Defining Worship Styles

Most music tends to follow certain stylistic characteristics that allow us to group it into a category or genre. There always seem to be exceptions, and often you cannot get people to agree as to what style music written in the past twenty years would fall. I hope that this helps you to understand what people are talking about when they discuss worship from Classical to Emergent church.

• Classical/Liturgical – this does not only refer to music written in the Classical Period (1750-1825), but also refers to a style of worship. It may use music of composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms or Bernstein for choral anthems, but most of the congregational worship includes hymns written prior to the 1800s. Much use of strict liturgies (Preludes, Postludes, Lord’s Prayer recited, Creeds recited, Responsive Readings, Doxologies, etc.). Hymns such as “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” or “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” would be common. Hymns are often based on teaching the faith of each particular religious group.
• Traditional – similar to the Classical/Liturgical, but with less focus on the classical music or recitations. Often has a strong basis on traditions of the individual church (e.g. church has always had a New Year’s Eve Watch Night service, and, even though only three people ever come anymore, the deacons are adamant that this tradition must continue). Would typically include only hymns written prior to the mid 1900s. Hymns would often deal more with singing about God and His relationship to humans.
• Gospel – an exclusively American style of music from the 1930s on which was greatly influenced by Jazz, African-American folk music and songs from the Methodist Camp Ground Revival Songs. These services are often lively and informal and may include hymns by Fannie Crosby, Philip Bliss, Ira Sankey, etc., but would focus largely on music made popular by Gospel artists since the mid 20th Century to the present. It may also include more modern gospel choruses by composers such as Bill Gaither, John W. Petterson, etc. Songs are more emotional in content and often discuss as longing for heaven.
• Blended – worship which includes a variety of styles in an attempt to provide something for everyone. Music more often includes Traditional hymns with use of Gospel and Contemporary choruses. Some churches blend these together in medleys of songs, while others provide slots for each style (i.e. 15 minutes of Contemporary Praise and Worship music followed by 2-3 Traditional hymns. The service style is often based largely on the Traditional format until the “blend” starts to lean more toward a majority of Contemporary music.
• Contemporary – this is the most misunderstood style of worship. Contemporary music is not actually current worship music, but refers to music from the 1980s and 1990s primarily. This style of music was made popular by such artists and composers as Sandi Patti, Michael W. Smith, Twila Paris, etc. However, most churches which advertise a Contemporary Worship service do not actually mean this. This music included a large number of Scripture songs as well as songs written as if the singer were singing to God rather than about God. Music was often upbeat and focused on praising God as individuals and congregations.
• Modern – this worship style is more reflective of the average “Contemporary Service.” Often referred to as Praise and Worship music, songs would be mainly those written in the 1990s and contain many written in the past 3-5 years. The more recent music is often much more reflective in nature focusing on worship more so than praise (songs such as “The Heart of Worship,” “Above All,” and “Breathe” are reflective of this style). Many modern worship songs have returned to a more hymn-like style with multiple verses and choruses (called stanzas and refrains in hymns).
• Seeker – this music is based entirely on what the church believes will reach the lost in their area. Music is reflective of popular music heard on radio stations whether Rock, Pop or Country Pop. The idea is to make the non-Christian feel comfortable in the service so that they do not feel threatened by unusual liturgies and “churchy” music. Songs are often very simple to learn and often repetitive with more focus on listening to a group sing than on actually feeling as though you have to sing yourself. Most “Seeker” churches utilize music from the past 1-3 years and often perform songs written by their own people. Churches such as Willow Creek or Saddleback are leaders in this style of worship.
• Emergent – The emergent church arose in the late 20th Century as a reaction to the perceived influence of modernism in Western Christianity. The “Emergent” church seeks to deconstruct and reconstruct Christianity as its mainly Western members live in a postmodern culture. The music is often some of the most recently recorded songs during the past few years. Many “Emergent” churches appear to include more liturgical aspects than any other modern style, somewhat like a return to the Classical worship with modern music.