Over the centuries, the people called Methodists have had a pragmatic orientation toward worship. From field and open-air preaching to reach particular audiences, to Wesley’s revisions of the prayer book and the streamlining of the Sunday service, to hymnody as a carrier of Methodist doctrine—we have historically been a people who know how to balance good doctrine with practical and pastoral concerns.
Fast-forward a couple of centuries, and when United Methodists began adopting the musical practices of contemporary worship, the underlying logic was to attract seekers, young families, and other targeted populations who could help our churches grow. Declining numbers in The United Methodist Church have cast a long shadow since its inception in 1968, and contemporary worship was one possible pragmatic solution to the decline.
Toward that end, in the 1990s and 2000s, many congregations began adding services that used contemporary worship forms, often taking cues from other “successful” (i.e., numerically growing) congregations. Methodists began importing songs and theologies of musical worship from different traditions, with little effort to retain a distinctly United Methodist vantage point. To become all things to all people with the hope of growing our churches, we lost a sense of who we are as United Methodists when it comes to contemporary worship.
Still today, in too many United Methodist Church staff meetings across the country, pastors and leaders ask a version of this question about contemporary worship: “What’s working elsewhere?” I’m hoping we can start shifting that conversation.
I’ll put it in some legislative language for all you insider UMC-ers who may be reading this:
Whereas many United Methodists across the country are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the industrialization of the contemporary worship music industry;
And whereas the Venn diagram of contemporary worship music and Christian nationalism is becoming increasingly problematic;
And whereas the UMC’s CCLI Top 100 and Beyond project has tried to highlight the diverse landscape of contemporary worship music that often does not appear on any “top” lists—especially artists of color, women songwriters, songs from diverse theological perspectives, and songs not bankrolled by major labels;
And whereas The United Methodist Church is in a pivotal historical moment of casting a new vision for the denomination it seeks to become;
And whereas Methodism has a rich tradition of songwriting, but there is a severe dearth of United Methodist communities writing original worship music;
And whereas we see throughout Methodist liturgical history a balance of both form and freedom in our services of worship;
Be it therefore resolved that United Methodists would benefit greatly from cultivating a distinct approach to contemporary worship—its songs, instrumentations, orders of worship, liturgical theologies, and homiletics—rooted in The United Methodist Church’s rich tradition past and present.
Our tradition uniquely sets us up for success. Rather than copying and pasting the song set and order of worship from the megachurch down the street, what if our own rich heritage guided us instead?
Imagine songs that fit seamlessly within the United Methodist Basic Pattern of Worship, honor the rhythms of the liturgical year, express the full range of human emotion, orient and nourish us for sacramental living, resonate with our Social Principles, and inspire us to lead lives of holiness. And what if United Methodists and our ecumenical partners increasingly wrote those songs?
What can contemporary worship look like when it is embodied by United Methodists who make this genre and approach native to our culture rather than trying to import something foreign into our liturgy? What practices, values, theological commitments, and musical choices might shape such an approach?
At Fusion 2026, we'll explore a framework for thinking about contemporary worship through a distinctly United Methodist lens, drawing from our liturgical heritage, theological commitments, musical traditions, and future directions. I hope you'll join me in Nashville as we unpack these questions together in one of our plenary sessions.
Can't wait to see you there!
Rev. Nelson Cowan, PhD, is a liturgical theologian, worship leader, and ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. He serves as Director of the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University, where he leads research, resource development, and programmatic initiatives that support the intersection of worship, theology, the arts, and young people.
This content was originally published by Discipleship Ministries; republished with permission by ResourceUMC on October 12, 2026. To learn more about Discipleship Ministries visit Discipleship Ministries | ResourceUMC.