Influenced By Conservative Style of Worship

Preaching in St. Stephen's Parish for the last three months has allowed me to experience a different kind of worship service.  It seems too box and conservative and yet I observe that participation of worship is more evident than conservative attitude in a modern, hi-tech and innovative worship in the Filipino-Chinese community.

I was able to remember how we use to worship in the old sanctuary in my church.  And there has quite many resemblances and flashback on their worship with ours.  I think our church was trying to cope up with the changes of time but was not able to do so due to many areas we failed to educate our congregation as well as we have too many senior citizens in our third service that has confused the whole worship ministry.  We were not able to create a clear picture on how our worship and liturgy needs to be done.  This is beside the lack of pastoral leadership.  What I mean in pastoral leadership is its lack of pastor's idea, concept and identity on the liturgy for such particular worship service that can effectively minister to our congregational age and needs.  Even the pastors are confused how to do about the worship.

I have observed that whenever we have big celebrations and going back to our conservative style of worship service like what happened yesterday during Sacred Music Sunday.  Many people commented that they were so much blessed with the whole worship service.  This can only mean, that the main congregation would really love the conservative style of worship but this worship is being managed by contemporary people.

The solution I think is that the leadership needs to take another look on their personal theology and philosophy of worship. If it does match with the present needs of the congregation in order to effectively minister to our people, then they are in the wrong worship service but if they do match, then we have to enhance our learning on the so called conservative worship and be able to bring our people to worship God in spirit and in truth.