CHAPTER 7 - THE BEAUTY OF WORSHIP IN THE SMALL CHURCH

Back when I was a youngster living in Bishopville, SC in the 1950's, when we went to church, it was said that we were going to "Sunday School" and then to "Preaching." We didn't call our 11:00 am service a "worship" or a "celebration" service. It was just known as "Preaching."

Today, most of us now go to "worship" service instead of "Preaching." I understand the change of emphasis and for the most part, I agree with it. However, I love the balance of worship in most of our small churches between music and the proclamation of God's Word.

In some churches, it is not unusual to spend twenty to thirty minutes singing praise and worship songs in rapid succession. If that is what some churches wish to do, then God bless them, however, I believe that "worship" is more than music.

I must admit that I prefer the worship style of most small churches. That style goes something like this: welcome and announcements, call to worship by the choir, pastor prays, church sings two hymns, ushers take up tithes and offering, church sings the doxology as the offering plates are brought back to the Lord's Supper table, church sings another hymn, choir sings a musical selection, the pastor preaches a sermon, pastor gives the invitation, church sings an invitation hymn, pastors prays, worship service is over.

In this more traditional style of worship, the preaching of God's Word is central. As a pastor, I believe that the preaching of God's Word is very important. The preaching of God's Word accomplishes His purposes (Isa. 55:11), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The worship in the small church continues to place the proclamation of God's Word as the focal point of the service and rightly so.

Music is also important in the worship in the small church. Usually the music in a small church consists of a piano, maybe a organ, and a small choir of 10-15 people. Most of the choir members do not know how to read music and repetitive practice is the order of the hour for most choir practices. Typically, the choir director is a volunteer or at best a part-time paid director. In some cases, the pastor also directs the choir. I did this in the first small church I pastored.

The music in the small church is not professionally produced like many larger churches and the sound can be something less than pleasing to the ear. However, the music in the small church is a true offering of worship. The musicians and the singers are not performers. They are giving the very best they have to the Lord in honest efforts to serve Him. I love to hear the raw sounds of the small church worship team because it represents God's people lifting up their voices in praise and adoration to Him. Nowhere in Holy Scripture are we told to praise Him with only professional musicians and professional singers. Let all the earth praise Him! The worship of the small church is an exercise of God's people giving Him the very best they have in unfettered worship.

Finally, the worship of the small church is beautiful because it is reverent. No one would dare do anything to get attention for themselves in the small church. Humility is highly valued in the small church. Oftentimes some will joke about the "frozen chosen" in our churches. What they do not understand is the high value that the small church places on reverence. Deacons and their wives are instructed to be reverent (1 Tim. 3:8, 11). Men and women in the church are exhorted to be reverent (Tit. 2:2-3). A happy man is described as reverent (Prov. 28:14). God's messengers are described as reverent (Mal. 2:5). God's people are to reverence His sanctuary (Lev. 19:30; 26:2). God is to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be held in reverence by those in attendance (Ps. 89:7). Acceptable service to God is that which is done in reverence (Heb. 12:28). In the small church, jumping around and holding up one's hands is looked upon as unreverent and attention-seeking. God is the focus of worship in the small church and not the antics of the people who are worshiping.


The reverent worship of the small church is beautiful. Reverent worship is just as biblically valid as more outwardly expressive forms of worship employed by other churches. Praise be to God for the reverence of the small church.