Last month in the article “Worship Re-designed” we talked about the different styles of worship and specific elements you might find in each of those styles. To refresh your memory, we looked at Traditional worship and Contemporary. This month we will look at the styles of “Blended” and “Modern.”

Blended worship is pretty much found in the name. Imagine putting a potato and an orange in a blender and mixing it up! That’s what “Blended” worship is like. There could be elements of several other styles of worship included in the worship experience.  Typically, we see the traditional and contemporary styles blended to reach a broader audience. Depending on the demographics of the congregation, blended styles may or may not include traditional elements like praise choirs or orchestras. Historically speaking these types of services have been created as a reaction to critics of contemporary services or as a way to introduce a new element to a traditional congregation. The blended service is often challenged as to its effectiveness. There’s an old saying in the church, “We now have a blended service, so no one is happy!”

Modern worship is usually found in churches looking to be the most relevant to the current culture. The music chosen usually reflects people’s brokenness and compassion and/or relates to it. These are typically Christ followers looking for internal change or conversion. Their focus tends to be on what we call “seekers,” that is people looking for their faith. In a modern worship service, you will probably hear music by Elevation, Hillsong, Bethel and Passion just to name a few. You can YouTube any of those names and find their music. Personally, Elevation is one of my favorites. 

There is a saying, “If you’ve seen one church, you’ve seen one church.” Meaning no one style is right for every church because every church is unique. 

Here at Palm Coast United Methodist Church, we are prayerfully examining the various styles of worship we will be offering as our new campus that will effectively reach our community for Christ. Please join us on this journey. We welcome your feedback and input. Click on the link below for our “Contact Page” to send us a message and engage in the process. We look forward to hearing from you!