Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Reaching a New Generation: An Interview with Rob Warren


H2O is a growing church on the campus of Bowling Green State University (located between Findlay and Toledo, OH). Affiliated with the Great Commission Ministries, H2O (www.h2ochurch.comhttp://vimeo.com/85996764) is pastored by 30-year-old Rob Warren, a 2012 Master of Divinity graduate of Winebrenner Theological Seminary. Rob was a keynote speaker at this year’s CGGC Great Lakes Regional conference and sat down with Don Dennison (one of Rob’s professors during his time at WTS) to talk about how churches can be more effective in reaching a younger generation.

DonChristianity Today recently reported that 80% of Southern Baptist churches baptized one (or less) young adults (age 18-29) in 2013. Their leaders admit they are not being effective in winning and discipling the next generation. In your opinion, why is that happening?

Rob: There seems to be a resistance to progress and change, which I would consider necessary for growth in any capacity. What worked at one time is not working now. If we are going to reach people we haven’t reached, we’re going to have to do things we haven’t done. Many of us don’t know necessarily how to engage with this younger generation, and we have got to learn—much like what you do with overseas ministry. We have to learn the culture and be willing to do things that we wouldn’t normally/traditionally do. It’s like trying to chop down a tree with a dull ax. Some of us might be working really, really hard, but we’re not working smart. We need to be in tune with what’s connecting with them and keep them in our ministry focus.
D: What are some common characteristics we need to know about this next generation?
R: One of the most important things we can learn about the younger generation is their strong need for community, relationships, and connection. Our philosophy in reaching them has to be connection-driven, and we’ve seen that as we’ve planted churches on college campuses across the United States. The connection piece is just massive.
D: That connection piece has to happen where--on their turf? You can’t expect them to come to us automatically.
R: Right. The days of the Field of Dreams: “If you build it they will come” are over. We have to go to where they are. In our churches, we need a responsible person who knows the culture to go and to lead that charge to invade that territory. That’s why we do what we do with the H2O network.  We go to them!
D: In reaching 18-30 year olds, does the church need a “hip pastor “who has been a star athlete, like yourself?
R: (laughter) No, I don’t think so. The reality is, in our network of churches, there are collegiate church pastors who are 50 or 60 years old and still reaching young people. We just need people who are passionate and laser focused on that demographic and know how to relate with them.
D: What is H2O doing differently than most churches in being able to attract, reach, and disciple young adults?
R: In my estimation, two things (which may open up a can of worms with some people): One is the whole attractional vs. missional discussion that started years ago. We have embraced that we need to be as attractional as humanly possible one day a week and as missional as humanly possible every other day.
D: That’s a powerful way of saying it.
R: In reaching young people, we found that attractional is missional. We strive for excellence in everything we do. We try to create a place where people want to be so they’ll come, meet Jesus, He changes their life, and then they embrace the call to reach those around them. The second thing we try to focus on is intentionality with everything we do. We have a strategy and a process in what we’re trying to do. From the minute we meet people, it’s about connections. In our strategy we know three things: who we want people to become, where we want them to go, and what we want them to do. It’s laser-focused on connections, showing them Jesus, then equipping them for His mission.
D: This generation really is into authenticity, but they also value excellence. Can you really achieve both? Doesn’t the goal of always striving to have a perfect presentation come off as too artificial?
R: I heard an older pastor once say that the authentic argument for the younger generation is stupid because everybody desires that. But there is that tension; we try to create an environment with the excellence component that really allows people to experience God.
D: How important is “experience” for this new generation?
R: That’s why they are at the bars. They are trying to feel something. Why do we go to these concerts? We are trying to feel something. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good…”  With excellence in our services, we strive to help them 'taste' and feel.
D: So how do you appeal to the senses at H2O?
R: We try to take out “the cringe factors” and really get them into a spirit of worship so they feel comfortable. The cringe factors are the 30-45 second transition where you are adjusting the mic. We want to take people on a journey to the cross and to the empty tomb, so the excellence factor helps people really experience something in our services, and then we inform them that it’s Jesus they are experiencing, feeling, and longing for. That’s our mission: to engage the campus of Bowling Green State University, inform people of the Gospel of Christ and inspire our community to live like Jesus and change the world. Part of the engagement process is to create a place and atmosphere where people actually want to come. We’ve seen it. We have non-Christians, un-churched and atheists coming because they see some value, they hear something, or they experience something they like. It’s weird, I can’t explain it.
D: Hearing and seeing and feeling is obvious. Tasting? Smelling?
R: (laughs) We don’t use incense or anything like that. We try to do interactive things which give people a place to express and move out of what they are feeling. We try to create a lot of moving in our services. For example, once everyone was handed a chain link when they walked into a service where we were talking about how we are chained to sin and death. We gave everyone the opportunity to give that chain back through faith in Jesus. We said, “Hey, if that’s not for you, then hold on to that chain.” But there’s something experiential that makes people think and feel, “Dude, I’m really holding onto this chain. I’m walking out of here chained, keeping me from God.”
D: Awesome! One argument against ministry to university students is that you may reach them but have them only four years or so. Why bother because it won’t translate to long-term growth, and the constant turnover kills you. How do you respond to that?
R: That’s exactly why we need to do it. We are so laser-focused on discipleship and leadership development for the long term.  We are striving to help them create rhythms to their lives that revolve around Jesus. Our goal is to equip students to be disciples and disciple-makers and send them out. It’s a constant revolving door with H2O, which is the hardest thing about collegiate church planting but, for us, it is the most strategic.  We do it because we’re sending people out around the world every year, every semester, equipped for ministry in the church.
D: Ok, so you’re not just about evangelism but making disciples.
R: Oh, yeah! It’s a two-fold thing. We want to reach them and attract them, but we ultimately strive to equip them because that’s how we are going to change the world and that’s why we go to college campuses. It’s not the most lucrative; it’s not the easiest. But if you look at the history of the world, every major movement that has brought about significant change has started with young people. So we operate out of the idea that, if we can just grab them for those four years…train them, disciple them, equip them, and then when they graduate, send them out and say “Get involved in a church. You’ve been equipped, start serving.” That’s why we do it, because it’s hard.
D: Do you attract a lot of students who consider themselves drop-outs from a local church?
R: It’s a mixed bag. We get some students who cause us to ask, “where did you come from?” Their parents and their church at home discipled them well, and they get it. They are all about Jesus and they could probably come on staff with us as freshmen. Those are the kind of people who really change things on campus from day one! Then you have the people who have grown up in the traditional church who often say:  “I only went because Mom and Dad told me I had to go.” A lot of those end up getting saved, and that’s an awesome thing. Regardless of where they come from, we get the students and give them purpose… (that’s another thing with this next generation: they want to be connected to something purposeful)…when you show them how they fit in, they start bringing atheists and completely unchurched people (like me).
D: You are attracting a percentage of worshippers who are not university students but from the local community, right?
R: I’d say we are 75-80% university students: being undergrad or grad students. Then about 20-25% are recent graduates, community members, faculty, staff, coaches, and we’ve tried to create a space for them. We’ve always said “you’re welcome,” but our philosophy of ministry has a type of ‘stiff-arm’ because we just didn't have anything for them. This past year we said “Enough of that. Let’s use some of these people to help reach college students.” and it’s working. We’ve created a kids program that we call “H2O Kids” where we utilize education majors, and then we have small groups for community members.
D: So you provide that to meet their needs, but you still focus primarily on university students?
R: Yes. Sometimes families will come but we tell them our expectations for them is to adopt a life group of undergrad college students:  have them over to your house, feed them, deliver stuff to campus, give them care packages.
D: So what’s the discipling process?
R: Our strategy is to get everybody in our front doors (Sunday services, Groups, and Outreach), and we want everybody to go through “The Well.” The Well is where we define what we want people to be (a disciple), and that’s all about discipleship. It’s a seven week-long program that informs them, challenges them, and connects them. Its also the first step in leadership at h2o as well. The bar is high for the Well but we find that young people like a challenge.  We require them to get connected to a life group, serve in the church every week, have a weekly meeting with a staff member or an older student, and come to all the Well sessions. From there, we seek to get everyone into “huddles”, which are groups of 5-8 people who meet for 12-week.  Huddles create a place for high obedience/accountability to occur.  The two questions that guide them in Huddles are: What is God doing in your life? And how can you respond and the group help?  They have a curriculum to use with that.
D: Do you ever have push-back from students who say “I’m so busy with studies. I don’t have time to be involved in these small groups?”
R: No, we’ve noticed that college students have a ton of time. As we’ve opened up the doors to more city people, the city people are the ones who say “I don’t have the time for that.” College students are sometimes giving us 20 hours a week. It’s crazy. We set the bar really high intentionally, and say “here’s the radical minimum standard.”  We want them to pursue an intentional lifestyle of following Jesus so by the time they are released out of college, they’ve had a crazy amount of training and discipleship.  The last step in our strategy, after huddles, we have Leadership Training Group (LTG) which equips people to know how to become a disciple maker.
D: This generation responds well to a high challenge?
R: We’ve seen that. We try to create a culture that’s high invitation--high challenge, which is what we have found to be the best culture to create disciples and reach young people.  High invitation--low challenge is self-righteous and apathetic. Low invitation--low challenge is a bored culture. No one wants to be part of it. Low invitation--high challenge is a stressed out, convicted culture where everyone is miserable by being yelled at and brow-beaten with the Bible.
D: They don’t deal well with guilt.
R: Exactly. The high invitation--high challenge is where Jesus camped out. He was constantly communicating “Come have a deeper relationship with me,” but He was also saying “you need to represent me, the Father, and the Kingdom really, really well.” That’s where we try to be at. We’re an open door for everybody. You are going to feel welcomed and cared for and connected. But you are also going to be confronted with this high-challenge, this radical-minimum standard of what Jesus said.
D: What are a couple lessons about reaching the next generation you’ve learned along the way?
R: The connection piece is massive, we can't move past that. People often don’t respond well just getting together for bible study as it often times lacks the 'life connection' component.  The best discipleship times are sitting on the front porch of a fraternity house with ten guys. We talk about the Bible and about life in a laid back environment; they’re asking me about my marriage and why I am a Christian, its really great.  So don’t forget that connection piece, the relationships, and knowing where they are at. 
Also, I go into their space each week, and I bring them to my house. That’s been one of the biggest things i have learned. The church culture, no matter how 'cool' your church is, is not necessarily going to appeal to them. What appeals to them is people really following Jesus and being super intentional with discipleship and mission.  This generation has a hypersensitivity to hypocrisy and it keeps many from even wanting to engage with 'church people'.  I sit down with guys and they say “I understand the Jesus thing, but I’m not going to be one of those people because I know that I’m going to mess up.” They have this really high disdain for hypocritical people.  But we seek to help them work through that and show them its all about Jesus.
D: So it’s going to take lots of time and intentional relationships, going where they are.
R: It takes time and it’s messy. People are messy. One of the big things we embrace is “belong before you behave.” A lot of what the younger generation believes is that “I have to behave before I belong,” and we tell them “I don’t care if you are drunk, come to small group. Don’t be an idiot, but come to small group.”  One guy came to a group as an atheist, and he walked in thinking, ‘I shouldn’t be here’ but he was baffled by the kindness and connectivity that eventually showed him Jesus, and he became a Christian. So the “belong before you behave” is huge for us.
D: If a church starts to reach out to university students or young adults, and encounters resistance from an older generation regarding, for example, style of worship, how should they respond?
R: I’d say “you don’t have that option! You’re a generation away from dying. You can hold on to what you are doing and enjoy the comfortable thing, but your church is dead and you don’t even know it yet.” That’s a hard thing for people to hear, but it’s truth.  We need to fight against resistance and reach the young people.  
D: How would you describe the worship style at H2O?
R: We do a lot of hymns and 'contemporary' songs with a full band.  It’s loud, it’s good, and it’s always about Jesus.  And the college students love the hymns sometimes more than the contemporary stuff.  They are deep; there’s a rich theology in them. People appreciate that. We have a big band, and we try to create an environment where people think, “This is awesome!”  I see football players come in all the time who are not churched, who don’t believe in God, and I sit behind them and watch their heads bob to the music because the music and the band are so good. They are bobbing their heads to ‘How Deep the Father’s Love’, and it’s funny because they don’t even know what they are doing but that’s great.
D: What advice would you give to a church wanting to reach out to the next generation in their community? How do they start?
R: The biggest piece of advice I can give is to find a church or leaders who are reaching the next generation and get with them.  Ask them to come into your world, look at all that you are doing, and critique and challenge your process.  I think the greatest leaders are the ones who have the courage to face the reality that maybe the culture they’ve created is not working, but then work to change it for the sake of progress. That’s the biggest thing that’s blessed us, because I know that without fresh eyes you’re paralyzed. You’re going to keep doing the same thing; that’s what we tend to do until we’re challenged.

Monday, October 6, 2014

How to Think about Worship (Part 3)



Implications for Worship Planning  
As one who has visited many different churches in recent years, it is the observation of this writer that an increasing number of persons gathered in the North American Anglo church on Sunday morning appear to be “spectators.” This is especially apparent during times designed for congregational singing. The worshipers represented by the other countries in this project tend to be much better participants than the rest of us.
Why are so many attendees disengaged in the process? Do they not like to sing? Do they not know the songs? Or, do they see themselves more as an “audience” to be entertained by talented leaders than as “participants” in the worship process? While this trend is on the rise, it is not a new problem. Robert Webber, commenting on the changes in worship back in the 4th century following the conversion of Constantine and the endorsement of Christianity as a legal religion, states: “This worldview shift put the church into a friendly environment where, with gifts of buildings in which to worship, the worship of the church shifted from intimacy to theater.”[1]
            Other contemporary writers agree. Morgenthaler states: “We are not producing worshipers in this country. Rather, we are producing a generation of spectators, religious onlookers lacking, in many cases, any memory of a true encounter with God, deprived of both the tangible sense of God’s presence and the supernatural relationship their inmost spirits crave.”[2]
Those who plan services must avoid the popular trend where pastors and musicians perform for an audience of consumers. Worship is to be done by the people—not to them or for them.[3] Worship planners must consider new methods of involving the people as participants without imposing change just for the sake of novelty. For example, there is great value in responsively reading a Psalm or chapter of scripture from the Bible as some of these sample cultures do. Utilizing the historic forms of worship from the ancient church such as creeds or other readings may bring a newfound freshness to a service. While some may reject practices associated with more formal churches, such distinctions as "formal" versus "informal" are more rooted in personal preference than in theological conviction.[4] Creativity requires more preparation time than some worship leaders are willing to give to the process. But “good preparation gives you the freedom to be spontaneous in the Spirit without sacrificing effectiveness.”[5]
            In regard to creativity, Morgenthaler asserts, “We need ‘vehicles’ or forms of expression for all the marvelous verbs of worship: praise, adoration, thanksgiving, contrition, commitment, petition, intercession, and so on. Our desire for relevance is a good thing. But we cannot keep taking worship away from the people simply because we have not had the courage or the resolve to create interactive worship expressions for our own generation.”[6]
Good worship must be learned before it is experienced. This means that pastors and worship leaders must be able to teach good worship practices, primarily through modeling it themselves. This is the only way to combat poor worship. The primary issue is not worship style or the kinds of instruments being used to aid worship. Those are means to an end. What will best serve the congregation by assisting them in a genuine God-encounter? “The end is to meet with Jesus, to know his presence, to fully engage our hearts in authentic expressions of love to him.”[7] For this reason, the body of Christ should be taught to celebrate, even during traditionally solemn times such as the Lord’s Supper.
            Singing and praying and bowing in our corporate worship are expressions “…of the essence of worship, but those things can happen and not be worship. Worship is not first an outward act; it is an inner spiritual treasuring of the character and the ways of God in Christ. It is a cherishing Christ, a being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ. When these things are missing, there is no worship, no matter what forms or expressions are present.”[8]
Worship isn’t just about what happens on Sunday in a special building dedicated by God’s people. In God’s economy, worship is life. It “…is a comprehensive category describing the Christian’s total existence.”[9] When Paul described true worship as “offering our bodies as living sacrifices which were holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1), he was talking about everyday life. What happens in corporate worship is designed to embolden the believer and to empower the church to serve God in the world. What happens on Sunday when the saints gather to worship should be an expression of the worshiper’s heart seven days a week.
            In conclusion, the following principles offer guidance in the preparation and implementation of biblical worship experiences in any culture:
1.     God’s glory, and our joyful celebration of it in worship, should be the focus and goal of all life and ministry (I Corinthians 10:31)
2.     Worship is first and foremost for God (Revelation 19:10; 22:9)
3.     Worship is a dialogue between God and His people, a rhythm of revelation and response. (Psalm 96:4)
4.     The Word must be central in our worship (Psalm 150:2)
5.     Worship is the responsibility of all of God’s people (Psalm 79:13)
6.     Our worship is acceptable in and through Christ our High Priest (Hebrews 2:12)
7.     Our response of worship is enabled, motivated and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Philippians 3:3)
8.     Worship is the response of our entire lives to God (Romans 12:1)
9.     God is much more concerned with our heart than with the form of our worship (I Samuel 16:7; Hosea 6:6)
10.  Worship should promote the unity and edification of the body (Romans 15:5-6)
11.  Young and old need each other in the Body of Christ (Psalm 148:12-13)
12.  These things must be taught and re-taught (I Thessalonians 4:1)[10]
           
           


[1] Robert E. Webber, Worship Old & New, 95
[2] Sally Morgenthaler, 17
[3] Webber, Exploring the Worship Spectrum,184.
[4] David Peterson, Engaging with God:  A Biblical Theology of Worship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 160.
[5] Rognlien, 202.
[6] Morgenthaler, Worship Evangelism, 118.
[7] Joe Horness, “Contemporary Music-Driven Worship, “ Exploring the Worship Spectrum (6 Views), 109.
[8] Piper, 226-227.
[9] Peterson, 18.
[10] Mann, Ron.  “Biblical Principles of Worship & Their Application to Local Church Ministry,” Worship Resources, 2006-2007 (www.worr.org).

Sunday, October 5, 2014

How to Think about Worship (Part 2)



The Influence of Culture on Worship Practices
Worship never occurs in a vacuum but in a resident culture. “Although God exists totally outside of culture…God chooses the cultural milieu in which humans are immersed as the arena for his interaction with people.”[1] While similarities have emerged from the Biblical and historical patterns, worship forms will change with each succeeding generation and from one place to another. Worship should always reflect the culture of the ones who are worshipping. “Broadly speaking, the style of worship reflects culture.”[2] If worship does not identify with or relate to that culture, then the content will not be meaningful and the experience will not be effective.[3]
To us today, this is most commonly expressed in the preferred worship styles (traditional, contemporary, blended, etc.) in the congregation. But culture influences much more than just musical tastes. “The Old Testament reveals varying emphases in worship in different periods in Israel’s history, while the New Testament unveils varying approaches to worship based on different locations and cultures.”[4] Initially the early church bore the mark of Jewish influence because it grew out of that culture. As the gospel spread to the Gentile world, aspects of worship as well as church life were increasingly shaped by that newer influence.
The New Testament does not dictate the outward forms of how or prescribe the places of where God’s people should worship. Those criteria became less important as the church moved outward. As the makeup of the church diversified, so did the manner in which they expressed their allegiance to Christ in worship forms.[5] Even the pattern of worship seen by some in Acts 2:42, which was followed and advocated for centuries, eventually gave way to changes within the prevalent culture.[6]
This is as it should be. The indigenous cultures in which the church is planted and grows should contribute to the content and manner of worship. The inhabitants of each culture offer something uniquely their own in how they express themselves in worship. “God can inspire and speak through every culture, every language, and every music system, regardless of whether persons outside of that culture have an aesthetic response to it. To deny this is to deny the universality of God.”[7] Such diversity is a reflection of a creative God. For this reason, the imposition of European/western architecture, congregational structure, and worship styles (including our hymns and choruses) displaces the uniqueness which each culture contributes to the body of Christ.
As Douglas Hayward comments:
     “…the most ethnocentric practice in the world has been the forced replication of Western church services. Western worship patterns, translations of Western hymns and monologic preaching are the standard fare in churches all around the globe. A contextualized Gospel on the other hand requires that worship be performed in a manner that truly excites and elicits adoration, praise, submission and obedience to Almighty God. Contextualized worship, therefore, may have to move outside the confines of a church building, spend more time in singing and dancing than in preaching, incorporate new liturgies or rituals that speak to the needs of a people that evoke prayer times and confessionals and would speak to the deepest needs of the human spirit.”[8]

When this writer visited the Philippines and worshipped in Manila over 30 years ago, he was amazed that the congregational songs, accompanied by a church organ, were all imported from the USA! Indigenous songs, instruments and other religious expressions identifying the uniqueness of the Filipino culture were glaringly absent from the experience. Fortunately, that pattern is changing. “The desire to track and connect with one’s ethnic roots, including indigenous melodies, rhythms and instruments, has grown enormously” in recent years.[9]
Corporate worship varies with every culture, even within the same denomination. Interviews with ministry leaders for this project confirmed the writer’s experiences through field visits to each setting. The place of worship may be in a home or open courtyard or under a shade tree in the absence of a separate building dedicated for worship. Once completed, that special building may be constructed of brick or concrete block or mud or bamboo and banana leaves. Worshipers in Haiti may sit on narrow benches while their brethren in Brazil sit on white plastic chairs. Worshipers in our churches in India and Bangladesh—in keeping with their custom—will most often sit on the floor. It is also a characteristic of their Indian subcontinent culture for men and women to be seated on separate sides of the room.
When a building does exist, the décor of that facility will also vary. Most churches in India and Bangladesh will have a simple cross on the wall and a table and chair up front. (The pastor sits when he preaches.) Navajo facilities may be adorned with Native American and Christian artwork. Brazilian churches will feature Christian drawings or paintings. In contrast, crosses, statues or other symbols are absent from Haitian church buildings to avoid the symbolism associated with the Roman Catholic church and voodoo.
This writer has always been impressed with how people of other cultures prepare for worship. It is common for Hispanic, and often Brazilian, worshipers to kneel at their pew/chair for prayer prior to being seated. Customs in India and Bangladesh dictate that worshipers enter the church building barefoot with shoes left outside (as when they enter their home, school, etc.). Being clean and dressing in one’s best clothes also symbolizes preparation for worship in most of these cultures. That contrasts with the growing trend in North American culture to “dress down” and be more casual in appearance.
Vibrant worship is the norm in both Haitian and Brazilian worship. Congregational songs are loud, highly emotional, repititious and exuberantly sung. Hand clapping and raising one’s hands in testimony are common during the singing. Haitians commonly sway their bodies as they sing their praises. Brazilian churches often have female interpretative dance teams which accompany some songs. While the people in Indian and Bangladeshi culture enjoy singing, a celebrative spirit is not as common. People there historically have been more reserved in worship as a sign of their respect and reverence for the Lord. Navajo worship tends to provide a balance between reverence and celebration. Spoken testimonies are also a valuable part of their worship experience. This would also be true in Brazilian churches.
A variety of musical instruments accompany church singing in these cultures. Brazilian and Navajo churches utilize guitars, keyboard, and drums. When electricity is available, Haitian churches use a keyboard, along with drums, accordion and brass instruments. This writer has visited mountain churches in Haiti where the only instrument was a piece of iron suspended from a rafter that was struck with a metal rod in time with the beat of the song. Typical instruments in Indian and Bangladeshi churches include such native instruments as the harmonium (a portable reed organ) and drums.
The majority of Haitian Christians own their own hymnal. The Chants D’Esperance is used by most evangelical Haitians throughout their homeland and in the United States. It includes French and Creole sections of songs. Bengali and tribal worshipers in India and Bangladesh use a Bengali hymnal (when available). Many of the songs are Bengali translations of English-speaking hymns, but Bangla and native language songs are also commonplace. In Brazil, few of our believers can afford the Cantor Christao, so projected transparencies have replaced hymnals in most of our churches. Choruses are learned through repetition and mixed with hymns sung in Brazilian Portuguese. Navajo churches may also sing from projected words—some in English while others in traditional Navajo language.
Different cultures tend to focus on different members of the Trinity in their worship service. Haitians focus more on Christ and the Spirit. Navajo and Brazilian seem to emphasize the Holy Spirit more, whereas God the Father and His Son Jesus are the central focus in Indian and Bangladeshi churches. This is not to suggest that the other person(s) of the Trinity are ignored but just not emphasized as much.
More formal western European forms of worship continue to influence the Indian and Bangladeshi church context. The service usually includes the following:  songs, various kinds of prayers, scripture readings (from both the Old and New Testament), a Psalm read responsively, the offering, a message, and benediction. Unlike worship in the other cultures surveyed, the Lord’s Prayer is prayed every Sunday in Indian and Bangladeshi churches. Churches in a Brazilian and Navajo cultures tend to be less formal and more revivalistic with altar calls given at the conclusion of the worship. Haitian worship is also less complex with the majority of the time given to singing, prayer and the message. In Navajo, Brazilian and Haitian worship, believers may be encouraged to pray aloud as a group.
In regard to time, churches in other cultures are less bound by the clock than our own North American culture. The length of worship services in India and Bangladesh is brief compared to others. There the service typically lasts 75-90 minutes. In Navajo, Brazilian, and Haitian culture, worship often continues for two to three hours or more. The pastor can usually preach as long as he wishes.
The Lord’s Supper is practiced in these churches with varying degrees of frequency. Among Navajo churches, it is not often practiced. In India and Haiti, it is done once a month. In Bangladesh and Brazil, it is every three months. Communion is only for baptized members in these four cultures. It is a very solemn occasion whenever offered.
Despite differences in worship among these cultures, each of them agrees that worship is primarily for the gathered Christians. Evangelistic opportunities may exist at the conclusion of the service in Haitian, Brazilian, or Navajo churches, but the primary focus is for the person already a professing believer. The worship strengthens them and deepens their faith through the word, prayers, and praise. The fellowship with other believers also offers a much anticipated encouragement to them.
Wherever Christians exist, we also form a culture with its own language. One vital question is: how does our church culture relate to other cultures? At least four responses are appropriate and necessary. (1)The church must have elements that are trans-cultural or valid wherever the church exists. This includes certain elements of worship (such as gathering, prayer, proclaiming the word) as well as crucial beliefs (Jesus is Lord, God is alive and active, believers are people of God, etc.) (2) The church must also be contextual. It is incarnational wherever it is located. (3) The church must be counter-cultural in that it challenges cultural trends from Scripture. (4)The church must be cross-cultural, united to and accepting of other Christians regardless of their location or ethnic origin or generation.[10]
   
               (to be continued....)

[1] Charles Kraft, “Ancient and Modern: Church Music and the Culture Gap,” by Martin Wroe, The Third Way (August 1985), 22
[2] Robert Webber, “Blended Worship,” Exploring the Worship Spectrum—6  Views, 182.
[3] Rognlien, 168.
[4] Basden, 15.
[5] Piper, 222.
[6] Webber, Exploring the Worship Spectrum, 182.
[7] Frank Fortunato with Paul Neeley and Carol Brinneman, All the World is Singing:  Glorifying God through the Worship Music of the Nations (Tyrone, GA:  Authentic Publishing, 2006), 56.
[8] Douglas Hayward, “Measuring Contextualization in Church and Missions,” International Journal of Frontier Missions, Vol. 12:3 July-September, 1995, p. 135.
[9]Frank Fortunato, xiii.
[10] Kreider, 27 March 2007.