mgpcpastor's blog

Ligon Duncan on the principles of worship in the reformed tradition.

…I would submit, that if we look at the outline of worship supplied by the historic Reformed practice, and follow it, we will have an order and content for public worship that is more substantial and biblical than that which is offered as the alternative in many evangelical churches (and, of course, high church liturgical ones as well). Because, their first concern was for worship to be biblical, whereas we are often asking different questions.
Interestingly (and perhaps ironically), I have found a great attraction among the younger generations to historic reformed worship. Over the years, I have encountered droves of young people burned out on the “every Sunday a pep rally” kind of worship that is ubiquitous our there. I find them deeply attracted to the reverence and substance of the historic reformed order. Now, the reason the reformed approach public worship they way we do is not because it is “more effective” in attracting the younger generations, but because we think it is biblical. But I mention this, because often advocates of changing what we do in public worship in order to attract seekers will say of historic worship practice: “it doesn’t work anymore,” “the young people won’t come,” “people are looking for something fresh,” etc.
Indeed, having pastored a traditional Presbyterian congregation for almost 18 years, I can attest that young people coming to us from other denominational traditions with worship practices that were shaped explicitly with the aim of attracting young people, when asked why they have come to our church, they almost invariably say “the preaching (expositional, theological, Gospel proclamation) and the approach to public worship (simple, substantial, reverent, historic, biblical).

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