I have observed an uptick in stand-alone ‘worship nights’ in Australia in the 2020s—that is, Christian prayer and praise communal singing events. I hear of churches and inter-church conferences hosting special ‘worship nights’; there are even once-off inter-church events, often hosted by informal parachurch groups. These kinds of events have strong appeal among those under thirty.
In this article, I give some notes on this phenomenon, concluding with words of caution and calls for discernment.
Enjoying Singing to the Lord (and to One Another)
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)
What a pleasure it is to be together with God’s people singing songs of prayer and praise to God, and declaring the things of God to one another! How good to spend time singing, rather than spending all our time gossiping, talking about sport, playing board games or watching reels. Singing is a word ministry just like Bible reading and spoken prayer are word ministries. It is a good and edifying activity:
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. (1 Corinthians 14:26)
Passionate singing, like good preaching and warm times of fellowship, also adds emotional energy to our spiritual lives. Music can help us feel the goodness of the gospel, the heaviness of judgment, the yearning of suffering, the costliness of atonement and so on. To be engaged in this together creates a refreshing warmth for the community of God’s people, too.
Reformed evangelicals have often allowed our justified concerns about over-the-top emotion to create church cultures where experiences of and displays of emotion are discouraged. This both mutes our communal life, and also leads to a neglect of singing (and preaching to the heart and many other affective elements of Christian life and ministry). It’s unsurprising that if we don’t take care to do these things well, they lose much of their potential positive influence.[1] An enthusiastic embrace of communal singing is therefore very welcome.
There is potential value for a local church, or a wider Christian ecosystem, to give occasional concentrated time to prayer and praise, apart from the singing that already features in our church meetings and conferences.[2] Without a doubt, such singing events have the potential to bring benefits into regular church and ministry life, such as a culture of hearty congregational singing, more experienced musicians, and exposure to a wider range of songs and song arrangements.
The Attractional Power of Praise
In his first letter, Peter writes of the church:
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)
What praises does Peter have in mind? It could be the more prosaic kind, speaking of the goodness of God and his gospel, whether in sermon, testimony, or even informal conversation during the week. Peter goes on to describe our priestly activity in the world in a way that includes everyday life (1 Pet 2:12, 3:15–16). But without a doubt communal singing in our weekly gatherings also declares God’s praises, including to unbelievers who might join us. Our singing serves a similar function to the word ministry of prophecy:
But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:24–25)
A ‘worship night’ need not be restricted to those who believe the words of the songs being sung. Many unbelievers might happily attend and some might even sing along, learning gospel truths that one day they may come to believe; others may simply listen, as the crowd preaches the gospel to them in song. A night like this might, for some non-Christians, be an easier invite to accept than an invitation to a church service or evangelistic course. There is a significant history of this kind of outreach, organ and choral recitals to name just two examples.
Entrepreneurial Ministry
Sometimes communal singing springs up from the grassroots—a group gather together in the main hall of a camp to jam and sing together; someone at a large December conference invites others to join them for some late-night carolling; proactive young leaders advertise an inter-church event, and then another, until it becomes a semi-regular fixture in a city or region.
When young leaders step up and get on with ministry, we should rejoice. Here is the Spirit at work in the lives of the next generation. Here, gifts of leadership and ministry are tested and honed through trial and error. Peers begin to recognise those whom God has gifted with leadership abilities and begin to organise themselves accordingly. Fellowship is enriched and opportunities for evangelism open up. Where such initiatives are shared across churches and ministries, Christian social capital is amassed that can make the whole Christian community richer and stronger.
There are, nevertheless, some yellow flags that need to be waved, as well.
Reformed Evangelical Amnesia About What Worship Is and Isn’t
A great deal of careful theological thought and biblical study has gone into understanding the nature of Christian worship (see also David Peterson’s excellent Engaging with God and Worship by the Book, edited by Don Carson). In the New Testament, worship is not the primarily language used to describe church meetings in general or singing in particular. In the first place, Christ is our worshipper—the Great High Priest, who offers the once-for-all sacrifice on our behalf. Our worshipping response is to approach God through faith in Christ (see, Heb 9:11–14, 10:19–22). Flowing from this, then, our whole life is now lived in worship (Rom 12:1–2).
This is not to say that church meetings are not times of worship or that singing is not worship. In one sense, everything we do as we live for Christ is a part of our worship. But more than that, singing and praying; meeting in fellowship; listening to, trusting in and obeying God’s word are all conscious and deliberate acts of engaging with God in Christ by the Spirit. It’s not that singing isn’t worship. It’s just that it’s not especially worship.
It is true that there have been times when some Australian Reformed evangelicals have made too much of when and how the word worship is used. Everyday word usage also changes over time, distinct from formal theological use. Still, I am concerned that Gen Z and Gen Alpha Christians have not always been well taught in the theology outlined above, nor helped to reflect on its implications for a distinctly biblical evangelical vision for spirituality and fellowship. We can all be heavily influenced by online voices, or friends from other churches. Some Gen Z Christians might also have been discipled by millennial leaders who were themselves reacting against what they perceived as an over-reaction to charismatic music.
Concerns about worship language are especially valid where there is potential for the (sometimes unwitting) absorption of a different kind of theology and spiritual practice. There are noticeable differences between Charismatic and Pentecostal theology and practice, on the one hand, and Reformed evangelical theology and practice, on the other.[3] Powerful and pragmatic elements of another church tradition’s liturgy or spiritual stagecraft may not align comfortably with Reformed evangelical theology and spirituality. Sometimes song lyrics (and accompanying song dynamics) can be unbalanced, misleading, ambiguous, frivolous, or even heretical.
Whatever the case, it seems to me now is a good time to instruct and remind the emerging generation that Christ is our worshipper; that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our mind; that all of life is worship; and that all of church is worship… including, but not especially, the slow songs.
Risks of Informal Parachurches
Where ‘worship nights’ and events spring up informally and non-denominationally they are open to the risks of all parachurches. To whom are these events accountable? How will godliness and doctrine be guarded? How will the spiritual leadership of local churches and wider denominations be honoured? How will questions or complaints be handled? Such risks become greater the bigger, more frequent or more intense parachurch events become.
There comes a point where it is healthy for a parachurch to formalise itself: mission, doctrine, leadership, membership, partnerships and communication. Clarifying such things will also help in making sure that the parachurch activity serves the cause of the gospel
What’s the Best Use of Time and Energy?
As with any potentially good activity, it’s worth asking if it is the best thing to be doing. I am sure there are cases where ‘worship nights’ might be more popular among participants than they are useful for gospel mission. It is possible that these events may have appeal for less-than-ideal reasons—entertainment, comfort or exhilaration detached from deep religious affections.
In many (but not all) contexts singing-and-sermon makes for a better overall evening than singing-and-more-singing. If we are going to set aside the time and call together God’s people (especially the emerging generation), why wouldn’t we give significant time to instruct and exhort them from the Scriptures, as well as unite them in song? There may be a good reason not to, for this or that evening, from time to time. But the question should always be asked.
As for larger parachurch events, there are so many reasons why it makes sense, most of the time (not all of the time), to channel our energy and enthusiasm and time and money and people into those events that will teach and train. All things being equal, I am far more interested in parachurch events that are primarily about evangelism, training or deep edification, than I am in uplifting communal singing events.
I mentioned above the possibility that a ‘worship night’ might also have some attractional power, drawing in non-Christians. However, it is not enough to hope that this might be the case. The running of the event should be planned to be mindful of possible non-Christian visitors, just as a regular church service ought to be. In addition, the evangelistic reach must be assessed from time to time, not simply asserted. More, if non-Christians attend such events, but never transition to deeper engagement with the gospel in such a way that calls them to repentance and faith and the life of discipleship, then the perceived evangelistic value of these events needs to be downgraded.
Finally, as with all parachurches, care need to be given not to take keen people away from local churches. Parachurches must beware of bloating, so that they take disproportionate resources away from the vital everyday life of the church, or run in competition with pre-existing church (or even parachurch) events and programs. When parachurches manage their programming well, they add to the local church ecosystem, rather than subtract from it.
[1] Not that the music quality must be high for a time of communal singing to be a joyful and edifying noise, of course. Sincerity and expressiveness can also stir the affections, with limited musicianship and stagecraft.
[2] In this way, so-called ‘worship nights’ are similar to the mid-week (or Sunday night) prayer meeting. An additional meeting with a narrow focus, that gives some attention to an important aspect of Christian ministry.
[3] Pentecostal theology gives a very significant place to the emotional, even ecstatic, experience of God, and the special way in which the church service and church music contributes to this. Although there is great variety in Pentecostal and charismatic theology, other features can include: temple-like concepts translated to the way the church service leads believers into an experience of the presence of God; a centring of the Holy Spirit, and his activity in performing miracles, coming near in moments of tangible immanence, and manifesting in spontaneous and surprising ways; and a causal relationship between unity and intensity in corporate worship and various blessings from God.
