Blog Archives

The Goofiness of Allowing Unbelievers to Write Our Liturgy

9/21/2016

In a recent blog post Daniel Darling writes the following:

"When I was a young pastor, I was eager to find and replicate worthy ministry models. I was attracted to the church growth movement. I admired the soul-winning zeal of practioners who counseled young pastors like me to fashion their Sunday services so the “seeker” wouldn’t trip over man-made obstacles on his way to finding Jesus.

While I absorbed many of its lessons — clear communication, ministry excellence, community outreach — I began to have some questions about an approach that shapes the Sunday gathering exclusively around the unbeliever. I say “exclusively” because every pastor should have, in his mind, the image of a lost soul when he steps up to the pulpit to preach. He shouldn’t assume his audience is entirely made up of believers, and his preaching should be clear enough so the lost know how to repent and believe. Paul counseled Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist,” after all (2 Tim. 2:5).

There are, however, three vital questions to ask ourselves about our worship services.

1. What’s happening on Sunday mornings?

According to standard church growth philosophy, the Sunday gathering is the prime opportunity to invite unbelieving friends and neighbors to hear a gospel presentation. To make worship attractive, churches are encouraged to remove barriers that might offend those not fluent in Christian vocabulary.

This isn’t an entirely bad discipline. After all, our churches shouldn’t be contextualized to the 1950s if we’re living in 2016. We should hold preferences loosely in order to reach our communities for Christ (1 Cor. 9:19), and we should dream, plan, craft strategies, and spend resources for reaching the lost.

But should attractiveness to the lost be our primary guiding principle on Sunday mornings? If so, do we lose the distinct purpose for gathering with the saints? Do we forget that no amount of contextualization will make the gospel inoffensive? In his Upper Room discourse, Jesus warned his disciples of the countercultural nature of his message. And Paul knew, even after making himself “all things to all people,” that the gospel he preached would be a stumbling block, ultimately landing him in jail and leading to death.

What’s more, in our increasingly pluralistic society, I wonder if these church growth methodologies will become less effective. Studies indicate Americans are less inclined to attend worship services than they were in previous generations.
We should ask ourselves: How do we see the Sunday gathering? Do we see it as an inspirational TED Talk with good music? Or do we see it the way the New Testament does, as God’s called-out people assembling for worship and mobilizing for mission? Music styles and preaching patterns will vary, but some elements should remain fixed. Paul instructed Timothy, as the pastor of the church at Ephesus, to “devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). He also instructed the same church to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19). And our Lord Jesus entrusted to local churches the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We should not be embarrassed by the Christian language and rhythms of the Sunday gathering. We should gather with the expressed goal to declare to the world, to ourselves, and to the cosmic powers our worship of Christ as King.

Read More

To Explore this topic further....

Check out a related article written by yours truly. Also take some time to watch the video below (produced by the White Horse Inn.)

Comments

Faithful Preaching vs. Unfaithful Preaching: How to Tell the Difference

9/7/2016

Comments

“We must preach biblically, or not at all. If what I am saying is not rooted in Scripture, then, however interesting or edifying it might be, it is not preaching. Preaching is kerygma, the proclamation of what God has done in Jesus Christ. The sole source of our knowledge of what God has done comes to us through the text of Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We neither have nor require any other authority.”

- Ian Pitts-Watson
quoted by Ron Boyd-MacMillan in his book Explosive Preaching

Comments

A Beautiful Prayer

9/6/2016

Comments

Composed by Basil The Great (330-379 A.D.)
from the Orthodox Prayer Book

"O Lord Almighty, God of hosts and of all flesh, Who dwellest on high and lookest down on things that are lowly, Who searchest our hearts and innermost being, and clearly foreknowest the secrets of men; O unoriginate and everlasting Light, in Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning; Do Thou, O Immortal King, receive our supplications which we, daring because of the multitude of Thy compassions, offer Thee at the present time from defiled lips; and forgive us our sins, in deed, word, and thought, whether committed by us knowingly or in ignorance, and cleanse us from every defilement of flesh and spirit. And grant us to pass through the night of the whole present life with watchful heart and sober thought, ever expecting the coming of the bright and appointed day of Thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, whereon the Judge of all shall come with glory to reward each according to his deeds. May we not be found fallen and idle, but watching, and upright in activity, ready to accompany Him into the joy and divine palace of His glory, where there is the ceaseless sound of those that keep festival, and the unspeakable delight of those that behold the ineffable beauty of Thy countenance. For Thou art the true Light that enlightenest and sanctifiest all, and all creation doth hymn Thee unto ages of ages.
Amen."

Comments

The Goofiness of Allowing Unbelievers to Write Our Liturgy

In a recent blog post Daniel Darling writes the following:

To Explore this topic further....

Faithful Preaching vs. Unfaithful Preaching: How to Tell the Difference

A Beautiful Prayer

Composed by Basil The Great (330-379 A.D.)
from the Orthodox Prayer Book

Rev. R Crabtree

Archives

Categories

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH
228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322

© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.

The Goofiness of Allowing Unbelievers to Write Our Liturgy

In a recent blog post Daniel Darling writes the following:

To Explore this topic further....

Faithful Preaching vs. Unfaithful Preaching: How to Tell the Difference

A Beautiful Prayer

Composed by Basil The Great (330-379 A.D.)​from the Orthodox Prayer Book

Rev. R Crabtree

Archives

Categories

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH​228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322​© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.

Composed by Basil The Great (330-379 A.D.)
from the Orthodox Prayer Book

ALL SOULS REFORMED CHURCH
228 Main St Green Camp, OH 43322

© 2026 All Souls Reformed Church. All rights reserved.