Should Our Churches Participate in Special Community Worship Services?

Who knows what you'll get in ecumenical services!

Churches often struggle (rightly so) over the extent of their participation with other churches outside of their own circle of beliefs. Some churches in the community may hold beliefs about the Trinity or sexual ethics that differ from our own churches. Some pastors in the community might be notorious in affirming doctrines contrary to the historic Christian faith. Participating in community worship services for Holy Week, Thanksgiving, or Christmas may send a signal of affirmation or acceptance of their alternative views, leading to normalization of their non-traditional positions.

On the other hand, most churches want to be a part of the local community and to make their presence known to other Christians in their community. Participation usually means that their own pastors will be seen as community leaders as they step up to lead parts of the worship services. Participating churches will even take their turns hosting the special service in their own facilities, with many members of the community attending. All this may advance a church's standing in the community, encourage the church's own mission, and help stabilize the norm for Christian faith and practice.

When pros and cons are considered, there is no obviously correct choice. Some churches may think the potential outcome makes participation worth the risk, while other churches may think the potential outcomes are insufficient to justify the risk.

I pastored a church that hosted one community Lent service. The guest preacher politicized his sermon so much that I felt compelled to cut him off. Fortunately, as I was about to conjure enough courage to do so, he finished.

On the other hand, in last night's Good Friday worship service at the local Lutheran church, with 15 attending from my own church, I was so impressed that the ministers from our seven community churches could look beyond our many significant differences to engage in serious and God-honoring worship that focused on the compelling and astonishing events that culminated in the Lord of Glory giving his life for the sins of the world. It was a very positive experience for our congregation.

In addition to our reflecting upon Christ's death for our sins, our church members were exposed to worship that was very different from our own Low Church Baptist roots. It was something that we're not likely to follow on a routine basis, but we might incorporate some of those High Church worship elements from time to time. Moreover, after the service, I noticed our own church members greeting long-time friends and acquaintances from the community. Regardless of possible negatives, there were some very good things that came out of our participation in this ecumenical community worship service.