Worship in the Evangelical Free Church of America is based on the evangelical revivalist tradition, but in recent years some congregations have shown a remarkable inclination for innovation. Praise singing is now used in addition to traditional gospel hymnody. Some congregations also make use of technological advances in lighting, computers, and sound system design.
From its inception through the 1950s (the period in which it arrived at its present form), the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) offered worship services in the evangelical-revivalist tradition, with elements from its Norwegian and Swedish heritage. Examples of these services abounded in the Chicago area, where gospel radio station WMBI exerted considerable influence. EFCA pastors-in-training at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the EFCA seminary near Chicago, carried the influence throughout the denomination. Consequently, though lacking denominational worship statements or materials, a common approach to worship existed throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
The denomination has continued to be influenced by current trends in music. In response to church music publishers’ materials, churches have developed age-graded choirs, orchestras, and handbell choirs. Song repertoire for soloists, choirs, and congregations has mirrored the music of popular gospel recording artists, changing styles with the passing times.
Stirrings toward more radical changes through the 1980s received focus at the 1991 National Conference when incoming President Paul Cedar announced that worship would be the topic for the 1993 Conference. What previously was uncritically accepted was now to be examined and modeled.
Services of the Lord’s Table have been little touched by a recent change. They continue primarily as monthly memorials or remembrances, though with increasing variety in the manner of serving the elements. Services of the Word, on the other hand, evidence growing inclusiveness and variety of content. In a typical seventy-five-minute service, a theme derived from the sermon text or Scripture lesson (which may be the only Scripture passage read) will climax in a thirty-five-minute Bible teaching. Items frequently mentioned as innovations include:
- Platform leadership provided by a small worship team of singers and occasionally praise bands.
- Increased use of musical instruments and musical styles influenced by the world of entertainment.
- More flexibility in the order of service, often including additional music.
- Scheduling of several related services, sometimes with contrasting styles of expression.
- Inclusion of short dramas or dramatic readings.
- Use of song medleys, often with video projections of the text.
(This information is taken from the tabulation of a one-page questionnaire mailed in April 1992, to seventy-one EFCA churches, forty-eight of whom responded. The churches were selected because they designate worship leaders or are known to be innovative in worship. Thus the response is felt to be an accurate though the selective representation of present practices.)
The frequent use of copy machines and video projectors naturally requires reliance on Christian Copyright Licensing, Inc. (CCLI) for copyright authorization. Easy reproduction of materials undoubtedly has encouraged more praise-singing, which is dependent on a regular supply of new publications. In the survey, churches reported that a total of seventy-six hymns and established gospel songs are widely known and that one hundred and thirty-three praise songs are frequently used.
Many of the changes in worship experienced in the EFCA may be said to derive from modern technology in areas such as lighting, computers, amplified sound, and electronic media effects. Many church services are becoming like the electronic cocoons of rock concerts, presenting all-encompassing media presentations designed to lift people to ecstasy.
In spite of changes such as these, most EFCA congregations still use worship expressions strongly rooted in their evangelical-revivalist tradition. Still, some churches are consciously innovating, and others are imitating worship practices they have experienced elsewhere.
An illustration of the current diversity in worship expression can be shown in the two EFCA churches located in Indianapolis. Services in the newer, younger church use a liturgy held in a “worship center” warehouse and include praise-singing led by effective leaders. The older, more established church, on the other hand, retains more elements of the revivalist liturgy, is more dependent on the spoken materials, and is found in a more typical church building sanctuary. The worship style of each church bears a very distinctive character.
Churches throughout the EFCA tend to reflect one or the other of these tendencies. Most accept wide varieties of worship expression as appropriate reflections of the variety God shows in his creation. At the same time, there is an expectation that a new creation may be imminent.