The second area of concern, with regard to vision, is in regard to what actually constitutes as corporate worship. Charismatic churches have a great propensity to move in what might be termed a fashion seeking way: from one worship style to another. Although this willingness to change is often seen as creativity it is all usually done within a very narrow set of parameters.
I had, on one occasion, been told by a church leader, ‘We have moved on from that particular worship stable to another.’ In my view this denies the creativity of God in suggesting that acceptable worship is little more than a fashionable style choice.
On another occasion we had someone in one of our churches objecting to a particular worship session because the leader used a candle as a symbol. They found it very difficult to worship because it did not fit with the Pentecostal tradition.
It seems to me that, in the infinite wisdom of God, corporate worship is so much broader than we have allowed ourselves to believe.
If, for example, the breadth of Christian worship is a mile wide, then my own church background has probably only connected with about a one hundred foot span. We tend to see this particular span as being anointed and we exclude anything that is different, on the grounds that something else cannot be equally as anointed.
The talk in Pentecostalism of having liturgy free worship is at best nonsense and at worst delusional. It would not take many visits to a church before one could predict much of what was about to take place.
I don't believe having a liturgy is not a problem. A ministerial colleague of mine is very passionate about reminding me that order is a good thing. In fact most large Pentecostal churches would struggle to operate without an unwritten liturgy to provide safety for any spontaneity that might take place. Any experienced musician will tell you that the continued practice of scales allows you the freedom to improvise.
We need to face the fact that our worship experience is usually found within very narrow parameters that are often linked to cultural expectations rather than to any spiritual high ground.
The other problem is that when we do decide to move our worship scope we seem to simply replace one 'hundred foot range' with another. We very rarely increase our range. We need to be prepared for a journey of discovery. We need to be thankful for what we have and hungry for more of the possibilities that worship has for us.
Ultimately, of course, worship is a way of life and cannot be merely seen as the liturgical practices of our corporate meetings. When we do consider our services of worship, we need to be ready to learn from the wider body of Christ.
Fashion seeking rarely produces lasting benefit. Things move so quickly that no seed has time to germinate and grow in a way that brings to us the full richness of its fruit.
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