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An Open and Discerning Approach to Culture: #5 in a series on the "10 Core Convictions about Worship" from Calvin Worship Institute on Vimeo.
How does worship relate to culture? How is worship in culture, but not of it? The Lutheran World Federation's Study Team on Worship and Culture met in Nairobi in January of 1996 and produced the Nairobi Statement on Worship and Culture. The statement presents four central principles of the relationship between worship and culture:
1) Worship is transcultural (Worship has certain dynamics that are beyond culture).
2) Worship is contextual (Worship reflects local patterns of speech, dress, and other cultural characteristics).
3) Worship is counter-cultural (Worship resists the idolatries of a given culture).
4) Worship is cross-cultural (Worship reflects the fact that the body of Christ transcends time and space).
We have found that the most meaningful worship - and the wisest worshiping community - does not just choose one of these four as its defining principle, but instead is invigorated by the truth of all four.
Note how this statement nuances the model of being "in but not of" culture, and calls us to a more sophisticated understanding of worship's relationship to culture.
The complete text of the Nairobi Statement is posted at the Lutheran World Federation website. It was also published in Christian Worship: Unity in Cultural Diversity, ed. S. Anita Stauffer (Geneva: Lutheran World Federation, 1996).
We encourage worshipers and worship leaders to reflect on it as they consider the context and challenges of their culture, and answer God's call to worship within it and minister to it.
Related Resources
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Music and prayer are prominent elements in worship liturgy. How does the culture of the worship community influence these worship practices? How should we engage culture and yet be countercultural in our practice of music and prayer? Engage with this panel from four continents as we explore how cultural values form and inform worship practices.
A podcast from Calvin University featuring thoughtful leaders discussing key topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of Christian life and witness.
Come and join a conversation with knowledgeable and experienced preachers and worship planners as we talk about our best practices for Holy Week worship planning. Bring your questions and ideas as we share and learn together.
Music and prayer are prominent elements in worship liturgy. How does the culture of the worship community influence these worship practices? How should we engage culture and yet be countercultural in our practice of music and prayer? Engage with this panel from four continents as we explore how cultural values form and inform worship practices.
Congregations, pastors, and parents/caregivers have many opportunities to join together in worship and prayer practices that more intentionally engage children and help them come to know and love God and grow in faith together. Panelists will discuss ways to intentionally create intergenerational community in which people of all ages, including children, are welcomed as full participants whose participation enriches the community and gives praise to God.
