Different Doesn't Mean Out of Order: What Biblical Order in Church Really Looks Like

I have been guilty of this.

I have walked into churches, seen things done differently than I would do them, and thought, This feels out of order.

And I have been called on it.

As I was praying about this, I believe the Holy Spirit began teaching me something through Scripture that I needed to understand: sometimes what we call disorder is simply an order we aren't accustomed to.

Paul writes:

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”—1 Corinthians 14:40

I've heard this verse used many times when discussing how church services should operate. But when we look at the surrounding chapter, something interesting becomes clear.

Paul wasn't prescribing one universal service format that every church throughout history must follow.

In fact, the gathering described in 1 Corinthians 14 was very participatory.

Paul writes:

“How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”—1 Corinthians 14:26

People were participating.

People were contributing.

Things were happening during the gathering that weren't limited to one person standing in front of everyone else.

Paul's concern wasn't, “Stop participating.”

His concern was, “Let what you do build up the church, and do it in order.”

Different Churches Can Have Different Orders

Think about something as simple as walking into two different coffee shops.

Go into Starbucks and there is an established way things are done. You order in a particular place, employees have particular responsibilities, drinks are prepared according to their system, and you pick up your order in a designated area.

Now walk into a small independent coffee shop.

They might do things completely differently.

Imagine someone accustomed to Starbucks walking through the door and immediately saying:

“This place is completely out of order! That's not how we do things!”

But maybe the other coffee shop isn't out of order at all.

Maybe you simply don't know their order.

I think we sometimes do the same thing with churches.

I've been in churches where people shout “Amen!” while the pastor is preaching.

I've been in churches where people raise their hands throughout the service.

I've been in churches where people pray aloud.

I've also been in churches where everyone remains almost completely silent while the pastor teaches because their desire is that everyone be able to listen without interruption.

Which one is biblical?

Potentially, all of them.

Because different doesn't automatically mean disorder.

What Does Biblical Order Actually Mean?

Paul gives us some important principles in 1 Corinthians 14.

People shouldn't be competing to be heard.

People shouldn't constantly talk over one another.

What happens should build up the church.

And ultimately, the gathering should reflect the character of God:

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace...”—1 Corinthians 14:33

That's important because biblical order doesn't necessarily mean quiet.

And biblical order doesn't necessarily mean everything happened exactly according to a printed schedule.

Order means that there is a healthy structure to what is happening and that people aren't simply doing whatever they want without considering everyone else.

That's also one reason church leadership matters.

Scripture establishes the boundaries.

Church leadership establishes the practical order within those boundaries.

The congregation learns how to function within that order.

Of course, this doesn't mean a pastor gets to decide whatever he wants and call it biblical order.

Jesus is the Head of the Church.

Church leadership must remain submitted to Scripture and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. A pastor cannot make something contrary to Scripture acceptable simply by saying, “That's how we do things here.”

But within biblical boundaries, there can be tremendous differences between congregations.

Order Doesn't Always Look the Same

One pastor may welcome people shouting “Amen!” throughout the sermon.

Another pastor may ask the congregation to remain quiet during teaching.

Neither practice automatically makes one church more spiritual than the other.

One congregation may worship for twenty minutes.

Another may worship for an hour.

One church may take Communion every week.

Another may take Communion monthly.

One congregation may regularly allow testimonies.

Another may have a much more structured service.

One may be loud.

Another may be quiet.

One may be highly scheduled.

Another may intentionally leave room for spontaneous moments.

Any of them can operate in biblical order.

And any of them can become disorderly.

The question isn't simply, “Is this how my church does it?”

The better question is:

“Is what they're doing contrary to Scripture, or is it simply different from what I'm accustomed to?”

That's a question I have had to learn to ask myself.

We Need Humility When Looking at Other Churches

The Body of Christ is bigger than our individual congregation.

Sometimes we can become so accustomed to our own church culture that we unintentionally begin treating our preferences as biblical commandments.

We can start believing that the way we worship is the way Christians worship.

The way we preach is the way preaching should happen.

The way we structure a service is the biblical structure.

The way we respond during preaching is the appropriate response.

Then we walk into another church and immediately notice everything they're doing “wrong.”

But maybe they're not wrong.

Maybe they're different.

There certainly are biblical boundaries. Scripture matters. Truth matters. Leadership matters. What happens in the gathering should glorify God and build up His people.

But within those boundaries, there can be diversity.

Paul even describes the Church as a body with different members:

“For the body is not one member, but many.”—1 Corinthians 12:14

Different parts of the Body don't all look or function exactly alike.

And perhaps that should teach us something about local churches as well.

Maybe We Should Ask a Different Question

The next time we walk into another church and something feels unusual, maybe our first thought shouldn't be:

“They're doing church wrong.”

Maybe we should ask:

“Is this actually unbiblical, or is this simply unfamiliar to me?”

Because those are two very different things.

There is a difference between saying:

“That church is out of order.”

and saying:

“That isn't the order I'm used to.”

I'm learning that difference matters.

We should absolutely test everything against Scripture.

We should absolutely seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We should absolutely have leadership and accountability within the church.

But we should also have enough humility to recognize that our personal preferences aren't automatically God's commandments.

A church can be loud and orderly.

A church can be quiet and orderly.

A church can be structured and orderly.

A church can leave room for spontaneity and still be orderly.

Because biblical order isn't about making every church look exactly the same.

It's about the people of God functioning together under Christ, within the boundaries of Scripture, for the building up of His Body.

So perhaps before criticizing another church because they don't do things the way we do, we should remember Paul's words:

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”—1 Corinthians 14:40

And then have enough humility to recognize:

Different doesn't necessarily mean out of order. Sometimes we've simply walked into another part of the Body and haven't learned their order yet.

Pastor Scott