• One Required Pattern of Worship: Wellspring teaches that congregational speaking in tongues followed by public prophecy is the restored apostolic pattern that distinguishes the true church from churches that have departed from God's design.

• Edification as the Priority: While the New Testament welcomes spiritual gifts, Paul consistently teaches that corporate worship should be orderly, understandable, and directed toward building up the entire church.

• Worship Centered on Christ: Scripture presents worship as faithfulness to Christ through prayer, teaching, fellowship, and spiritual gifts, but nowhere identifies one prescribed order of service as the defining mark of Christ's true church.

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Throughout Scripture, worship is presented as the joyful response of God's people to His greatness, holiness, and saving work. Christians gather to glorify God through prayer, singing, the reading and preaching of Scripture, fellowship, the Lord's Supper, and the exercise of spiritual gifts. The New Testament emphasizes that worship should strengthen the church, proclaim Christ, and build believers up in faith and love.

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Wellspring Church, however, teaches a much more specific pattern of corporate worship.​​

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According to Wellspring's teaching, the biblical pattern of worship consists of congregational speaking in tongues followed by a period of prophecy by individuals in the congregation. Within Wellspring, this pattern is commonly described as "worshiping in the Spirit," a phrase used more specifically than it often is elsewhere in the Christian church.

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This pattern is not unique to Wellspring. Similar forms of worship have long been practiced in many Pentecostal churches, including within the Oneness Pentecostal movement, where congregational speaking in tongues and opportunities for prophetic messages are common features of corporate worship. Although Wellspring does not identify itself as a Pentecostal church, its worship pattern closely resembles that found in many Oneness Pentecostal congregations.

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For Wellspring, this pattern is not viewed as merely one legitimate expression of Christian worship, but as the restored apostolic pattern that distinguishes the true church. Consequently, rejecting this pattern is understood not simply as preferring a different style of worship, but as departing from God's intended design for His church.

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The question, therefore, is not whether God still gives spiritual gifts today. The question is simply this:

 

Does the New Testament teach that this is the required pattern for every congregation?

 

 

Worship in the New Testament

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The New Testament repeatedly describes Christians gathering together.

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In describing the life of the early church, Luke writes:

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"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42)​

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• Believers prayed together.

• They sang psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

• They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching.

• They encouraged one another.

• They broke bread together.

• They gave thanks to God.

• They heard the Scriptures read and explained.

 

These elements appear repeatedly throughout the New Testament.

 

What does not appear is a command that every gathering of the church must include congregational speaking in tongues followed by a period of public prophecy.

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If such a pattern were intended to define the church throughout history, one might expect the apostles to teach it plainly. Instead, the New Testament consistently emphasizes worship that is centered upon Christ, understandable to those present, and beneficial to the entire congregation.​

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Paul's Concern Was Edification

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The longest discussion of worship in the New Testament is found in 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14.

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The church at Corinth possessed many spiritual gifts, including tongues and prophecy. Yet rather than encouraging everyone to speak in tongues together, Paul repeatedly regulates their use.

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His concern is not to discourage spiritual gifts, but to ensure that everything done in the assembly builds up the church.

 

Again and again he returns to one principle: "Let all things be done for building up." (1 Corinthians 14:26)

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The purpose of public worship is not simply individual spiritual experience, but the edification of the whole body.

 

 

When Everyone Speaks in Tongues

 

One passage deserves particular attention.

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Paul writes: "If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?" (1 Corinthians 14:23)

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This statement is striking because Paul explicitly addresses the situation in which an entire congregation is speaking in tongues together.

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Rather than presenting simultaneous congregational tongues as the ideal pattern of worship, Paul warns that unbelievers may conclude, "You are out of your minds".

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Some Oneness Pentecostal groups respond by arguing that Paul is referring here to a different kind of tongues than the corporate speaking in tongues they practice in worship. However, Paul himself makes no such distinction.

 

Throughout 1 Corinthians 12–14, he speaks simply of the gift of tongues and explains how it is to function within the gathered church. He never divides tongues into separate categories governed by different rules, nor does he exempt one type of congregational tongues from the principles he is teaching.

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Instead, Paul's instruction is plain: when the church gathers, spiritual gifts - including tongues - are to be exercised in a way that is orderly, understandable, and edifying to the whole congregation. His concern is not merely that worship be spiritually sincere, but that it builds up the church and communicates the gospel clearly to both believers and unbelievers.

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Order and Edification

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Immediately afterward, Paul gives practical instructions.

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If anyone speaks in tongues:

• only two or at most three should speak;

• they should speak one at a time;

• someone should interpret;

• if no interpreter is present, they should remain silent in the church.

 

Likewise, those who prophesy are instructed to speak in turn while others carefully weigh what is said.

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Throughout the chapter, Paul's emphasis is remarkably consistent.

• He values spiritual gifts.

• He welcomes prophecy.

• He does not forbid speaking in tongues.

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Yet he repeatedly places intelligibility, order, and the edification of others above public expressions that cannot be understood by the congregation.

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Paul concludes this section with two overarching principles:

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"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace..." (1 Corinthians 14:33) and

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"But all things should be done decently and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:40)

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These verses summarize Paul's concern throughout the chapter. His goal is not to maximize the public exercise of spiritual gifts but to ensure that corporate worship is orderly, understandable, and edifying to the entire congregation.

 

 

Worship Points to Christ

 

Jesus taught that the Father seeks those who worship Him "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23–24).

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The New Testament never identifies one particular order of service as the defining mark of Christ's church. Instead, worship continually directs attention away from human experience and toward God Himself.

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Whether believers sing, pray, preach, give thanks, celebrate the Lord's Supper, or exercise spiritual gifts, the goal remains the same: to glorify Christ and strengthen His people.

 

 

When One Pattern Defines the True Church

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There is an important difference between saying, "Our congregation finds this pattern spiritually beneficial,"

and saying,"This is the restored biblical pattern that defines the true church."

 

The first allows room for faithful Christians to differ.

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The second makes one particular expression of worship the standard by which other churches are judged.

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The New Testament consistently teaches that believers should evaluate churches by their doctrine, character, and fidelity to the gospel. It does not teach that the authenticity of a church depends upon every congregation following one identical order of worship.

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Summary

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The New Testament presents worship as Christ-centered, edifying, orderly, and guided by the Holy Spirit.

 

It welcomes spiritual gifts while carefully regulating their public use for the good of the entire church.

 

Scripture nowhere teaches that congregational speaking in tongues followed by public prophecy is the required pattern of Christian worship, nor does it identify that pattern as the defining mark of Christ's true church.

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Christian worship is not authenticated by one prescribed sequence of events but by faithfulness to Christ, obedience to His Word, and the work of the Holy Spirit in building up His people.

 

Where Scripture grants liberty, Christians should be cautious about making one particular pattern of worship the measure of a true church.

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