Published: 11 January 2025

Your Church Isn’t a Temple, So Why Call Your Gatherings Worship?

temple

The New Testament never refers to Christian assemblies as times of worship. Yet, modern church practice makes worship the primary aim of our gatherings. What did the word “worship” mean in the context of the New Testament? Do the original Greek words translated as “worship” align with our modern practices? Dr. Tom Wadsworth’s research challenges our assumptions and shows how key Greek terms convey something deeper.  As in prior posts in this series, we’ll examine another such term, leitourgeo, rendered as “worship” or “serve.” Understanding its biblical connections to the temple reveals a more precise meaning, rooted in priestly service.

A Glimpse into the New Testament

In the New Testament, leitourgeo and its cognates (related words) appear fifteen times. One notable example is Luke 1:23, where Zacharias completes “the days of his service [leitourgeo].” Earlier in the passage, Luke specifies Zacharias’s task as burning incense in the temple (Luk 1:8-9), consistent with the term’s priestly connotation.

Another instance is Hebrews 9:21, where leitourgeo describes the priests using blood to sprinkle “the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship [leitourgeo].” Leitourgeo is usually translated as serve or minister but in a few places, such as this verse in Hebrews, it is rendered as worship.

One interesting aspect of leitourgeo is that lexicons do not use the word “worship” to define it. Wadsworth notes:

“In addition to the word ‘worship’ being a rare translation of the term, the word ‘worship’ does not appear within the analyses of any of the leitourg– terms in BDAG, where its primary definition is ‘to render special formal service … of cultic or ritual responsibilities.’ The word ‘worship’ is also not found in the analyses of the leitourg– terms in Louw & Nida, Liddell & Scott, or Moulton & Milligan.1

Marshall observed that leitourgeo “is used cultically [i.e., in a religious context] of the activities of the Jewish priests (Lk. 1:23; Heb. 8:2, 6; 9:21; 10:11) and of angels (Heb. 1:6).”2  (text in brackets added)

Leitourgeo and its connection to the temple in the Septuagint

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures abbreviated LXX, provides essential context for understanding leitourgeo. Found approximately 150 times in the LXX, leitourgeo predominantly describes the duties of priests and Levites in the tabernacle or temple.3 For example:

Aaron must wear the robe whenever he ministers [leitourgeo], and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he will not die (Ex 28:35).4

men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve [leitourgeo] in the work at the Tent of Meeting. (Num. 4:3)

These duties include offering sacrifices, burning incense, setting out the showbread, and lighting the lampstand (Ex 28:31, 39; Num 3:31; 4:14).

Notably, the Chronicles use leitourgeo to describe the Levites’ service, including their musical ministry (1 Chron 16:4-6; 2 Chron 8:14). These activities, deeply tied to the temple’s rituals, underscore the priestly essence of the term.

How the New Testament uses leitourgeo

In the New Testament, leitourgeo retains its priestly undertone but often shifts to metaphorical usage. While the writer of Hebrews uses the term literally to describe priestly service in the temple (Heb 8:2, 9:21, 10:11), Paul frequently employs it figuratively. For example:

In Romans 13:6, the Bible refers to civil authorities as leitourgoi, or “ministers of God,” emphasizing their role in God’s order.

In Philippians 2:17 and 30, Paul uses leitourgia to describe sacrificial service, likening the ministry of fellow believers to priestly acts.

Interestingly, leitourgeo often overlaps with the term diakoneo (“serve” or “minister”). In Acts 12:25 and 13:2, Luke uses these terms interchangeably to describe the ministry of Barnabas and Saul. Similarly, Paul applies both terms to describe the relief efforts for the Jerusalem church (Rom 15:25-27, 2 Cor 9:12-13).5

Why Leitourgeo Does Not Mean “Worship”

Translating leitourgeo as “worship” is problematic. In modern English, “worship” usually implies congregational singing, prayer, or other corporate acts of devotion. However, the biblical context of leitourgeo focuses on service—particularly priestly ministry.

The mistake of equating leitourgeo with “worship” likely stems from its etymology and later church traditions. The term derives not from “work of the people” (as some have claimed) but from lēïtos (“public”) and ergon (“work”), originally referring to public service. While the English word “liturgy” traces its roots to leitourgeo, the New Testament writers did not use it to describe Christian assemblies.6

Translating leitourgeo as “worshiping” misses the mark, as it suggests corporate assembly rather than the priestly or ministerial activity implied in the Bible.

Conclusion

Leitourgeo and its cognates describe priestly service, whether literal or metaphorical. While the LXX uses the term to describe temple duties, the New Testament writers expand its scope to include various forms of ministry, from Paul’s evangelistic efforts to the sacrificial acts of believers. Understanding leitourgeo as priestly service—not worship—clarifies its biblical significance and prevents the imposition of modern or ecclesiastical meanings onto ancient texts. 

The bottom line is that leitourgeo does not support the modern notion of worship as the central focus of Christian gatherings. In fact, the New Testament never describes church meetings in terms of worship, but instead emphasizes service, ministry, and mutual edification. Thus, “worship” is not only an inadequate translation of leitourgeo but also distorts the New Testament’s emphasis on service, ministry, and mutual edification as the true purpose of Christian gatherings.

In the next post, we’ll examine the sebo word group that is occasionally translated as “worship.”

References

  1. Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 229.
  2. Marshall, I Howard. “How Far Did the Early Christians Worship God.” Churchman 99, no. 3 (1985): 216–29.
  3. Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 230.
  4. Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the Berean Standard Bible.
  5. Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 232-233.
  6. Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 234.