Lesson 5: Worship in Church History

By the end of this lesson, the student should:

(1) Respect differences among various worship traditions.

(2) Understand the difference between unchanging principles for worship and changing worship practices.

(3) Recognize that worship both reflects our theological beliefs and influences those beliefs.

(4) Apply lessons from the worship of various church traditions to worship today.

Memorize Psalm 100:1-5.

James values traditional worship. At their monthly meeting Enoch, who leads a contemporary worship service, asked, “Why don’t you try something new in your services?”

“We are biblical,” James answered. “If the Bible doesn’t command a particular worship practice, we are not free to simply add to the worship practices of the early church. Who are we to change biblical worship? In our church, we sing only psalms. Those songs were the songs of the early church; they are good enough for us!”[1]

Enoch responded, “It sounds to me like you think that history stopped at the end of the book of Revelation. How can we limit ourselves a worship style that is 2,000 years old? As long as the Bible doesn’t prohibit a practice, and as long as the practice doesn’t divide the church, we should adapt worship to the needs of our generation. In my church, we sing many new songs. If God wanted to prohibit new songs, the Bible would expressly forbid them.”[2]

Jason’s response was practical. “We have studied what the Bible says about worship. We know principles of worship from scripture. We need to see how other Christians have applied these principles in each generation. What does worship look like in the history of the church?”

Jason understands an important principle when discussing worship. Though the biblical principles of worship are unchanging, each experience of worship in the Bible is different. The details differ; the essential elements of worship remain the same. We have seen the essential principles of worship in the last two lessons, but the details change. Consider:

• Abraham was at the door of his tent when he worshipped. Someone might read this and say, “True worship happens when you are at home.” But…

• Isaiah was in the Temple when he saw the Lord exalted. Someone might read this and say, “True worship happens when you are at church.” But…

• Job was covered with boils from head to toe when he said, “I have heard of you with the ear, but now I see you” (Job 42:5). Someone might read this and say, “Aha! True worship happens when you are miserable.”

Do you see the point? Worship happens in many different circumstances, in many different ways, and following many different patterns. We often confuse the changing circumstances of worship with the unchanging principles.

In this lesson, we will see how the church has applied the principles of worship throughout history. This will give you a sense of the variety of ways in which God’s people worship. Hopefully this will help you see that there is no single pattern for worship that must be followed by all people in all situations. Rather, we must seek the guidance of God’s Spirit to determine how to apply biblical principles of worship to our situation.

In this lesson, we will also see that how we worship reflects our beliefs. Our worship practices are influenced by our beliefs about God and how we approach him.

This understanding is crucial as you make decisions about worship. Do you conduct your worship service in a way that communicates your beliefs, or are you simply copying another church’s pattern? If you are copying another church, you must make sure that you share that church’s beliefs about God and how we approach him. Our worship shows what we believe.

► Before continuing this lesson, discuss your current worship services. If a person knew nothing about your doctrine, what would your style of worship say to them? What would they learn about your view of God, your view of our relationship to God, and your view of evangelism as a result of your worship service?

Our earliest picture of worship after the New Testament comes in a letter from A.D. 113. Pliny, the governor of Bithynia, described Christian worship in a letter to Emperor Trajan.[1] He wrote that Christians, “gather on a stated day before dawn and sing alternately a hymn to Christ as to a god, and that they take an oath… to commit no theft, no fraud, no adultery…. It is their custom to part and return later to eat a meal together.”

According to Pliny, Christians met before sunrise on Sunday to sing hymns and pledge ethical conduct, probably in response to the reading of scripture. Later in the day, they ate a meal, which probably included the Lord’s Supper.

Forty years later, Justin Martyr gave a more detailed description of worship.[2] Justin wrote to defend Christian worship to the Roman emperor who suspected Christians of immorality and disloyalty to the Empire. Justin assured the emperor that Christian worship was not a threat to Rome. According to Justin, Christian worship included the following elements:

1. Reading of scripture.

2. A sermon by the leader of the assembly.

3. Prayer. Individuals prayed silently; then the leader led a formal prayer, to which the people responded, “Amen.” At the end of prayer, worshippers greeted one another with a holy kiss signifying the presence of the Holy Spirit.

4. The service was concluded with Communion. After the service, two deacons took the remaining bread and wine to Christians who were sick or who were in prison awaiting martyrdom.

5. At the end of the service, those who had money or food brought their gifts forward to the leader. The offerings were taken to the “orphans and widows, those who are needy because of sickness or any other reason, and the captives and strangers in our midst.”

One of the strengths of second-century worship was congregational participation. Both Pliny and Justin Martyr described a simple service, nothing like the elaborate rituals common in the pagan mystery religions of Rome. Worship was intimate, as small groups gathered in private homes.

Another strength was the clear connection between worship and life. Pliny’s letter mentions the Christian’s commitment to ethical behavior; Justin Martyr mentions gifts to help the needy. Worship involved all of life.

► What aspects of worship in the second century might benefit your worship? Do you see any dangers in second century worship?

For a second picture of worship, move to the 12th century. In the intervening years, Christianity had become the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire. After Constantine’s Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, congregations began to build increasingly grand church buildings. Many of the great European cathedrals were built during these 1,000 years.

In the Middle Ages, worship became increasingly grand. On the positive side, cathedral worship showed God’s majesty. Stained glass windows portrayed biblical events to those who could not read. Choirs sang beautiful anthems. Worship was dramatic and beautiful.

Weaknesses of Worship in the Middle Ages

Beauty was more important than spirituality.

Use of beautiful things for worship was emphasized: incense, elaborate music sung by trained singers, bells, and special clothing for the priests. The artistic became more important than the spiritual.

The people could not understand the services.

The service was in Latin, a language that few people understood. Many local priests were too poorly trained to preach a sermon. The prayers were a patchwork of passages from many different sources and often did not fit together intelligibly.

The people were onlookers, not active worshippers.

There was little involvement by the people. The congregation was a group of onlookers watching a drama, the Mass. The priests acted out the events of worship while an audience watched. The focus of the service was Communion rather than scripture.

The Roman Catholic Church taught that the bread and wine were transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ. (This is called the doctrine of transubstantiation.) Most laypeople received Communion only at Easter. The priest drank the wine and shared only the bread with the congregation.

The gospel was replaced with ritual.

Our worship shapes our beliefs. We see this principle at work in the Middle Ages; Roman Catholic worship shaped their theology. God was seen as far removed from human concerns. Laypeople did not feel they could approach God; instead, they could speak to God only through a priest. The priest became the mediator between God and man.

The strength of worship in the Middle Ages was its sense of majesty and awe before God. Through architecture, music, drama, and beautiful artistry, worship portrayed God’s glory.

However, the weakness of worship in the Middle Ages outweighed its strengths. The ordinary Christian was a mere spectator in the worship service. In many ways, the worship of the Middle Ages was a tragic departure from the worship of the New Testament.

We must take time to teach our congregations why we worship as we do, otherwise meaningful traditions may seem meaningless to worshippers.

One new believer asked his pastor, “Why do we say ‘Amen’ at the end of prayers? Is ‘Amen’ a magical word that makes God do as we ask?” The pastor realized that he should explain the details of worship. Something as simple as “Amen” can be meaningless if we don’t teach our congregation about worship.

It is not necessary to remove the symbolism and mystery from worship. The solution is to teach the congregation the meaning of our worship practices. They should know why we use the language we use; they should know why congregational singing is important for the congregation; they should know what the scriptures mean.

► What aspects of worship in the Middle Ages might benefit your worship? Do you see any dangers in the worship of the Middle Ages?

The Reformers knew well that our worship shapes our theology. Because of this, they knew that the theological truths of the Reformation would be lost unless worship reflected Reformation theology.

A primary theological concern of the Reformers was the priesthood of the believer. This means that believers worship God directly; we do not go through a priest. The Reformers also strongly believed that the Word of God must be available to every believer.

Worship in the Reformation sought to involve every worshipper. Worship was in the language of the people, not Latin. Scripture was read and preached so that all worshippers could understand God’s Word in their own language. Congregational music allowed each worshipper to participate in worship. Martin Luther was a hymn writer, and his hymns are credited with helping spread the Reformation.

Beyond these common areas, there was much disagreement among the Reformers regarding worship. Lutherans and Anglicans retained much of the ceremony of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther believed that, unless they were forbidden in scripture or caused conflict in the church, new worship practices should be allowed.

Calvin and his followers held on to some rituals but rejected any worship practices that were not specifically discussed in scripture. Calvin encouraged congregational singing, but only the singing of psalms. He believed that “Only God’s Word is worthy to be sung in God’s praise.”[1] He returned to congregational participation in Communion, suggesting that the Lord’s Supper be served at least once per month and preferably every Lord’s Day.

The Anabaptists and Puritans rejected most ceremony and returned to a simple form of worship. These groups sometimes worshipped only in private homes and saw themselves as the only ones who truly followed first-century worship.

The strength of Reformation worship was its return to congregational involvement. Although there were differences among different churches of the Reformation, all the Reformers sought to model the priesthood of the believer in worship.

► What aspects of worship in the Reformation might benefit your worship? Do you see any dangers in the worship of the Reformation?

Following the Reformation, some churches rejected state control. These churches, called “free churches” included Anabaptists, Puritans, Nonconformists, Separatists, and Dissenters. Many of these also rejected fixed liturgies and rituals.

Features of free church worship:

(1) Preaching was central.

(2) Congregational participation was important.

The nature of the congregation’s participation varied from church to church.

• In some churches the congregation sang hymns. In other churches, there was no music in public worship.

• In some churches members of the congregation prayed aloud. In other churches the pastor prayed on behalf of the people.

There was little distinction between the laity and the clergy. Most free churches had no special clothes for the clergy.

(3) All worship was in the language of the people.

An outline of a service in 1608 includes the following (the service lasted four hours):

• Prayer

• Scripture reading (1-2 chapters with explanation)

• Prayer

• Sermon (of one hour or more)

• Spoken contributions by the laypeople

• Prayer

• Offering

Worship was no longer dominated by Communion and a priest. The worship services of the free churches looked much more like the worship of the New Testament church.

There are dangers in this approach to worship. Although free churches taught the priesthood of the believer, in practice the preacher sometimes replaced the priest as the focal point of worship. In some churches, there was little congregational involvement.

Perhaps one of the greatest dangers in free worship was the danger of extreme individualism. If the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer is not accompanied by a doctrine of the unity of the church, the church becomes a collection of individuals rather than the body of Christ united in worship. This is seen when worship is only about “Jesus and me” with no sense of the church as a body.

► What aspects of worship in free churches might benefit your worship? Do you see any dangers in the worship of free churches?

[1]John Wesley was influenced both by the tradition of corporate worship he received from the Anglican church and by the emphasis on personal spiritual experience he received through contact with the Anabaptist tradition. At a time when Anglican worship was following the medieval Roman Catholic Church into empty ritual, the Wesleys and their followers (called Methodists) revived the reality of worship that brought worshippers into God’s presence.

Emphases of early Methodist worship:

1. Preaching. The sermons of John Wesley were published and became a doctrinal foundation for Methodist worshippers.

2. Frequent Communion. John Wesley received Communion an average of five times per week. He encouraged his followers to receive Communion at least once per week.

3. Hymn singing. The hymns of Charles Wesley spread Methodist doctrine through the British Isles and to the New World.

4. Small groups. The class meetings were central to Methodist discipleship.

5. Corporate worship. The Methodists met together frequently, and even after many Anglican priests rejected the Methodists, Wesley encouraged his followers to attend Anglican worship.

6. Evangelism. Thousands of new converts were won to Christ as the Methodist revival spread through England and beyond.

Methodist worship included hymns that glorified God, discipleship that built mature believers, and preaching that proclaimed truth both to the church and to a needy world.

► What aspects of worship in the Wesleyan revival might benefit your worship? Do you see any dangers in the worship of the Wesleyan revival?

English people first settled on the eastern coast of the land that is now called the United States of America. During the late 1700s and beyond, people continued to move west into unsettled territory to find land and build homes. People faced many challenges as churches, schools, and law enforcement gradually developed. In history this territory that was gradually settled is called the American Frontier.

The purpose of studying worship in the early history of America is not to propose the American model as a pattern for all worship, but to compare it to worship that develops in young churches in other places. The same challenges are faced by newly established churches in many countries.

Features of worship in early America:

1. Independence from denominations and formal forms of worship. American frontier churches tended to be independent of denominational control. They gave minimal attention to ritual and fixed orders of worship (although John Wesley adapted his pattern of worship for use in the colonies). Church buildings and worship services were simple and plain.

2. Rare opportunities for Communion. In England, the Wesleys had emphasized the importance of regular Communion. On the American frontier, a lack of ordained clergy meant that believers had little opportunity to practice the Lord’s Supper.

3. Preaching of the Word. Preaching continued to be the primary emphasis in the worship services. Even untrained preachers read the sermons of the Wesleys and other ministers. The focal point of the church was the pulpit, not the Communion table. The primary emphasis was on the preaching of the Word.

4. Lively singing. Singing was lively. American churches sang the hymns of Charles Wesley alongside simple songs of testimony in a style that was easy for an uneducated congregation to learn.

5. Prayer, evangelism, and revival. Prayer was informal and often led by laypeople. Evangelism was important, and periods of revival in America saw the conversion of thousands. The sermon was usually followed by an invitation for unconverted people to come forward and pray a prayer of repentance. As an emphasis on Christian holiness spread through America, the invitation called unbelievers to conversion and believers to complete consecration.

As with other traditions, there were strengths and dangers in this worship. Strengths included personal involvement and passion. Dangers included an emphasis on personal experience with little emphasis on doctrine. It was easy for false teaching to spread through frontier regions because there was little accountability.

► What aspects of worship on the American frontier might benefit your worship? Do you see any dangers in the worship of the American frontier church?

We are often tempted to confuse changing worship practices with unchanging principles of biblical worship. Consider:

• In some churches, worshippers bow on their knees to show humility when they prayer. In other churches, worshippers raise holy hands when they pray.

• In some churches, the organ plays softly during prayer. In other churches, there is silence while the pastor leads prayer. In other churches, everyone prays aloud.

• In some churches, choruses are projected on an overhead screen. In other churches, the people sing from a hymnbook.

• In some churches, the pastor reads scripture at the beginning of his sermon. In other churches, a layperson reads scripture before the pastor preaches. In other churches, there are two or three scripture readings.

None of these are wrong; they are matters of practice, not principle. We must not think that our way is the only biblical way. True worship is not a matter of style; it is God’s presence.

There are certain principles that are unchanging. We have seen these principles in the lessons on worship in the Bible. These principles are not optional. As Christians, these principles guide us in our approach to God.

In the next few lessons, we will look at worship practices. Principles do not change; practices vary in different places and times. Because of this, we should be tolerant toward those who worship differently than we worship. This does not mean that practice is unimportant; but it means that there will be more flexibility regarding practice than regarding principles.

Oswald Chambers wrote about making room for God in our lives. This applies to worship:

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him… We plan, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way.…

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come as He decides.[1]

What does worship look like in the 21st century? It is a question that cannot be answered simply. Worship in the 21st century takes many different forms. Some churches value ritual and tradition; other churches reject ritual in favor of personal freedom in worship.

► What does worship look like in your church? If you are studying in a group, discuss differences and similarities between worship in the churches represented in your group.

At this point in the course, the purpose of this description is not evaluation. The question is not, “Are we right or wrong?” The question is simply, “What do we do in our worship service?”

The reason for this description is to lay a foundation for the following lessons. Once you have a description of what you currently do in worship, you can begin to ask, “Why do we do what we do?” and “How can we do it better?”

Decisions about worship reflect theological beliefs. The elements in our worship show what we believe about God and how we relate to him; the elements in our worship show what we believe about the church and how we relate to each other; the elements in our worship show what we believe about the lost and how worship can reach them.

Let’s take one example – congregational singing.

• The absence of congregational singing in the Roman Catholic Church reflected the belief that laypeople could not understand scripture (including sung scripture). Just as a lay person was not allowed to read scripture on their own, a lay person was not allowed to sing the songs of worship. Worship was done by a priest.

• The emphasis on congregational singing in the Reformation reflected Luther’s belief that every Christian could worship as part of the body of Christ.

• Calvin’s refusal to allow hymns other than psalms reflected his belief that only the Word of God was acceptable in worship.

• The Methodist emphasis on congregational singing and on teaching doctrine through hymns reflected the Wesleys’ conviction that every believer should sing and that what we sing affects what we believe.

• The simplicity of frontier singing showed the Methodist conviction that salvation was for all people. Because of that conviction, they involved everyone in enthusiastic singing.

As we continue this course, we will be looking at many elements of worship. Your first question regarding worship is likely to be, “Do I like it?” That is not the important question. More important is, “What does my worship say about what I believe? Does it show a right understanding of God and man’s relationship to Him?”

Our worship shapes what we believe, but the opposite is also true: our beliefs shape how we worship.

To view or print Reviews of all lessons, click here for a PDF.

(1) In the early church:

• Worship was informal and intimate.

• Worship emphasized lay participation.

• Worship involved all of life.

(2) In the worship of the Middle Ages:

• Beauty was more important than spirituality.

• The people could not understand the services.

• The people were onlookers, not active worshippers.

• The gospel was replaced with ritual.

(3) In the Reformation:

• Worship demonstrated the priesthood of the believer.

• Worship was in the language of the people.

• Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans disagreed on the role of ritual in worship.

(4) In the free churches following the Reformation:

• Preaching was central.

• Congregational participation was important.

• All worship was in the language of the people.

(5) Early Methodist worship was marked by:

• An emphasis on preaching

• An emphasis on frequent Communion

• An emphasis on hymn singing

• An emphasis on small groups

• An emphasis on corporate worship

• An emphasis on evangelism

(6) Worship in early America:

• Promoted personal involvement and a passion for evangelism

• Sometimes emphasized personal experience at the cost of doctrinal integrity

(7) Our worship today reflects our beliefs about God and how we relate to him.

(1) Justin Martyr described the worship of the second century church in a few paragraphs. He was writing to someone who had never seen a Christian worship service. Write 2-3 paragraphs in which you describe your worship service to someone who has never attended a Christian church. Carefully consider what is most important about your worship. How can you explain your services in a way that will communicate what is central to Christian worship?

If you are studying in a group, discuss the answers of each member of the group in your next class meeting.

(2) At the beginning of the next lesson, you will take a test based on this lesson. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

To view or print Tests of all lessons, click here for a PDF.

(1) List three elements of second century worship described by Justin Martyr.

(2) List three weaknesses of worship in the Middle Ages.

(3) What were two primary concerns of the Reformation related to the priesthood of believers?

(4) Identify the group(s) in the Reformation that best match each description.

• Allowed any worship practices not forbidden in scripture: _______________

• Did not allow worship practices that are not discussed in scripture: _______________

• Rejected most ceremony. Sometimes worshipped in private homes: _______________

(5) List three features of free church worship.

(6) List three emphases of early Methodist worship.

(7) List three characteristics of worship in early America.

(8) Write Psalm 100:1-5 from memory.