On a recent Sunday in a Nazarene church in a midwestern city, a young man home from college sang a solo. Just as he finished and the pastor approached the pulpit to preach, a woman in the choir asked, “Could he sing it again?” So, after the soundtrack was rewound, the song was repeated. About two dozen gathered at the altar for prayer. This was followed by forty-five minutes of testimonies. Dismissal was a half hour later than usual.

Spontaneity has long been accepted in the Nazarene worship format. While an incident like the one described is not routine, neither is it unusual. The essence and spirit of Nazarene worship stems from revivalism and the life of the camp meetings that flourished during the nineteenth century. Continue Reading…

What if every word you spoke and sang at home, in the car, in rehearsal and in performance was recorded? Then, at the end of the day you would be given an evaluation of how you did in areas with your tone quality, appropriate volume, clarity of your words, use of breath and more. Would that change the way you use your voice?

For some, the very possibility of being recorded and evaluated would lead to paranoia, not to mention less speaking and singing. For most, however, it should give birth to a fun, challenging and very fulfilling game called, “I will prepare mentally and physically before I open my mouth.” Continue Reading…

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, congregational song has been an important part of the worship service; and for much of Church history, the primary instrument utilized was the unaccompanied human voice. Since the Middle Ages, the addition of musical instruments for accompaniment to the human voice has increasingly diminished the role of a cappella congregational singing. And today, in the ever-changing landscape of modern Church music–whether traditional, contemporary or an convergence of styles–there seems to be little room for the chorus of human voices, unaccompanied by any instrument, singing together in worship of God.  What is the importance of unaccompanied singing in the worship community? Why has this ancient form been virtually lost in modern practice, and can it be restored in the context of 21st century Christianity? These timely questions must be asked, and then answered satisfactorily, if the Church desires to corporately worship Almighty God in a more meaningful and excellent way. Continue Reading…

Arguing from tradition, apostolic practice, and a theology of covenant, John Wesley insisted on infant baptism as the ordinary means of salvation consisting of both outer sacrament and inner regeneration. To adults, however, he also preached the possibility of a conscious conversion, an experience of inward regeneration that may not necessarily be tied to the sacrament. Wesley’s understanding of baptism not only formed the basis for the Methodist movement, but also contributed to a variety of Holiness denominations, which, in turn, contributed to the early twentieth-century Pentecostal movement.

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Worship services in Church of the Nazarene congregations feature an extensive amount of music, most of which consists of nineteenth-century gospel songs and contemporary praise choruses. Choral and vocal solo selections are as important as congregational singing. Many congregations are currently eagerly seeking worship renewal, often borrowing practices from either liturgical or charismatic traditions.

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Although rooted in the Holiness tradition, Nazarene worship has been influenced in its historical development by the revivalistic approach to worship. Revivalism has been directed toward both initial salvation and complete sanctification. Recently Nazarene worship has been moving in two directions: one segment of the church is seeking to redeem its Wesleyan and Anglican roots while another segment is striving to displace the revivalistic form with a praise-and-worship style.

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A glimpse of the church’s life in the earliest stages is provided in Acts 2:42, which states that the Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These categories in general continue to characterize the church’s activities throughout the New Testament period.

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