Saturday, July 5, 1997

Churches exploring less formal worship styles

By LESLIE STRADER

Staff Writer

Barbara Darnall can recite the books of the Old and New Testament from memory. She knows the names of the 12 disciples and tells stories from the Bible as easily as she can stories from her own life.

Since joining First Baptist Church in 1975, Joe and Barbara Darnall could be found among the faithful of FBC every time its doors were open. But, despite their strong religious upbringing and deep commitment to God, the couple stopped going to church nearly 10 years ago.

"The traditional service had come to bore us," she said. "My husband had trouble with traditional church music. He'd rather stay home and watch (Dr. Robert) Schuller on television. And for me, Sundays became my day off."

But two years ago, First Baptist started Express Worship, an early morning service with contemporary music and a casual atmosphere. The couple attended the service its first Sunday, and Barbara says they have never looked back.

"It was time to go back, and this was an innovative approach we were both interested in," she said. "We knew a lot of the praise choruses; we liked it immediately. For someone who had grown stale in a traditional environment, it has really met our needs. We love it."

The Darnalls aren't alone in their desire for a fresh, less formal approach to worshipping God. Over the past few years, contemporary worship services have been sprouting up across the city in all kinds of churches.

But the pastors insist the contemporary shift isn't just another trend churches are trying out. And, it's more than an attempt to make Sunday mornings more entertaining for the congregations.

It's an outreach, they say - a non-threatening way to connect with those who've never stepped foot in a church and to bring back the ones who've forgotten to tend to the spiritual needs in their lives.

WHY THE CONTEMPORARY SHIFT?

Standing in front of the sanctuary Sunday morning in khaki pants and a tieless, navy shirt, Dr. Phil Christopher looks more like one of the masses than the pastor of Abilene's 2,100-member First Baptist Church.

And if you told him that, he'd probably thank you.

Christopher's more casual style has been his modus operandi since October 1995, when FBC kicked off Express Worship, a contemporary service designed to attract people who want to worship, but aren't comfortable singing "Amazing Grace" in an Armani suit.

From 8:40 to 9:30 every Sunday morning, First Baptist replaces its organ music with drums and guitars, hymns with modern praise choruses, and coats and ties with sport shirts - all in the name of reaching lost souls.

Christopher admits there was some speculation among the staff that no one would show when Express Worship debuted, but their doubts proved unfounded. That first Sunday, 400 people came - one-third he calls seekers - and that number has held steady since.

The traditional service still meets at 10:45 a.m.

"Unchurched people don't know what to wear, they don't know where books in the Bible are, they don't know when to stand up or sit down," Christopher explained. "That's why we print the scripture passage in the program. That's why I dress like I do.

"What we're trying to do is present the Christian faith in a personal way to people," he added. "I hope what the service conveys is God really does love them. He believes in them and can be a really positive part of their lives."

Attracting outsiders isn't the only reason for contemporary services. Southern Hills Church of Christ started the Sunday Celebration service to meet needs of its own congregation.

Changing worship styles is necessary, pastor John Risse said, "if you're going to reach the younger boomers and the busters. People think and act differently these days, so the church has to be different. Times change, and the key is to love and respect each other in midst of change.

"As Paul says, be all things to all men," Risse continued. "If worship is not relevant, it's not Biblical, and we're trying to stay Biblical. If Jesus were here today, would he use an overhead? Sure, probably so, if it helped him. We are as conservative as cornbread but methodologically, we are as modern as the space shuttle, and that's what we want people to know."

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Southern Hills currently has three services - a traditional service at 8:15 a.m., a traditional/contemporary mix at 10:45 a.m. and at 4:30 p.m., the Celebration service, which is "full-blown contemporary," using drama teams and praise songs.

The Celebration service has only been around since May, but Risse says they average 20-30 visitors among the 150-200 who attend.

"Abilene is a very traditional town and we had to do a great deal of education and communicating as far as what we're trying to do," he said. "It's not change for changes sake. We've tried to satisfy the need for the church people who have a contemporary flavor, but we also want it to be a service that reaches out to people who've given up on church.

"I really believe we owe an obligation to the people who built the congregation, to love and respect them and make worship where they encounter God. But at the same time, I don't want to mortgage the future."

First United Methodist Church pastor Tom Thomson categorizes their two services as semi-contemporary and more contemporary, and says they were started to try to "make sure there's a slice of the pie for everybody."

Abilene's movement toward modernizing worship services reflects a nationwide trend, Thomson said.

"There is a push by those who are younger to have a more contemporary style of worship, and there is resistance to the changes by those who've been in church long time," he said. "You need to keep firmly attached to your roots so you won't blow away and at the same time, do new things to help people grow."

David Ray, Wylie Methodist pastor, said the biggest change is in the music style, the signature of contemporary worship. Hymns, he explains, talk i about God; choruses are more like talking to God.

"My generation was raised on '70s rock and roll," Ray said. "We never heard an organ on the radio when we were growing up, so it's a natural transition for us to see church music change.

"The baby boomers like things to be a little more exciting. Most were raised in the church and they're ready for something different. And the busters aren't going to come back a second time if you're of the old institution. They're all tired of the same old same old."

And, not only is the service's content changing, but churches like Calvary Baptist are changing the day of the week church traditionally meets. Wayne Oglesby, Calvary's pastor, started a Saturday night contemporary service in May.

"This is geared to a real busy work world," Oglesby said. "We aren't doing it for convenience's sake. We just believe we ought to give everybody every opportunity to be a part of church."

There haven't been too many new faces in the 6 p.m. Saturday service because of the season, but Oglesby is certain of more response in the fall.

"Our biggest goal is to reach folks who are not involved in church and to have a church influence on families of the community," he said. "What we're trying to do is reach the community with the Gospel of Christ - that He loves you and cares about you.

"We don't look for the big numbers; we look at who can we minister to. If five are there or 500 are there, we're going to minister. I don't gauge success on numbers. How ever many come, that's more than if the doors were closed."

DOUBLE LIFE

There are unique challenges to having two different service styles, and pastors who've been there say that's something churches need to watch for.

It's very tough for a church to be both contemporary and traditional, Ray says. His church tried both for a while, but has since become mostly contemporary.

"The church has to, at one time or another, define itself," he said. "Those that have two services appear to show growth, but there's pressure. You actually build two congregations, which can be done, but it needs to be done carefully."

Thomson said the danger is in creating a church with little range in ages.

"You need to find a balance point or you end up with two churches and one building," he said. "And I'm not real sure that's where First Methodist wants to be. I'm very much opposed to creating churches that only span one or two generations. I think that creates problems for us down the line."

Oglesby said he's been aware from the beginning that two different kinds of services could create a double life for the church.

"I'm real conscious of that," he said, "so I've tried to take steps to involve folks in all the activities of the church. But we still get that to some degree. Some come and worship and are not involved anywhere else, but that's fine. If we still have a chance to touch someone or minister to someone, that's what the purpose is."

STILL WORK TO DO

So with all its good intentions and, at times, complications, is contemporary worship doing what it was created to do? FBC's Christopher says his service has been "partly successful."

"The service started as a way for the church to invite the unchurched to church," he said. "The Gospel is still person-to-person and that's the place where we still have growth to do. I don't think the answer is just having contemporary instead of traditional music. It's more than just a gimmick. You have to decide who you're trying to reach and how willing the church is to participate."

And, as someone who's been on both sides of the fence, Darnall agrees there's still work to be done.

"I think we can't just say we're having a casual contemporary service and expect people who haven't been coming to church to walk in off the street," she said. "There's an intermediate step - they have to be invited and have to be brought, and I'm not sure how well we're doing that yet."

Risse said Southern Hills will continue its Celebration service as long as the church believes it meets a need.

"Everybody's different - it's not what's right or wrong in worship, it's what's right or wrong in relationships," he said. "People worry so much about form and structure. We just want to get people into a vibrant, living relationship with a vibrant living God, and not just at 4:30."

hile it may seem people are dictating worship style, Wylie's Ray knows a higher purpose drives it all. Whatever changes need to take place to deliver the unchanging message of the Gospel, Ray believes churches should be willing to do it.

"I'm hesitant to say this is just driven by the marketplace," he said. "I believe it is really God-driven. It's not just based on what people want. The church ought to be a place where people can come and meet God face-to-face. And whatever helps that to happen, I'm open."