Watch your people carefully to see what worship forms they respond to.

• Many people stay away from church, not because they have rejected God but because they can't stand the meaningless forms, or do not want to insult God by inflicting on His ears the ugly noises that some Christians call sacred music.
• Some churches have hit a happy medium, a mixture.
• Others hold two very different services.
• Those that do not adapt tend to decline in attendance, as the average age of the members grows older and older. Most of the music, for example, that some older Christians find offensive, is quite consistent with music forms in Scripture.

Remind the older people that if they are the stronger believers, then they are to yield to the needs and scruples of the weaker (Romans 14).

• Too often it is the other way around, especially when it comes to music and other worship forms.

• Was it noisy?
• Did it include percussion instruments?

Find in Psalm 150 the style of music that God likes to hear.

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T&M Student Activity Guide page 16a

For different styles of worship, Leadership Handbooks of Practical Theology, edited by James Berkeley, Volume 1, section 10

For prayer in worship, see section 11.

Discern between the 1) inner substance or function of an activity, 2) the outward forms it can take and 3) the meaning it has for the people.

• Every human act can be analyzed for its form, function and meaning.
• The form is what the actual behavior: what people say and do.
• The function is what the action does for people, usually keeping them united, protecting them, or providing for them.
• The meaning is what people think and feel while doing or watching a form.
• The forms must be acceptable, their functions not disruptive, and their meanings honorable towards God.
• Try to understand every worship act from these three angles.

This page updated 02 01 03