The Seeker Model For Worship In The American Church

For at least the last ten years, much has been made of the contemporary or "seeker" model for worship throughout the American Church. Recently, we have seen a shift in direction as many evangelicals are beginning to explore the more liturgical traditions of Roman Catholicism and other "high church" denominations. I would like to explore two questions. First, did the seeker model fail and second, what is the appeal of liturgy? As Jesus was journeying back to Galilee by way of Samaria, he stopped to rest at a spot known as “Jacob’s well” (John 4:6, NIV). It was in this moment that the living Christ had one of the most well known dialogues found in the gospels. As a woman from the region came to the well to draw water, an arduous task at best,

The practice of expression toward an Almighty God began with roots in Jewish customs and gained more structure under the Council Of Trent in the 16th century. The rituals practiced during that era became known as liturgy, which is defined as “a form or formulary according to which public religious worship, especially Christian worship, is conducted” (Webster’s). Within this practice came a certain standardized order of rites or the liturgy, which included elements of confession, exaltation, communion, and the recitation of

In the years that followed the development of the liturgical narrative, a ceremony that centered on the Eucharist, certain denominations began to shy away from such a standardized order. This included many denominations associated with the revivalism movement, a method of worship that appealed to the emotion and grew suspicious of the intellect as it reacted against the movements of deism and skepticism (CITE). By the beginning of the 20th century, battle lines were being drawn between many of the more conservative denominations and their mainline liberal counterparts over doctrinal issues such as scripture inerrancy, the role of science within faith, differences over their interpretation of eschatology, and even holiness standards. These two tracks continued on their respective paths in the decades that followed. While mainline denominations held to their liturgical roots, certain church traditions began to explore expressions of worship that included a more vibrant musical forms, less ritualistic sermon structure, and less predictable order throughout the church calendar. Rather than look toward liturgical tradition as their guide, many churches went right to the source of Church history, the book of Acts. One of the most prominent churches to rise out of this movement was Willow Creek