Corporate Worship vs. Private Prayer in Christian Practice

Introduction

Today, some Christians may be confused about their personal style of worshipping or question the need for formal worship in an age where everyone's time is valuable and schedules are packed. To gain fresh insights into these issues, this paper seeks to answer the question: "Is worshipping together with other believers in formal worship services necessary to a healthy spiritual life?" In this context, "formal worshipping" means regular and planned church attendance rather than a particular style of service. To that end, this paper provides a review of relevant peer-reviewed, scholarly, and biblical literature to support the need for corporate worship. This type of worship is not to the exclusion of private worship, but the scriptures show that God wants his followers to have a corporate church to facilitate fellowship among Christians. A summary of the research and important findings is presented in the conclusion.

There has been considerable controversy concerning Christian worship practices because there is no universal hermeneutical and theological framework available to develop a biblical theology of worship (Farley, 2008). According to Farley, "The hermeneutical diversity that exists goes deeper than mere disagreements over the interpretation and application of specific texts. There is also a substantial lack of agreement about which biblical texts are relevant and applicable to Christian worship at all" (p. 592). When modern Christians say they are going to "pray," the general consensus is that this means engaging in private prayer. Likewise, when people say they are going to "worship," this is typically interpreted to mean corporate worship. Biblical scholars, however, do not enjoy this level of precise understanding, because the word "pray" in the Bible can refer to either activity. As Bailey (1983) emphasizes, "A part of our problem in the West is that the English verb [pray] is almost exclusively applied to private devotions, and the verb [worship] is used for corporate worship. However, in biblical literature, the verb [pray] can mean either" (p. 145).

Defining Corporate Worship and Private Prayer

For modern Christians, the distinction between private prayer and corporate worship may be especially confusing. Farley (1998) emphasizes that, "The greatest obstacle to becoming aware of the oddity of our Sunday worship, however, is our difficulty in properly defining the term. 'Worship' can, of course, be a synonym for the ritual activities of Sunday morning. To participate in these activities is, then, to worship" (p. 276). Simply attending church and "going through the motions," however, is insufficient to fully participate in corporate worship. Farley (1998) adds that, "If we allow the referent of worship to set the definition, then we must conclude that worship is an engagement with the sacred. In corporate worship, this engagement moves through a variety of acts: confession of sin, praise, celebrative remembrance and gratitude" (p. 276). It is this aspect of public, or corporate worship, that serves to enhance individual Christians' ability to offer praise and reverence to the Almighty. As Farley concludes, "If the sacred is both the ineffably mysterious (the very creativity of things) and the self-expressively gracious or loving (the redemptive power in human history), then every genuine act of worship will direct itself or open itself to this Mystery of ultimate love. So directed, worship combines awe before Mystery and deep reverence for the Good" (p. 277).

There are numerous examples of the dual meaning of private prayer versus corporate worship evident in the Bible, including the following:

1. In Luke 1:10, Zechariah is participating in the daily atonement sacrifice in the temple and takes his turn at burning the incense in the Holy Place. In the meantime, "The whole multitude of the people were praying outside."

2. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7, where the temple is called "a house of prayer" (Luke 19:46).

3. Acts 16:13, 16 describe a place of public worship as a "place of prayer" (Bailey, p. 145).

These biblical references, as well as others discussed below, clearly indicate that context is an essential element in determining whether a particular passage refers to private prayer or corporate worship (Bailey, 1986). In some cases, the context is apparent, but in others a close reading must be made to arrive at an accurate determination. For example, Bailey (1986) cites the example of Jesus going up on a mountain to pray alone, which would suggest the context is private prayer. However, this parable contains a number of clues that Jesus is in fact participating in corporate worship rather than private prayer, including the following:

1. Specifically, two people go up to a place of public worship at the same time.

Biblical Foundations for Corporate Worship

2. They go down at the same time, presumably after the service is over.

3. The temple — a place of public worship — is specifically mentioned.

4. The text states that the Pharisee "stood by himself," the obvious assumption being that he stood apart from the other worshippers.

5. The text adds that the tax collector "stood afar off." This can mean afar off from the Pharisee, but it can also mean afar off from the rest of the worshippers — especially if it can be established that other worshippers are present, from whom the Pharisee has also chosen to stand apart.

6. The tax collector specifically mentions the atonement in his prayer. The temple ritual provided for a morning and evening atoning sacrifice to be offered each day, and a congregation was normally present (Bailey, 1986, p. 146).

In other words, the significance of including a place of public worship in the reference helps establish the context in which the activity takes place. Even in those situations where there may be some confusion about whether an activity is private or corporate, the addition of a public place of worship makes it apparent that corporate worship is involved. Bailey points out that, "The contemporary Middle Easterner has the same double meaning attached to the verb 'pray.' But when he, as a Christian, says, 'I am going to church to pray,' or, as a Muslim, remarks, 'I am on my way to the mosque to pray,' everyone knows that they mean corporate worship, not private devotions" (p. 146). Similarly, it is possible to discern the meaning of "pray" in biblical references when these contextual factors are present or absent. As Bailey adds, "Even so with the parable, the mention of the temple adds considerable weight to the assumption that corporate worship is intended. In summary, the verb 'pray' gives us two interpretive options. It can mean private devotions or corporate worship" (p. 146).

In other cases, the distinction between corporate worship and private prayer in biblical passages can be less discernible without considering the larger context in which they appear. Stoops (1926) reports that, "The emotions and ideas that went with the centralization of the nation's life on Mount Zion have their classic expression in the Psalms" (p. 40). As an example, Stoops cites Psalms 87:2, which states, "The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob" (p. 40). While modern Christians may not immediately understand this reference, it communicates the need for corporate worship over private prayer. An important point made by Arterbury (2005) in this context is that, "The individual laments found in the Psalms were created for and used within a context of corporate worship. These psalms remind us to provide Christians with opportunities to express their personal needs and laments to God within the context of corporate worship, where they are most appropriately expressed" (p. 290).

This point is also made by Bailey (2009), who describes the significance of corporate worship and cites its early origins: "This requirement to gather together and praise God was even required by covenant law (Exodus 23:14–17)" (p. 39). With respect to the Psalms, Bailey (2009) also cites the inextricable connection to corporate worship: "It is beneficial to read this psalm and then think of corporate worship in the same way the psalmist thought of Jerusalem. Just as the pilgrims saw Jerusalem as the very place of God, so we come together in corporate worship to be in God's presence" (p. 39). "The gates of Zion," then, refer to a place where early believers could come together to offer praise — regarded as one of the great benefits of being a Christian rather than an odious duty to be performed. As Bailey adds, "This pilgrimage was not a chore; it was a great joy. The praise of Jerusalem as a place where all people come together in unity, as children of God, may also be the best argument ever for corporate worship" (p. 40).

The distinctions between corporate worship and private prayer are also found in Acts 2:42. According to Bailey (1983), "The famous listing of early Christian concerns in Acts 2:42 includes the apostles' teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. In this list the word 'prayers' is a synonym for community worship" (p. 146). Acts 2:42 states that, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (New International Version). This description of the Christian community communicates the actual social reality that existed at that point in time. According to Cameron and Miller (2004), "Although the notion that one might find concrete data on the earliest Jerusalem church in Luke's summary statements (Acts 2:42 et al.) is difficult to sustain, this has not stopped proponents of such a view by emphasizing that an exegesis makes it clear that the texts describe recognizable social realities" (p. 167). Smith (2008) likewise cites "the social world of Acts 2:42" and adds that "the Jerusalem believers were of necessity both a consumption and a production community. Every household member participated in the communal meal. Sharing of space, producing the meal, and consuming it occurred among fictive groups, and households made room for additional people by enlarging or adding a room" (p. 210).

Conclusion

The research showed that private prayer is differentiated from corporate worship, with the former being an important component of the Christian life and the latter being necessary to conform to the biblical call to come together and worship the Lord Jesus. The importance and need for corporate worship are described or alluded to in numerous biblical passages, and the fact that Jesus established the protocols by which corporate worship should be conducted helps reinforce its necessity for both early and modern Christians. While private prayer provides Christians with the opportunity for personal reflection, it is only when they come together in the Christian church that true corporate worshipping is possible. In the final analysis, corporate worship is an essential component of conforming to the Bible's instructions concerning how the Lord should be praised and why these practices are important.