Christian And Missionary Alliance Churches

Both liturgical and Pentecostal styles of worship have been regarded as extremes to be avoided in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. However, some congregations, though still in the minority, are turning to observance of the Christian year in a quest for worship renewal. Christian and Missionary Alliance churches have not typically celebrated the Christian year. As an evangelical denomination born in the nineteenth-century Holiness revival, it has often taken the middle ground between the more liturgical churches and the Pentecostal/charismatic movement. This attempt to avoid excess has often robbed Alliance congregations of powerful worship experiences. In recent years a growing hunger for renewal in worship has developed. This hunger has led to a greater openness to other worship forms and traditions. In particular, there is evidence of a recapturing of the power of the Christian year. Advent and Christmas New attention is being given, in at least some congregations, to each…