Spiritual Versus Aesthetic Worship

Dan Dick,former director of research at Discipleship Ministries, has pulled together some interesting information regarding factors that affect worship. The information was culled from research done by different groups: Woolever and Bruce, 2004 (Presbyterian Church); Cody and Dace, 2002-2004 (National Council of Churches); Barna Research Institute, 2001-2002; Alban Institute, 2003; Natural Church Development, 2004; American Demographics, 2002; and Primedia, 2001-2004.

The studies identified ten factors that affect worship, and these factors were measured based on size of congregation. These factors fall within two main categories: spiritual and aesthetic.

Spiritual Factors

• Presence of God
• Sense of mystery
• Inspiration
• Motivation to personal growth
• Focus on God

The spiritual factors tend to be more important in smaller congregations than in larger. The focus on God and the experience of God decreases as size increases. Larger churches have more going on, and their worship is "busier." Larger churches allow for anonymity. Large-church preachers draw more illustrations from culture — television, movies, books, magazines; while small-church preachers draw more on real, daily life experiences of the people. Smaller churches are more likely to connect worship with people's daily lives, while larger churches are less likely to ask people to change their lives based on their faith. Large churches focus on people's needs; small churches focus on people's relationship to God. A prominent large-church message might be, "God loves you as you are — stop feeling guilty." Inspiration in worship remained important to both large and small churches. African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-Latino churches pay more attention to spiritual factors than to aesthetic factors.

Aesthetic Factors

• Experience of joy
• Level of engagement
• Overall enjoyment
• Quality of music
• Importance of preaching

Overall enjoyment of the worship service, music, and preaching are significantly more important factors in large churches than in small ones. Large churches are more concerned with "exciting worship" that will bring people back. Music is the most important factor in large-church worship, even more important than preaching and the senior pastor. Worshipers in smaller churches are more engaged. Large churches do more for people than with them. People are more active and engaged in worship in smaller churches. Large churches report a significantly higher level of boredom in worship, as well as a lower frequency of worship attendance. Both large- and small-church worship research indicates that the experience of joy is something that people bring with them to worship rather than something that is created by worship. Worshipers in all styles of worship — traditional, liturgical, informal, contemplative, high-energy praise, and others — express the experience of joy. Fast-growing churches pay more attention to aesthetic than to spiritual factors.

Are there exceptions to these conclusions? Are there churches that don't align with them? Of course there are, and yours may be one of them. But these factors provide us with some tools for evaluating and planning worship services for our own congregations. Most churches intentionally pay attention to all these factors — spiritual and aesthetic — as they plan, lead, and experience worship weekly.

For a related article, see "Small Church Primer: Strengths, Weaknesses, Worship, and Music in the Small-Membership Church."