The subject of "authentic worship" seems a hot topic these days. A person has to merely raise the subject to start an argument. On one hand, its good to see that worship elicits such deep passion. It should stay a subject dear to our hearts.

On the other hand, why do so many protest so fervently against new forms of worship? The last time I wrote an article on worship was in the August 1996 Net Results, titled "21st Century Worship" So a follow-up article may be in order.

I see four clearly defined types of worship today: Spiritless Traditional, Spirited Traditional, Praise (mostly for Boomers), and Postmodern.

Spiritless Traditional
Without doubt, the most prevalent type of worship throughout the U.S. is what I call "spiritless traditional.” I would guess this form describes worship in about 80 percent of U.S. churches. Spiritless traditional has two subforms: "European" and "down home." European comes straight out of the denominational hymnal with strong emphasis on elements of worship brought over from the old country. Down home is simply a dressed-down, more informal version of European.

Both types of spiritless traditional worship are slow, linear, and predictable. People can go to sleep during services (and often do) and, upon waking, know exactly what will happen next in the service order. To an outsider these services feel lifeless, dull, and boring. People seem to be going through the motions of performing a duty. The expression on their faces resembles a "sea of prunes" to the preacher. The service seldom if ever lasts more than an hour.

This service is filled with "dead spots" -- long, life-sucking periods of unplanned time (not planned meditation) between segments. It is not unusual in this service for people to hope that Aunt Jane, the 80-year-old organist, does not die while playing the organ. The music is so slow that outsiders feel the need to spur her on to playing the next note.

A close examination of the participants reveals that the few young parents present fail to worship because of their need to keep their bored children occupied and quiet so that they don't disturb the elderly couples in front of them. No wonder 80 percent of our churches are in trouble. No wonder over 50 percent of the people who grew up in the spiritless traditional have left the church of their childhood.

The most predominant demographic of spiritless traditional worship? The average person has gray hair, loves Lawrence Welk, and expects the pastor to take care of him or her.

Spirited Traditional
The next type of worship is "spirited traditional." Although many vibrant churches use this form, it communicates the gospel to a dwindling number of people. Fewer than 10 percent of the growing churches in the U.S. employ this type of worship. The presence of "LIFE" -- both in the pulpit and the pew -- distinguishes spiritual traditional from the first form. The sermon has depth and passion, and the people appear to be doing much more than going through the motions.

Even though ritual from the past characterizes this service, it moves forward with precision. Music fills the service. The choir is more than a bunch of people giving a performance. Worship literally takes place. People experience the touch of God; lives are transformed. The sermon is relevant and biblically sound. Corporate and individual growth occurs. However, engaging the children in a culture whose day has long past proves the most difficult task of this form of worship.

Many spirited traditional churches have begun to experiment with visuals. The fast-growing mainline congregation Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, offers a good example. In the midst of a very traditional service one finds several hundred thousands dollars of multimedia equipment. Another excellent example is Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City. Even though spirited traditional elements abound, the worship center is laid out much like a football field -- with an atmosphere very similar to that of a football game.

The most predominant demographic of spirited traditional worship: It is filled with people of all ages who enjoy a variety of music and are likely to be involved in mission.

Praise
By far the most prevalent form of worship in growing U.S. churches is "praise worship." I estimate that almost 90 percent of the growing churches in the U.S. use this form of worship. Traditional churches find that when they add a praise worship service on Sunday and give it the same time, energy, and resources as they give the "real" service, it almost always grows to the largest service in two to four years.

Praise worship never comes right out of the hymnal. Dead spots never occur. A solid sermon, woven into the fabric of the service, usually lasts 20 to 45 minutes. Often praise worship includes drama, themes, an informal atmosphere, and limited forms of recognizable liturgy from the past.

We can clearly see three forms of praise worship -- shallow, deep, and bridge. Some churches do pander to the public and water down the message in the hope of attracting people, but so do some traditional churches. Most praise worship services I've seen included a solid message. So I'm getting tired of those critics who conclude that all nontraditional forms of worship are shallow. What they're saying resembles the warnings 75 years ago not to use the telephone because of its technology. It's time we blew off the purists and concentrated on using any media that authentically bring people into the presence of God.

Cultural relevance, biblical soundness, and several predictable elements characterize deep praise worship. By far the most notable element of praise worship is the music itself. Many praise services include nothing more than a period of music that is considered to be worship, followed by a sermon that is considered to be teaching. Music written after 1990 constitutes at least one-third of the service. The worship leader (seldom the pastor) ensures a continuous flow of music or prayer between the pieces of music.

We find bridge praise worship in those churches trying to bridge the gap between pure praise and postmodern worship. These churches exhibit two characteristics: they make an intense attempt to reach pagans and their worship features a healthy dose of multimedia.

Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, is one of the churches attempting to make this bridge. It invests heavily in video and drama in its worship. Several full-time staff spend most of the week designing, drawing, shooting, and editing video and graphics for the weekend worship.

Other churches, like North Coast Church in Vista, California, try to bridge the gap with “Video Café” worship. Video Café worship offers a warm, intimate environment in which people can get connected around a cup of Starbucks coffee and worship.

The most predominant demographic of praise worship: It is filled with people varying in age but mostly those born between 1946-1964, who love music written after the ‘50s, and who draw as much from their emotions as their intellect.

Postmodern
The most difficult form of worship to describe is postmodern. Postmodern services have three things in common: They attempt to reach pagans (people not reared under the influence of Christianity), no two services are alike, and the message is extremely clear and noncompromising.

For the first time in U.S. history, a large segment of the population is growing up without being influenced by Christianity in any way. They're a blank slate. Postmodern churches are extra sensitive to this "blankness" without being what some call “seeker driven or sensitive." Like the Apostle Paul, they try to be all things to all people so that they might win some of them. They provide a safe environment (referring to style of worship and the words chosen as vehicles) for presenting a very dangerous message.

Most young people today grow up in a pagan atmosphere driven by entertainment and spectacle. Gone are the days when the local revival or church youth group offered the best show in town. Because of the rapid advancement of easily available technology, the everyday and mundane no longer grab anyone's attention, much less communicate a message of transformation. Postmodern churches use every available form of technology they can afford. It is not uncommon to see some of the newest forms of technology featured with ancient or traditional liturgy.

Three things compose the heart of postmodern worship: authenticity, intimacy, and community. Postmoderns want to meet God, not learn about God. Authentic worship is that which brings them into the immediate presence of God. Postmoderns long for intimacy with God. They relish the mystery that always wraps its arms around authentic worship. They want ecstatic joy instead of duty or contentment. Their craving for community provides them a sixth sense for bigotry.

Many postmodern churches are worth checking out; I'll mention only two. Mars Hill Fellowship in Seattle, Washington, at the forefront of this kind of worship, is considered by many to be a laboratory for experimenting with postmodern worship. The majority of worshipers are what the pastor calls "pre-modern, Reformed mystics" in their twenties. The music runs from rock to reggae, the auditorium is dim, candles are burning, liturgy is abundant, and meditation is included. The sermon, theologically weighty and narrative in style, consistently runs an hour in length.

Calvary Church Newport/Mesa in Costa Mesa, California, is one of the few churches where almost all of the congregants are pure converts (with no previous church background). The mission of the church is “To help people who are saying ‘No’ to God say ‘Yes’ to God in every stage and facet of their lives.”

The most predominant demographic of postmodern worship: It is filled with pagans born after 1965, who grew up in divorced homes and day care or the streets, love both the ancient and the future, and have little regard for the present.

Before We Go . . .
No matter what type of worship a church uses, one thing is important: People must experience the transforming presence of God. Anything less isn't worship, no matter what the style.

So here's my motto: If "Drop Kick Me Jesus Through the Goal Posts of Life" can usher a person into the transforming presence of God, never to be the same again, then I say sing it even if it is poor theology. We can straighten the theology out later, but we can't change a person's relationship with God.

Bill Easum is president and senior managing partner of Easum, Bandy & Associates. EBA prepares congregations and faith-based organizations for mission in the 21st century by training innovative leaders with a passion to grow disciples of Christ, and provides resources, services, and networks to equip faithful and effective Christian ministries. For more information, call (361) 749-5364 or write to easum@easumbandy.com.

The article is reprinted with permission from Net Results, a monthly journal of “New Ideas in Church Vitality.” For more information or to subscribe, phone (806) 762-8094; fax 806/762-8873; email netresults@netresults.org.