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The Element of Spontaneity
In the traditional Christian church service – Protestants and Catholics alike – one would expect to witness rehearsed prayers by the church, unified responses by the congregation, and heads buried in battered, old hymnals. Some churches, however, are breaching that stereotype and transforming the modern-day church into something new. Branching out from Colorado Springs, CO one of the world’s largest mega churches, the New Life Church, established a sister church in the streets of Denver, CO. In only two years the church, named Denver United Church, started with a small family of ten people and has grown to a tremendous size of over 1,000 regular visitors and members. They did it without having a physical church building. Instead, they meet in the Davis Auditorium of Sturm Hall at the University of Denver. But what about their church services serve their Christian so well to make it grow so quickly? It is the one thing that separates churches founded within the past two decades from older churches: their charismatic spontaneity.
Most would say that New Life Church is a leading factor in the world’s Pentecostal movement. Whether or not you believe that doesn’t change the fact that they are growing outrageously. And it’s very possible that they gave the up-and-coming Denver United Church a substantial start as a newly founded church. But if that were the case, then their first meeting would have consisted of more than ten individuals. That number includes the pastor and his family.
Their setup as a church is very similar to any other church. Their services consist of worship, communion, prayer, and ministry, just like any other church. But they have one slight difference, which is the way they lead all these aspects of a church service. That is their “charismatic spontaneity.”
Their “charismatic spontaneity” is most prevalent in their worship. Their worship leaders all stand on the stage, jumping and dancing around, while hooked up through large speakers and woofers. The service starts as the lead vocalist/pianist sets up his head microphone. At this point the congregation knows that it’s time to begin, so they stand up and follow the leader’s cues as worship ensues. The entire congregation feels comfortable enough to join the band and by the end of the service, most of the congregation is singing as loud as they can, throwing their arms in the air, and jumping all around. They set up worship in such a way that no matter who you are, you can worship however you want without fearing that the others around you will judge you negatively.
The important aspect of this rhetorical situation is the state of mind of the members of the congregation. In a religious context such as a church, the audience members are people searching for contact with a higher power. In Christianity that contact is a personal relationship with God. The best way to do so is to be allowed to celebrate that connection freely. Some people need traditions and sober ceremonies. Others need loud noise without restrictions. Both are passionate in their faith. The only important difference is that they appeal to different groups of people.
Another aspect of the presentation that makes their worship so powerful rhetorically is their ability to elevate it to a level comparable to any rock concert. They have loud speakers, keyboards, electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, and vocalists, all of whom are as young as a rock star would be. The fact that the church isn’t rooted in its own building also adds to the atmosphere of a rock concert.
With so many churches fitting into a standard mold of the modern-day church, it wasn’t varied enough to appeal to a larger group of people. So, when a church like Denver United establishes itself as something new and makes an effort to appeal to a different crowd, then that church will grow in numbers substantially. There aren’t many churches like it to stand in its way. The combination of the atmospheric elements and casual encouragement gives a newer generation a chance to shape the church into something far more evolved than what the church used to be. Of course, not all people will attend churches like Denver United, but Denver United is the start of a new kind of church that will appease a new type of Christian.
By no means do I wish to make it seem as if the worship at the Denver United Church is discombobulated. In fact, worship at this new kind of church is much more similar to the worship of older, more traditional churches than its initial first impression. Worship at the older churches usually means a congregation of people standing together and praising God through one song. Besides the genre of music and, in most cases, the average age of the congregation, worship at the Denver United Church isn’t much different. The congregation of Denver United stands together and sings praises to God, just like traditional churches. You will even see people raising their arms during older church services. The younger generation of churchgoers might see a church like Denver United as more charismatic, since its style of music and energy level are much more appealing. That is the answer to why Denver United is growing so rapidly: it makes a stronger appeal to the younger, larger generation of Christians than older, traditional churches.
My composition uses tiny elements here and there to represent this spontaneity. It starts off with a string orchestra arrangement of the melody from Awesome God (originally composed by Rich Mullins), without the assistance of rock influences. This beginning represents the setting of the older churches and the sounds they create through their hymns. Then, it builds from that same melody and starts adding instruments more typical to a rock band. The guitar solo adds that spark of spontaneity and extra energy in the Denver United Church. The piece ends with the melody played by just the cello section accompanied by a more mellow drum beat, in representation of the time of reflection and prayer often established in the younger churches.
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