Corporate Confession
Some have questioned whether Confession of Sin has a place in contemporary worship. Such acknowledgement of our shortcomings may be perceived as a "downer" or "turnoff" to congregants who have little background in church. However, it is reasonable to question whether worship is Christian worship at all if there is no opportunity for confession. Human confession is the reflex response of divine encounter. If there really has been no confession in a worship service, then there has been no real apprehension of God. His praise necessitates our humility. We cannot truly honour his worth without sensing our unworthiness. We cannot really see who he is and fail to bow.
- Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009)