A dedicated space for worship has a shaping and disciplinary effect. When we meet in an informal setting, as we have been doing for years, we have had to make a point of selecting music that helps us swim upstream. Because the informal surroundings make it easier for the worship to become breezy and casual, we have deliberately leaned against that. This is because the Bible tells us bluntly that our worship should be offered up with reverence and godly fear (Heb. 12:28). God is a consuming fire.
But when we have a sanctuary, and find ourselves meeting in a space bounded by classic church architecture, we are going to have to make a different set of adjustments. Hopefully, there will be no adjustments in our theology of worship, music, and liturgy, but we will notice—if we are paying the right kind of attention—that the natural pressures will at that time be coming from another direction.
The outside Christian culture, and our rented space, push us toward greater informality. But Christian worship ought to be familial and reverent, which is quite a different thing than the very common “come as you are” approach, the come to church in your jammies approach. We were taught to pray to our Father, but we were also taught to hallow His name. The triune God really ought to be worshiped with more than one or two chords.
But we need to start getting spiritually ready for other pressures. For example, there have been churches where the organist thinks that God will be most honored if he, the organist, shows up with pink slippers with tassels on them. There is a toney, nose-in-the-air, tall steeple, moneyed attitude that is, as far as the Holy Spirit is concerned, just another thing that the cat drug in.
Wherever you are, that is where you temptations are. Wherever you are going to be, that is where your temptations are going to be. It is very hard to anticipate the next when you are actively dealing with the other, but that is what times of transition are all about. So let the stones cry out.