I am happily Reformed and so I'm aware of the Regulative Principle of Worship.
Briefly, it's the doctrine that God not only wants to worship Him, He's told us in His Word...how He wants us to worship Him.
The things that God has told us should be included in worship are called "elements of worship." I've seen lists with as few as three, but here's a list of eight that I use to determine whether an event is a corporate gathering of the body.
- Reading of Holy Scripture,
- Singing of psalms and hymns,
- The offering of prayer,
- The preaching of the Word,
- The presentation of offerings,
- Confessing the faith and
- Observing the Sacraments;
- and on special occasions taking oaths. (this might be entering into a covenant, such as marriage, or the agreement to enter into church membership.)
My personal tipping point is having four elements of worship included makes it a corporate gathering of the body and I'll cover.
A Christian wedding will have a Scripture reading, a prayer, a homily (preaching) and taking an oath.
Yes, it's a formula, but it works for me, since I don't need to rely on feelings or pressure.
