The Emerging Burnout

In response to Sally's description of an emerging worship service, Webber states, "Yes. I would love to be at this service. Once, maybe twice a year. But every Sunday? The burnout rate of the worship creators (yes, creators, not planners) would be excessively high, as would the burnout for the worshipers. Nobody could take this week after week after week. Why not? It is too much like the world in which we live. What we need in worship is not more of the culture in which we live. This only continues the failure of contemporary worship." (248)

After I read this paragraph by Webber, I thought to myself, "Hey that's what Stephen was talking about!" In fact, Stephen and Webber are exactly right. We don't need more of culture in our worship services, but rather, the "counter-cultural nature of the Christian faith and community." (248) As for Webber's statement about the "burnout rate of the worship creators", he is, again, right on track. How long can worship creators entertain their congregations with their extra-biblical creativity? Why don't we help ourselves out by looking PRIMARILY to the Bible which is "old, yet ever new." (note: I am not arguing that we shouldn't use some creativity, but that we should base our services off the Word of God which is able to reach any culture in any day and age.)