Elements vs. Circumstances of Worship: What's the Difference?

For many folks in the Western church, worship is pretty straightforward:

Arrive to the church mid-morning, open the service with a couple of songs, hear a sermon, participate in prayer, close out with a few more songs—BANG. BOOM. Done.

In this view, we define worship by sequence of actions or processes, and most folks would call these "elements" of worship.

But historically, this hasn't always been viewed this way. There's even been arguments and division over what makes an "element" of worship and how they should be practiced in a worship service.

Let's dig into it.

Two Key Terms

Theologians and scholars have divided our actions and processes in a worship into two distinct, yet connected categories: elements and circumstances. Here's how they are typically defined:

• Elements: The essential components of worship, such as prayer, singing, preaching, and the sacraments.

• Circumstances: The flexible components of worship, such as time/place, frequency, types of music making, content of preaching, written vs. extemporaneous ("off-the-cuff") prayer, etc.

To make it simple: It's essential to incorporate the elements in a worship service, but how you go about doing it needs to fit the circumstances of your particular situation.

Enter: Contention

Even though the definitions are pretty straightforward, how they are applied has been a hot topic for many, many years.

For instance, if you attend an Anglican service, you'll very likely recite written prayers throughout the service. For them, the circumstance of written prayer still checks off the box of the element of prayer. But for Baptists who model key historical figures like Charles Spurgeon, extemporaneous prayer is preferred; it's considered more "full of life" rooted in a vivid, active private prayer practice.

For worship leaders and music teams, our division most often comes down to the use of instruments vs. a cappella singing, and whether not to sing songs that don't exclusively and explicitly use Scripture for their lyrics. Now, it's likely not going to happen within your particular congregation, but denominational lines have been drawn around these issues. Take the Church of Christ (I know—they don't consider themselves a formal denomination): They only practice a cappella singing, as we don't see the use of instruments in the New Testament church. Or, consider the Orthodox Presbyterian Church: They exclusively use a psalter for their singing in worship. If you're part of any mainline or evangelical denomination, you'll likely use a wider base of "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" along with any type of musical ensemble to support the singing.

There's more to these positions, namely in which principles of worship a church exercises (that's a whole 'nuther post for a different day), but for most of you reading this, this is probably the first time you've encountered the distinction between an element and a circumstance of worship; it's not something we talk about in everyday-church language.

Still, it might clear up some misunderstandings and objections (or serve to sharpen them 😬) as to why certain churches worship in particular ways, and it helps you define expectations for everybody involved.

Outside of music, another division occurs in the frequency of communion. For some churches, communion is the central act around which the service is built. For others, it's held not as frequently, either for budget reasons or to give a greater sense of spiritual/emotional emphasis by having a "communion Sunday," either once a month, one a quarter, etc.

This is a case where the lines get blurred between what is circumstantial (flexible) and what is elemental (essential). Here's where I stand on it: Personally, I prefer to partake in communion every Sunday; I miss the explicit reminder of a central tenet of the Gospel present in the sacrament. For me, reserving only one Sunday a month for communion results in a longing for that element of worship, greater than the intended feeling of appreciation I might experience on the monthly "communion Sunday."

But, I also hold submission to my church elders in high regard, and the fact that communion is still present in our overall services suffices for me. I will always advocate for communion to be present in every service, but the frequency of communion is what our elders have determined is best for our church circumstances.

So here's my takeaway: You now have a slightly deeper glimpse into a theological process of worship that goes beyond the surface. With that knowledge, you can better understand the "why" behind the "how" of your worship services. And with that understanding, you can encourage and exhort both your leaders and fellow believers to pursue worship that aligns essentially with Scripture and meets the circumstances of your community with sensitivity and grace.

Be blessed 👊✌️