Worship as Formation
Trinity values our corporate worship. As a church, we emphasize historically rooted worship, and we structure our worship service so it is liturgical and accessible. Those who are new to Trinity are often curious about our worship service. The best way to respond to this curiosity is to highlight the distinction between a functional view of worship and a formational view of worship.
Christian worship can be understood and practiced in different ways depending on one's theological and cultural background. While we tend to think of worship in terms such as ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’, these refer to worship styles; here we ask a slightly different question: “what does worship DO?” It’s easy to see that some churches view worship in terms of its functionality, while others emphasize worship as formation. While both perspectives seek to honor and glorify God, they have different emphases and goals.
The functional view of Christian worship prioritizes the practical benefits of worship for individuals and communities. This perspective sees worship as a means to achieve certain outcomes, such as evangelism, discipleship, healing, and social transformation. This approach will tend to be concerned with questions such as: “How engaging is the message?” And “What style of music will be most attractive?” In the functional view, worship should be relevant, engaging, and responsive to the needs of the congregation and the world. In the functional view, humans are the audience, those leading are the performers, and God is the director in worship. The effectiveness of worship is measured by its ability to draw people in and by its influence in their lives.
The formational view of Christian worship, on the other hand, emphasizes the transformative power of worship on the worshiper's character and identity. Rather than simply focusing on the practical outcomes of worship, the formational view places greater emphasis on the way worship shapes the spiritual and theological dimensions of individuals and communities over time. Here worship is grounded in the biblical narrative and the historic traditions of the church. The goal of worship is not primarily to accomplish something immediately in the life of individuals, but to become someone who more fully reflects the image of Christ.
Central to the formational view is the belief that worship has the power to profoundly transform the worshiper and the community from the inside out. In practice this often leads to a more liturgical worship structure. “Liturgy” means “work of the people,” so it is something we all do together. We believe that the words we say together, the Scripture we read, the creeds we confess, and the songs we sing shape our hearts and minds over time. This isn't rote repetition or going through the motions, but rather forms habits that grow our “spiritual muscle memory,” giving us prayers and words to fall back on when our own words escape us.
In the formational view of worship, God is the audience–the One who receives our worship. The congregation plays the role of performers–those gathered to offer worship to God. And those who lead in worship are the directors, prompting the congregation to worship. In this way worship is about encountering God together, entering into conversation with the Almighty, rather than about an individual emotional experience or intellectual exercise. While not neglecting that we come to worship as individuals, the formational view also emphasizes the communal aspect of worship. It acknowledges that worship is a collective gathering of the body of Christ. The worshiping community becomes a sacred space where believers support and encourage one another, sharing in the joys and struggles of the faith journey. Through shared worship practices, believers are formed into a unified and compassionate community that bears witness to the love and grace of God.
There are certainly practical considerations to be made in the formational approach to worship, and of course those who tend towards a functional view would affirm the formational reality of worship as well. At Trinity our hope is to emphasize the formational reality of worship and allow formational concerns to guide our practical considerations. A formational view of worship sets a tone of reverence and expectation, knowing that through this sacred practice, we are being shaped and formed into the likeness of Christ. Worship becomes not just a means to an end, but an end in itself—a spiritual discipline and means of grace that nurtures and sustains our faith, and empowers us to live out God-given our calling in the world. Each week as we gather, we are being built into a temple together, whose builder and maker is God.