Alternative worship is "what happens when people create

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

for themselves," according to Steve Collins. As a phenomenon it began mainly in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is practiced by

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

across the age-range, although has a particular following amongst adults in their 20s and 30s. Alternative Worship usually refers to an approach to Christian worship and worship planning that emphasizes decentralized leadership, congregational participation, multi-sensory experience, ritual and narrative form. It is often discussed in contrast to

Contemporary worship Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including ...

or "Youth" services. In fact it is (arguably) in part a reaction ''against'', or a development beyond

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

forms of worship. It tends to use popular (secular) music forms in place of Christian worship songs, and more casual talks in place of the traditional

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

. Alternative Worship often does not have an obvious leader or stage, and may not involve singing or lecture-style presentations at all. Alternative worship services often feature elements from ancient Christian spirituality and liturgy, such as a

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

, a

kyrie ', a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of ('' Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, , "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek , ...

, candle lighting and the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

s in combination with very new elements, like projected images or video and/or electronic music. Terms that are more appropriate to the approach used in these services would be Holistic Worship, Multisensory worship or Creative Worship. Alternative worship is often associated with the

Emerging Church The emerging church, sometimes wrongly equated with the "emergent movement" or "emergent conversation", is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century. Emerging churches can be found around the globe, predominantly in North Ameri ...

References

*''The Book of Uncommon Prayer'' by Steven L Case (Zondervan 2002) *''Alternative Worship'' by Jonny Baker and Doug Gay *''Multi-Sensory Church - Ready-to-use ideas for creative worship using, art, liturgies, rituals'' by Sue Wallace . Scripture Union *''Multi-Sensory Prayer - Creative prayer ideas using, art, the body, the senses'' by Sue Wallace . Scripture Union *''Multi-Sensory Scripture'' by Sue Wallace *''The Prodigal Project'' by Mike Riddell, Mark Pierson, Cathy Kirkpatrick. London, SPCK, 2000 *''Some Theological Reflections o
Seeker Friendly Worship and Alternative Worship
for Non-Churched People''. Windsor long-course essay. *''The Complex Christ'' by Kester Brewin. London, SPCK, 2004

External links

Alternativeworship.orgVaux
Emerging church movement {{Christianity-stub