Why Do We Worship? | 3 Views on the Purpose of Worship Services

Type of Doctrine: Secondary

"5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, 'To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.' 8 And Jesus answered him, 'It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.''"

- Luke 4:5-8

Why does it matter?

God has revealed numerous texts on worship in the Scriptures that shed light on why we gather to worship. Not only is it important to understand the purpose of worship services, but one's view on this subject will likely affect the church one chooses to be a part of and, for church leaders, it will likely affect how a worship service is planned (i.e., what elements are included in a worship service, what elements are not included, how much time to devote to each element, etc.). Additionally, reflecting on the purpose of worship can help guard from becoming unbalanced and unbiblical in our worship services.

What is it?

The word "worship" carries the idea of ascribing and expressing the worth of someone or something else. God is worthy of our worship. Conversely, idolatry is the idea of worshiping something or someone other than God. In the Ten Commandments, this is addressed by the first commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). That includes commonly accepted "gods" such as sports, success, money, approval, control, power, and politics. When we gather, we worship the one, true God of the universe. Worship is for God and about God. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). In other words, we are to do everything to glorify God. Fundamentally, then, our worship services must exist to glorify God.

Worship is for God and about God.

But why do we meet each week? We meet in weekly worship services, because the author of Hebrews says: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Heb. 10:24-25). This was regularly applied with a weekly worship gathering both in Scripture and throughout church history. In other words, our Scriptures tell us that meeting together regularly protects us, preserves us, and stirs us up to love one another.

Where in the Bible are worship services covered? In thinking through the specifics of worship services, 1 Corinthians chapters 11 through 16 provides helpful information. In chapter 11 Paul covers the Lord's Supper, while in chapters 12 through 14 Paul covers spiritual gifts. In chapter 15 Paul covers the gospel, and in chapter 16 he focuses on financial giving. A key chapter, however, is 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul talks about worship services being clear, orderly, edifying for believers, and understandable for nonbelievers.

Therefore, we gather in worship to glorify God, expressing his worth, and to stir us up to love and serve one another. Put simply, in worship we love God and we are stirred to love one another.

Now, with that being said, what modern paradigms do churches use when thinking through the purpose of their worship gatherings? As Glenn Packiam points out in his book The Resilient Pastor, there are three main modern church paradigms: (1) mission, (2) formation, and (3) encounter (129-135). The section below is adapted from Packiam.

3 Views on the Purpose of Worship Services

Paradigm	Emphasis	Who?
Mission	Outward; evangelism (seeing people saved)	Mainly Seeker-sensitive and Mission-minded Evangelicals
Formation	Inward; sanctification (Christians growing to become like Jesus)	Mainly Reformed
Encounter	Upward; power and presence of the Spirit (Experiencing the presence of God)	Mainly Charismatic

All three paradigms are found in Scripture. However, sometimes we can become unbiblical in our emphasis. We may exclusively emphasize one, or two, while neglecting another.

Packiam elaborates: "But if we elevate one to the detriment of the other two, we'll have problems. The image distorts. When mission becomes the only paradigm, then we believe we must reach the lost at any cost and do anything short of sin to win people to Christ. Church services become the 'showroom floor,' staff become the performers, and congregants become the sales and marketing teams . . . When formation becomes the only paradigm, we analyze every element to death and think that we can script spiritual formation. The services become catechism class, the staff become educators, and congregants become students who have little patience for anyone who is less serious than they are about the things of God . . . When encounter becomes the only paradigm, we become experience junkies in search of the next high or exhausted producers who have to make each gathering epic, all the while battling the temptation to manipulate the crowd with music and lights and image and sound. The services become 'experiences,' the staff become event producers, and congregants become consumers or radical individualists" (133-134).

Which one do you naturally lean towards? Which one do you naturally neglect?

Application

We can play our part to pursue nonbelievers, spiritual growth, and relationally connecting with God in each worship service!

Where can I learn more?

Bibliography:

- Packiam, Glenn. The Resilient Pastor: Leading Your Church in a Rapidly Changing World. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2022.

For more information:

- Allison, Gregg. Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011.

- Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994.