The words of a confessing Christian and influential architect, Quinland Terry, echo loudly behind this discussion: "Faith, not architecture, will save the world." In seeking the spirit of the place, architecture as a whole has ignored the Spirit which is essential to true worship–God's Holy Spirit. Even more tragic than the architects' oversight, the churches have missed the importance of the Holy Spirit as well.
To begin the discussion on the Holy Spirit in worship, an understanding of the different worship styles that are present in contemporary churches is necessary. The following chart, developed by Thom Rainer, defines the primary worship styles in American churches.
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| Liturgical | Mood: formal, solemn, majestic. Music, pipe organ, traditional hymns, classical anthems. Purpose: "To lead the church to give corporate recognition to the transcendent glory of God." Favors reverence over relevance. It runs counter to the cultural obsession with contemporary entertainment. Biblical model: Isaiah 6. | |
| Traditional | Mood: orderly, majestic, contemplative. Music: organ and piano, traditional and gospel hymns, traditional and contemporary anthems. Purpose: "To lead the congregation to praise and than God for His goodness and to hear Him speak through His word." Geared for people from a religious culture and background. Biblical model: Colossians 3:16-17. | |
| Revivalist | Mood: exuberant, celebrative, informal. Music: organ, piano, and taped music, gospel hymns, contemporary Christian songs and anthems. Purpose: "To save the lost and encourage believers to witness." More evangelistic than contemplative worship. Biblical model: Acts 2-3. | |
| Contemporary | Mood: expressive, celebrative, contemporary, informal. Music: keyboard, piano, and taped music, praise choruses and contemporary Christian songs. Purpose: "To offer a sacrifice of praise to the Lord in a spirit of joyful adoration." This is a contemporary worship for believers, but does not attract some non-Christian and unchurched. Biblical model: Psalm 150. | |
| Seeker | Mood: celebrative, contemporary, informal. Music: piano, taped music, synthesizer and band, scriptural music and contemporary Christian music, little congregational singing in the traditional sense. Purpose: "Present the gospel in clear non-God talk terms and modern forms." An upbeat, non-threatening evangelistic service for non-Christians seeking God. Biblical model: Acts 17:16-34. | |
| Blended | Combination of elements in both traditional and contemporary. |
A well-known proponent and scholar of the Church Growth Movement, C. Peter Wagner, added a chapter to his book, The Healthy Church, that was entirely dedicated to the lack of the Holy Spirit's presence in American churches. He defines this lack of the Holy Spirit as Hypopneumia–subnormal ministry of the Holy Spirit in a Christian individual, a church, or other Christian group (149).
Through observation, the more liturgical worship styles seem to require more formal spaces, as found in most Catholic and Episcopal congregations. At the other end of the spectrum, the less formal worship styles have less formal worship spaces. The extreme of this is Pentecostal and charismatic churches, which often meet in structures resembling gymnasiums. In the middle lies a variety of different levels. More conservative, yet informal churches, often found in Southern Baptist and similar churches, have simple structures, yet are clearly defined for a specific purpose: worship.
This may appear to be a cause and effect in and of itself, but I raise a new challenge to this as I consider an interview with a Catholic priest in Orlando, Florida. When considering the future of his parish and the immediate need for a larger worship space, he looked back over church history and made a notable remark. To paraphrase, his comments were: "I don't want so many statues and other icons cluttering up the worship space to distract the congregation. We want to focus the people back on the Word of God." This minister recognized the power of God through the Holy Spirit. He realized that the space itself could not direct the sense of awe and reverence desired in liturgical worship, but the Spirit of God is the only true source of the sense of awe and reverence.