Sacerdotalism in Contemporary Worship

Sacerdotalism in Contemporary Worship

Unfortunately, while contemporary evangelical churches don’t necessarily suffer from the kind of sacerdotalism that developed in the medieval church, a similar problem has emerged. In much contemporary worship today, congregational participation is minimized by the emphasis on performed music on a stage. Like clergy in medieval worship, musicians in contemporary worship have taken on a “priestly” role in the service. Even the title “worship leader” to describe the chief musician developed from the idea that musicians lead the congregation into the presence of God through the music. The quality of worship in many churches has become measured by the excellence of the performed music and the atmosphere it creates. This has resulted in “worship” become mostly what the praise team does on the stage, which is separated from the congregation by bright lights and darkened congregation. The people have become mere spectators of the worship performed by the praise team on their behalf.​