I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the dry institutional deadness of much of what I see on offer in my local church each Sunday.
But I've also become more and more intolerant of the noisy unstructured mayhem which passes for worship in many 'renewed' churches.I've been wondering if it's some kind of mid-life Christian crisis, or if it's something to do with my own development as a Christian.
Strangely enough, however, the more I've mentioned it to my Christian friends the more concerned I've become. It seems that a lot of Christians are feeling just the same as me.
Many twentieth century Christians look back to the hymns of Wesley, the gospel songs of Sankey, the brass bands of Booth, or the praise music of Kendrick as their 'definitive' experience of worship. But none of these niche worship cultures seem to meet my need.
Some say that true worship is only to be found at Spring Harvest, Stoneleigh or Easter People. I believe, however, that the church of the new millennium needs to draw from a much wider spectrum of worship resources. I've come to the conclusion that it would be all the richer if it could tap into a much more diverse range of traditions.
Post modernism is all about a re-discovery of roots, and I believe that the church needs to come to appreciate the richness of its heritage and to connect with the mystery of its ancient worship culture. I'm anticipating that the coming years will see a growth of interest in traditional liturgy, ancient prayers, the beauty of silence and the flickering aura of candlelight.
Dr. Eddie Gibbs formerly a lecturer in church planting at the Fuller School of World Mission, has returned to pastoral ministry as a curate in the parish with the world's most salubrious post-code, Beverley Hills 902101. He points out that his parishioners, who are the stars of the movie industry and the culture shapers of America, are looking for spiritual roots and for time to reflect and be still.
Gibbs questions whether much of our busy contemporary worship is relevant to the newly emerging post-modern culture. The church of the new millennium will recognise that its worship must be closely connected to the rich and diverse heritage of its ancient past.A church without a sense of the past has no roots. Though I acknowledge that it can't live on tradition and it won't survive if it lets the past dominate. The church's rich heritage of liturgy needs to be re-discovered with its oft-repeated words full of meaning.
