Reclaiming Corporate Worship

Oct 1

Written By Leading Worship Well | Spencer Cormany

For some reason, it seems to me, that there has been a growing misunderstanding of corporate worship in the modern church. Corporate worship has become synonymous with having a personal worship experience in a corporate setting.

We get together in the same room with other believers, find our own space, close our eyes, and try our hardest to connect with God. And there's nothing wrong with personal worship. But, we can do that at home. We don't need the church for that. In fact, we SHOULD be doing that, not just on Sundays, but all throughout the week.

But, when we gather as a church, we have an added responsibility and privilege of connecting with, not only God, but the people around us as well.

See Ephesians 5:19 where Paul insists we "be filled with the Spirit, speaking TO ONE ANOTHER with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit." And to "sing and make music from your heart TO THE LORD."

There is a duality in corporate worship that is oft-missing from today's worship gatherings. There is such a focus on personal worship that we miss out on our responsibility to each other.

Corporate worship is not just personal worship experienced alongside other believers. It is worship experienced to the BENEFIT of other believers.

And, I believe that it is this fundamental misunderstanding of what happens when we worship together, that attributes to the consumerism many blame as the root of the problem. In other words, consumerism is the byproduct of a misunderstanding of the purpose of corporate worship. And this misunderstanding is reinforced time and time again until the church believes that consumerism is the only option they have in corporate worship.

It is, after all, easier to communicate the desire for COMFORTABILITY on a Sunday morning than it is to communicate RESPONSIBILITY.

We'll discuss ways we can be a part of reclaiming corporate worship in a future post.

I just wanted to bring this idea to your attention, and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.