7 Worship Practices from the Global Church That Will Transform Your Faith

After experiencing worship in churches across the world, I've discovered practices that have brought me to my knees. These aren't techniques—they're postures of the heart that have shaken me out of Western Christian complacency.

I'll never forget the first time I walked into that small church in Ethiopia.

No sound system. No cushioned chairs. No air conditioning against the stifling heat.

Just sixty believers gathered on wooden benches, singing with such force that I felt it physically move through my body. No one checked their watch. No one seemed concerned about the "flow" of worship. There was only abandoned praise.

And I wept.

In that moment, I realized how manufactured my own worship experiences had become.

As we've traveled, we've encountered worship practices that have challenged everything I thought I knew about connecting with God. These aren't just cultural differences—they're biblical principles that the American church has often forgotten in our pursuit of convenience and excellence.

Here are seven worship practices from the global church that have the power to transform your faith, wherever you are:

1. Extended Worship That Transcends Time

In a small church in Asia, worship wasn't a 20-minute slot before the sermon. It was the heartbeat of their gathering.

For three hours, they sang—sometimes the same simple chorus for thirty minutes. No one complained. No one shifted uncomfortably. I watched as faces transformed, as burdens visibly lifted, as tears flowed freely.

"We're not in a hurry with God," Pastor Lin told me afterward. "Why would we rush away from His presence?"

How to practice this at home: Set aside one worship session a week where you have no time constraints. Start with just 20 minutes, and let yourself settle into God's presence without watching the clock. Resist the urge to move on when it gets uncomfortable (oh, believe me, it will!). That discomfort is often the doorway to deeper connection.

2. Scriptural Worship That Sings the Word

In a house church in Ch#na, I noticed something striking: almost every song was Scripture put to simple melodies.

"We may not always have access to printed Bibles," one leader explained, "so we sing the Word. No one can take it from our hearts."

These believers could recite entire chapters—not because they had disciplined study habits, but because they had been singing Scripture for years. Their worship wasn't just expressive; it was formative.

How to practice this at home: Take a Psalm or scripture passage that resonates with you and set it to a simple melody. It doesn't need to be complex or "good enough" for others to hear. Sing it during your personal worship time until the words become part of you.

3. Physical Worship That Engages the Body

In Africa, worship involved the whole body. Believers dance with unreserved joy, kneel in complete surrender, raise hands in expectant faith, and even lay prostrate in reverent awe.

"We were created with bodies," a Ghanian worship leader told me. "So we worship with our whole selves, not just our minds or our voices."

I realized how physically passive my worship had become—how I had subtly adopted the posture of a consumer rather than a participant.

How to practice this at home: Experiment with different physical postures in your personal worship time. If you typically stand, try kneeling. If you normally sit, try standing with hands raised. Pay attention to how different postures affect your heart's engagement with God.

4. Sacrificial Worship That Costs Something

In a persecuted church gathering near Ethiopia, believers met at 4:00 AM to worship together before dawn, knowing the risks they were taking.

"Worship that costs nothing is worth nothing," one sister told me, her eyes shining with conviction. "When we risk something to praise Him, we declare that He is worth more than our comfort, more than our safety."

I thought of how often I've skipped worship gatherings for trivial reasons—too tired, too busy, too many other (good) options. These believers showed me that true worship is inherently sacrificial.

How to practice this at home: Identify one comfort you can sacrifice in your worship. Maybe it's sleep (setting aside early morning time), convenience (traveling further to worship with those who need encouragement), or privacy (opening your home for worship). When worship costs us something, we experience its value differently.

5. Intergenerational Worship That Includes Everyone

In Colombia, I was struck by how the entire community participated in worship—from toddlers to grandparents, all in the same space, all at the same time.

Children weren't shuffled off to another room. Teenagers weren't expected to have their own service. The elderly weren't accommodated separately. Rather, all generations learned to worship together, creating a beautiful tapestry of faith passed down and lived out.

"The children need to see how the elders worship," the Colombian pastor explained. "And sometimes, the elders need to remember how the children worship. We need each other to worship fully and remind each other of the Gospel."

How to practice this at home: Look for opportunities to worship with those outside your demographic. Invite an elderly believer to share a worship experience with you. Spend time learning from how children connect with God. Create space in your home for multiple generations to worship together.

6. Lament Worship That Embraces Suffering

In a refugee churcn, I encountered something largely missing from Western worship: biblical lament.

These believers, many of whom had lost homes, loved ones, and livelihoods, sang songs that honestly expressed grief, confusion, and even anger—yet always in the context of faith. They didn't mask their pain with forced positivity. Instead, they brought their whole reality before God.

"We worship a crucified Savior," one brother told me. "He understands suffering. Why would we pretend before Him that we don't suffer too?"

How to practice this at home: Make space in your worship for honest lament. Read and pray the lament Psalms (like Psalms 13, 22, or 88). Allow yourself to express grief, questions, and pain to God, knowing that bringing these emotions to Him is itself an act of worship and trust.

7. Expectant Worship That Anticipates God's Movement

In Brazil, believers gathered with a palpable sense of expectancy. They didn't come to observe a service; they came believing that God would speak, move, and transform.

This wasn't manufactured hype or emotional manipulation (believe me, I come from a Reformed background and was trained at SBTS). It was simple, childlike faith that took God at His word—that He is present where two or three gather in His name.

"We never want to become so familiar with worship that we forget we are entering the presence of the living God," a Brazilian pastor shared. "Every time is an opportunity for breakthrough."

How to practice this at home: Before you enter worship, take a moment to consciously set aside routine and familiarity. Pray simply: "God, I believe You are here and You are active. I come with expectation that You will meet me." Then worship from that place of anticipation, attentive to how God might be moving.

The global church has so much to teach us about worship that transcends comfort, convenience, and cultural Christianity. These practices aren't exotic spirituality—they're biblical approaches to worship that many Western believers have simply forgotten or neglected.

As our family starts our journey, I'm increasingly convinced that the revival many of us pray for won't come through better programs or more polished presentations. It will come when we rediscover what believers around the world have never forgotten: worship is not a performance we observe but an encounter we enter in…with our whole hearts, our whole bodies, and our whole lives.

This worship will cost us. It will change us. And that's exactly the point.

Is your heart stirred to experience deeper worship? Download our free 7DAYS guide.  Find it in our menu as “A Gift for You”.  It will take you deeper into The Lord.

Have you experienced worship in another culture that changed your perspective? Share your story in the comments; we're learning together on this journey.