Charismatics are raising participatory worship to a new level, as worship leaders are being sidelined in many churches, reports Charisma magazine (February).
The distinguishing characteristic of this trend in less formal worship is that the people in the pew are central to the worship experience rather than only the musicians and other leaders on the platform. Praise and worship pioneer LaMar Boschman says that worshippers want to determine the outcome of their worship experience.
“Basically, on Sunday mornings we’ve had `concerts of praise.’ The worship team steps on the platform and off they go…It never ends until its time for the pastor [to] preach,” he says. Boschman sees the `Vineyard-type’ of revival worship (coming from the independent charismatic Vineyard Fellowship) as influencing this “more of folk-based, casual, nonmanipulative kind of worship.” Boschman founded the Worship Institute in Dallas and holds annual seminars for pastors.
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