David Huizenga: Church Visit #2
Church name: Ada Bible Church
Church address: 2045 68th St SE, Caledonia Township, MI 49316
Date attended: October 26st, 2014
Church category: Different Liturgical Style
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
I attended Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids Michigan when I was home visiting family. My father and my step mother have gone to this church before and the pastor is Jeff Manion, who spoke in chapel last year, so I was very interested in trying it out.
The service I attended was much more energetic and enthusiastic than any service I was familiar with. Ada Bible has a large congregation with multiple campuses that receive a live stream of the main service which was given by Jeff Manion. There were a lot of flashing lights and upbeat music played throughout the service during worship time, the sermon, and even during prayers. Although when I was a child, I did go to a large megachurch that had a traditionally reformed style of service, it never had over-the-top lights or loud music during the worship portion of the service. The church I went to as a child incorporated mostly hymns into the worship portion and very rarely had a worship song. I remember there was even a large controversy when the church decided to incorporate electric guitars into the service. This mega church differed radically from the mega church I attended for this church assignment, despite them both professing to be nondenominational. It really made me aware of the wide range of diversity that can be found even within one denomination.
To contrast Ada Bible to my typical context (Anglican), there was a much greater emphasis on the work of the spirit verses the work of the Triune God. There was no communion at Ada Bible, nor liturgy or even corporate reciting of the Apostle/Nicene Creed. The reciting of the Creed is one element of a service (in any denomination) which I highly value and I do believe that there is a kind of loss of the integrity of a service when this is not included.
I felt that all the bright lights and loud music actually can distract from the meaning behind the service. Even when keeping in mind what we have recently discussed in class about Jonathan Edward's religious affections, I believe that there is merit to crafting a service that does pull at the heart strings, but at the same time, a service should still adhere to some of the deeper more fundamental aspects of our faith.
I will probably go back to Ada Bible at some point or another when I am home visiting the family, again but I don't see myself ever feeling at home in a church which elevates emotion over the message.
The service I attended was much more energetic and enthusiastic than any service I was familiar with. Ada Bible has a large congregation with multiple campuses that receive a live stream of the main service which was given by Jeff Manion. There were a lot of flashing lights and upbeat music played throughout the service during worship time, the sermon, and even during prayers. Although when I was a child, I did go to a large megachurch that had a traditionally reformed style of service, it never had over-the-top lights or loud music during the worship portion of the service. The church I went to as a child incorporated mostly hymns into the worship portion and very rarely had a worship song. I remember there was even a large controversy when the church decided to incorporate electric guitars into the service. This mega church differed radically from the mega church I attended for this church assignment, despite them both professing to be nondenominational. It really made me aware of the wide range of diversity that can be found even within one denomination.
To contrast Ada Bible to my typical context (Anglican), there was a much greater emphasis on the work of the spirit verses the work of the Triune God. There was no communion at Ada Bible, nor liturgy or even corporate reciting of the Apostle/Nicene Creed. The reciting of the Creed is one element of a service (in any denomination) which I highly value and I do believe that there is a kind of loss of the integrity of a service when this is not included.
I felt that all the bright lights and loud music actually can distract from the meaning behind the service. Even when keeping in mind what we have recently discussed in class about Jonathan Edward's religious affections, I believe that there is merit to crafting a service that does pull at the heart strings, but at the same time, a service should still adhere to some of the deeper more fundamental aspects of our faith.
I will probably go back to Ada Bible at some point or another when I am home visiting the family, again but I don't see myself ever feeling at home in a church which elevates emotion over the message.
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