Charismatic churches often began in a reaction against the formalism of historic denominations, and the charismatic movement as a whole has shown little interest in any parts of the traditional Christian year outside of Christmas and Easter. However, many of these churches have begun to recover aspects of the Old Testament festal calendar, and there is renewed interest in the historic Christian calendar as well.
Observance of the traditional Christian year has been all but ignored by the churches in the charismatic tradition, with the exception of the special celebration of the Christmas and Easter seasons. As Christians from various traditions encountered the work of the Holy Spirit in a charismatic way, many clustered themselves into new fellowships and left the Christian year behind. They preferred an open, informal format with little or no structure so that the Spirit would move in whichever direction he wished, regardless of the liturgical season. Many new charismatics who had exited denominations that observed the traditional liturgical calendar rejected it as part of their former church’s “dead form.”
In their newfound freedom, however, these charismatic fellowships began to introduce new “seasons” of their own. These seasons were built around the preaching topics or ministry emphases of the local church, such as spiritual gifts, healing, praise, and worship, the end times, the prophetic church, the family, evangelism and outreach, building programs, and so on. The church would focus on these concerns and emphases for several weeks through various means: preaching, worship choruses, special times of prayer, conferences, and visiting speakers or ministries.
The charismatic community has continually valued the “now word” or rhema of God in addition to the Word or logos. As a result, flexibility to the movement of the Spirit has been the watchword, even in the midst of a special series or emphasis. God is given the opportunity to reveal his in-season word for the church, the word that speaks to the need of the hour and the current work the Lord is doing in the body, both locally and globally.
The principal celebrations of Christmas and Easter often involve special cantatas or musical-dramatic productions with a primary focus on evangelism and outreach to the community. Some churches are locally or regionally known for these large-scale productions that run for several nights and draw many from outside the congregation. One such church, Full Faith Church of Love in Kansas City, has in recent years offered the same program every Easter season, “Behold the Lamb.” With a large cast, extensive costuming, and elaborate special effects, this event reaches many people with the message of Jesus Christ.
While distancing themselves from the concept of following a liturgical year, many charismatic churches have adopted the celebration of some Jewish feasts. Charismatics have been especially interested in the types and models of the Old Testament, including the spiritual and prophetic significance of the Israelite feasts—a fascination that has led these churches to be more predisposed to celebrating the festivals of the Old Covenant instead of many of the traditional Christian year. The tabernacle/temple model of worship, with its progression from the outer court through the sanctuary into the holiest place and the proliferation of Messianic congregations have been other factors leading to an interest in the biblical festal calendar. Some charismatic churches have celebrated Passover meals and the Jewish Pentecost in an effort to understand the Hebraic roots of Christianity. Each year in October, thousands of worshipers from around the world gather in Jerusalem for the Christian Feast of Tabernacles, a festival noted for its outstanding music, colorful dance, and high pageantry. Some local churches in North America have also begun to schedule an annual Feast of Tabernacles, a time of heightened celebration of the Lord’s glory in praise and worship, incorporating dance and other worship arts.
Resistance to following the traditional liturgical year is still quite strong in charismatic circles. Most leaders fear that recovery of traditional seasons and days would reintroduce “dead form” to the church. One charismatic pastor who became part of a branch of the historic church responded to this concern by noting that “form isn’t dead or alive, it’s either true or false; people are dead or alive!”
In recent years a few celebrations, in addition to Christmas and Easter, have begun to be integrated into charismatic worship. Maundy Thursday observances of the Lord’s Supper have become more and more common; some churches have used a dramatic reenactment of the Last Supper as a tool in evangelistic outreach. Pentecost is now being observed in some congregations with banners, pageantry, and dance in celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the body of Christ.
For several reasons, pastors have begun to seriously consider the use of a Christian calendar in worship, as well as other aspects of a more traditional liturgy. They have seen their churches becoming lethargic, with members wondering, “Is this all there is to the Christian life?” People from all segments of the charismatic community are expressing concern to their leaders about a lack of stability and safety in their walk with God, and the need for more substance in their pursuit of a relationship with the Lord. While these concerned worshipers are often unable to articulate exactly what they need, many leaders are identifying a desire to return to the traditional values of the early church while not surrendering the emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. The implementation of a Christian calendar is one movement within the church that is beginning with the clergy. The laity, for their part, are responding in many places with a new enthusiasm for the pattern of the church year, especially where pastors take the time for adequate teaching on the meanings and practices of each season.
The International Worship Symposium, led by its directors, Barry Griffing, Steve Griffing, Larry Dempsey, and David Fisher, has begun to incorporate teaching about the church year into its worship conferences, in the belief this practice needs to be recovered. One of the difficulties encountered is the shortage of people within the charismatic community who are familiar with the church year and able to bridge the gap between traditional practice and the newfound interest among charismatic worshipers.
Another factor inhibiting recovery of the liturgical year is the lack of appropriate music in contemporary worship-chorus style. During the Christmas season, for example, many churches seem to abandon their distinctive praise-and-worship format for conventional Christmas carols, resulting in a disconcerting shift in the ambiance and thrust of worship. Charismatic composers need to address this deficiency by creating new music for the various Christian festivals.
Some charismatic leaders are rediscovering the Christian year through personal devotions. They have discovered that a certain amount of structure has added vitality to their individual spiritual life. In the 1970s, the use of The Book of Common Prayer was instilled in many students at Oral Roberts University by then-campus chaplain Bob Stamps. As these men and women went out into prominent ministries, this practice went with them and was passed along to others. In the BCP and the Common Lectionary, these charismatic believers discovered an antidote to lack of organization in their personal worship. Since the lectionary readings are based around the traditional church year, the idea of a “year of grace” falls into place through the use of such tools. From their personal pilgrimage through the year in daily devotions, many charismatic Christians have become aware of the value for the whole church in experiencing this journey.