration, praise, prayer, thanksgiving, confession, and forgiveness.
Howard Stevenson7

The Evangelical Free Church does not dictate worship style to its congregations. For this reason, each community may respond to various trends. Some have been influenced by renewal movements, but most are shaped by an evangelical gospel tradition or by the more recent praise-and-worship tradition.

The Evangelical Free Churches of America has no board or commission or committee that dictates or coordinates worship practices. In fact, protest against a policy-making board or commission in such matters is rooted in the denomination’s tradition. The word free in the title means that the churches are free from edicts and statements from headquarters that are intended to be adhered to by each and every church. This polity is both a unique strength and a peculiar weakness.

Autonomy and Diversity. Each church is autonomous in establishing methods and style of worship, choosing a pastor, and initiating evangelism programs. Consequently, any attempt to define worship renewal in the entire denomination will remind the reader of a place where the tides or currents of several confluent streams come together: there will be a swirling and a backwashing in the eddies that almost defy description of the movement and direction of the stream itself.

One may visit a church, perhaps in the eastern part of the United States, where there is a rather purposeful adherence to observance of the church year, the Eucharist, creedal statements, and various traditional ceremonies of long standing. But another Evangelical Free church may have, in marked contrast, a spontaneous, free-flowing style of corporate worship.

Musical Innovations. Most of the churches in the denomination are responding to some of the new methods, new sounds, and new materials for worship leadership. A survey published in the denomination’s magazine, The Evangelical Beacon, in July of 1990 revealed that most of the responding churches are seeing increased use of rhythm instruments (drums, electric bass, guitars, synthesizers), as well as a growing use of choruses in equal proportion to hymns.

Furthermore, the two most popular hymnals in these churches are Hymns for the Family of God and the Hymnal for Worship and Celebration. This marks some movement away from traditional hymnal resources to more contemporary approaches to congregational music leadership. This would not be at all significant in some circles, but it is worthy of note for the Evangelical Free Church, with its Scandinavian and Midwestern roots.

Creative Planning. Innovation is also seen in the creative planning that is being given to corporate worship. The old picture of a pastor simply changing the page numbers of the hymns, responsive readings, and Scripture references is now being replaced by the conscious effort on the part of leadership to shape and mold the order of services in a variety of ways from week to week, so that there is flow, logic, sequence, and drama in the congregational experience.

Most of the ministers of music in the denomination realize the risk involved in such “tampering” with the order of service, but, as one music minister from Indiana put it, we “proceed with great caution and sensitivity to change, listening to what people say, making sure that our changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary.”

More and more of the churches appear to be developing greater consciousness of the mandate to be worshiping assemblies. More advance thought and self-examination is evident on the part of laity as well as clergy. Credence is given to the unifying themes and subjects of worship as church leadership is reading, discussing, attending conferences, and sharing experiences related to the challenge of worship.

Ways are being sought to encourage members of the congregation to be involved in worship, rather than be passive spectators. Some assemblies are allowing or encouraging the physical involvement of kneeling, raising hands, clapping, and standing. Others are incorporating elements of formal worship in the use of creedal statements, doxologies, confessions, congregational readings of adoration, and symbols.

In a few instances there has been a conscious effort to build upon the church year with its consistent emphasis on the life of Christ and his ministry on earth. The Lord’s Table has not taken on the formal, dramatic nature of the weekly Eucharist of mainline churches, but it remains as a monthly observance with slight variations in preparation and observance in most places.

In summary, the worship styles and form of most of the Evangelical Free churches are probably still focused on the sermon as the hub of the worship service. But time, thought, leadership, and attention is more and more being assigned to the equality of the worship events of adoration, praise, prayer, thanksgiving, confession, and forgiveness.