Culture - the values and rules of a society or group Church culture should be underpinned by fundamental beliefs like salvation by atonement, the authority of the Bible, and other scriptural values. There is a wide variety of "expression" of this that would commonly be found between different nations and denominations/styles of worship. God made a huge variety of plants and animals, many of which are very specialized for the environment in which they live. Diversity amongst humans can have positive aspects, the church was designed to have different functions, like the human body (1 Corinthians 12 v12-27). Absolute uniformity does not appear to be part of Gods plan, unity definitely is! (Psalm 133) (John 17 v20-23) What is important is to respect others, exercise sensitivity, and to "agree to disagree disagreeably" on differences. The practical outworking of this sometimes needs creative solutions! I recently took part in an interesting survey on causes of disunity in local congregations. Half of the group reported problems with choice of and volume of music, the remaining issues were about minor details like tea and coffee. In this survey of local Christians we did not find any theological arguments, just cultural ones. Different styles of worship in churches allow people to enter in to worship in a way that is meaningful to them. Worship is expressing our love and awe for God, flowing from our relationship with Him. One of my favourite scriptures is Deuteronomy 6 v 5, which speaks of expressing our love for God with our entire being. This means spirit, soul and body, our soul includes our mind will and emotions. I have personally felt very restricted in expressing worship in "traditional" services, finding it hard to fully express the extent of my love for the Lord. I would also accept that the free expressive worship that I enjoy would not be helpful for everyone. When using dance in worship, the type of church "culture" you are in is likely to affect what is appropriate for you to do. It is very important to have the backing of the church leadership for your ministry. If you can introduce dance in a way that is complimentary to the culture of the church, you are more likely to be successful. It is very important that the congregation can enter into worship in a meaningful way, either through dancing themselves or the message portrayed by a presented piece. People dislike change because they find it threatening, so if "new" ideas incorporate some familiar elements, they are easier to accept on a cultural level. I have explained some of the reasons why people object to dance in worship in dealing with objections to dance. It is essential to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who knows all things and can direct us according to his will. He has shown me when and how to introduce dance, where to exercise patience and sensitivity, and when to step out boldly. |
CULTURE IN THE CHURCH |
Culture - the values and rules of a society or group Church culture should be underpinned by fundamental beliefs like salvation by atonement, the authority of the Bible, and other scriptural values. There is a wide variety of "expression" of this that would commonly be found between different nations and denominations/styles of worship. God made a huge variety of plants and animals, many of which are very specialized for the environment in which they live. Diversity amongst humans can have positive aspects, the church was designed to have different functions, like the human body (1 Corinthians 12 v12-27). Absolute uniformity does not appear to be part of Gods plan, unity definitely is! (Psalm 133) (John 17 v20-23) What is important is to respect others, exercise sensitivity, and to "agree to disagree disagreeably" on differences. The practical outworking of this sometimes needs creative solutions! I recently took part in an interesting survey on causes of disunity in local congregations. Half of the group reported problems with choice of and volume of music, the remaining issues were about minor details like tea and coffee. In this survey of local Christians we did not find any theological arguments, just cultural ones. Different styles of worship in churches allow people to enter in to worship in a way that is meaningful to them. Worship is expressing our love and awe for God, flowing from our relationship with Him. One of my favourite scriptures is Deuteronomy 6 v 5, which speaks of expressing our love for God with our entire being. This means spirit, soul and body, our soul includes our mind will and emotions. I have personally felt very restricted in expressing worship in "traditional" services, finding it hard to fully express the extent of my love for the Lord. I would also accept that the free expressive worship that I enjoy would not be helpful for everyone. When using dance in worship, the type of church "culture" you are in is likely to affect what is appropriate for you to do. It is very important to have the backing of the church leadership for your ministry. If you can introduce dance in a way that is complimentary to the culture of the church, you are more likely to be successful. It is very important that the congregation can enter into worship in a meaningful way, either through dancing themselves or the message portrayed by a presented piece. People dislike change because they find it threatening, so if "new" ideas incorporate some familiar elements, they are easier to accept on a cultural level. I have explained some of the reasons why people object to dance in worship in dealing with objections to dance. It is essential to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who knows all things and can direct us according to his will. He has shown me when and how to introduce dance, where to exercise patience and sensitivity, and when to step out boldly. |
