The Christian Assembly

Based on research completed for his doctoral dissertation, Tom shares the surprising biblical truth about the early church and modern “worship” services. Discover his research through videos, podcasts, and literature on this page.

The Assembly: How We Got Worship Wrong

Dr. Tom Wadsworth's groundbreaking 7-part series on the Christian assembly has sparked widespread discussion and interest within the Christian community, both online and offline. This series, originally presented in its detailed form, has been widely appreciated for its in-depth exploration of first-century church practices and their implications for modern gatherings. As a result of its impactful content, Dr. Wadsworth's work has garnered over 10,000 subscribers and accumulated more than 500,000 views.

Watch the Video Series

  • Why the Early Church Didn't Have Worship Services - 7 videos in 1

    In this 70-minute video, Dr. Wadsworth brings the key points of his 7 videos together in one presentation that answers the major questions about his thesis that "The Early Church Didn't Have 'Worship Services'."

    Watch Now

  • Worship #1 Why the Early Church Did Not Have Worship Services

    This presentation is an overview of Wadsworth's PhD dissertation, which investigated the "worship anomaly," i.e., the fact that Christian assemblies in the NT are not described as "worship," nor are any assembly activities described as "worship."

    Watch Video #1

  • Worship #2: The Real Meaning of "Worship" in the Bible

    A public lecture by Tom Wadsworth, PhD, presented on Oct. 11, 2022, at the Loveland Community Building in Dixon, IL. The presentation explains why the Greek terms proskuneo, latreuo, and leitourgeo are commonly mistranslated in English Bibles.

    Watch Video #2

  • Worship #3: The Temple That Changed Everything

    A public lecture by Tom Wadsworth, PhD, presented on Oct. 18, 2022, at the Loveland Community Building in Dixon, IL. The presentation explains the often-neglected impact of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70 and how it shaped "the Way" of the early Christians.

    Watch Video #3

  • Worship #4: Why They Didn't Preach Sermons in the Early Church

    A public lecture by Tom Wadsworth, PhD, presented on Oct. 25, 2022, at the Loveland Community Building in Dixon, IL. This presentation takes a closer look at the specific kinds of "assembly speaking" employed in church meetings in the New Testament.

    Watch Video #4

  • Worship #5 Worship Wars and the Role of Music

    This presentation uses the conclusions of Seminars #1-#4 to analyze the so-called Worship Wars that first erupted in churches around 1997. In other words, if Christian assembly activities (including music) are to be done "for edification" (1 Cor 14:26), how should we assess the modern emphasis on contemporary music and praise songs?

    Watch Video #5

  • Worship #6 How the Later Church Developed Worship Services

    A public lecture by Tom Wadsworth, PhD, presented on Nov. 8, 2022, at the Loveland Community Building in Dixon, IL. If the NT church never had "worship services," when did they start and why? This presentation reveals the results of studying over 2,500 references to the word 'worship' in early Christian writings from the second, third, and fourth centuries.

    Watch Video #6

  • Worship #7: What Do We Do Now?

    A public lecture by Tom Wadsworth, PhD, presented on Nov. 15, 2022, at the Loveland Community Building in Dixon, IL. In this 7th and final episode, Tom recaps the key points of the first six presentations and identifies nine practical ways to improve church assemblies by implementing the biblical findings of his research.

    Watch Video #7

  • Why They Didn't Preach Sermons in the Early Church (updated)

    While it is commonly assumed that "preaching" of "sermons" was common in biblical Christianity, Tom shows how this concept varies with the New Testament evidence. After taking a closer look at the kinds of "assembly speaking" employed in church meetings in the New Testament, Dr. Wadsworth identifies three key elements that are commonly lacking in church assemblies today.

    Watch Now
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Podcast Appearances

Dr. Tom Wadsworth has been invited to appear on several podcasts, furthering discussions and deepening engagement around his work on the Christian assembly. These podcast appearances have provided him with the opportunity to share his insights and engage with a broader audience, sparking meaningful conversations and challenging traditional views.

  • Church Dropout

    In this Church Dropout podcast, host Allen Russell and Dr. Tom Wadsworth explore how evolving worship practices have affected today's church culture in most denominations.

    Watch the "Church Dropout"

  • Good Berean

    Host Jason Breda interviews Dr. Tom Wadsworth about his recent Ph.D. dissertation that investigated Christian assemblies in the first century.

    Watch the "Good Berean"

  • Faith Foundations

    Together, Barry and Tom examine the practice of prostration and the nature of sacred spaces.

    Watch "Faith Foundations"

  • Ready4Eternity

    Eddie Lawrence, host of the Ready4Eternity podcast, interviews Dr. Tom Wadsworth about his 2022 PhD dissertation about first-century Christian assemblies.

    Watch "Ready4Eternity"

  • How Christians Gathered in the 1st Century, and Why We Should Care

    Explore the evolution of early Christian gatherings and the Lord's Supper.

    Watch "1K Houses"

  • What Your Pastor Didn’t Tell You

    An engaging discussion on overlooked aspects of early church practices.

    Watch "What Your Pastor Didn't Tell You"

  • Morning Tea with Joanne Jolee

    Insights into Tom’s latest research and thoughts on biblical worship.

    Watch "Joanne Jolee"

  • 289: Has the Church Got Worship Wrong?

    A deep dive into the "major paradigm shift" that is inherent in Wadsworth's research.

    Listen to "Out of the Question"

  • Are We REALLY Committed to What the Bible Says?

    A conversation on the commitment to biblical teachings about "worship" and about early Christian gatherings.

    Listen to "Sound of Truth"

  • Eden Center for Regenerative Culture

    This special 1-hour interview, hosted and recorded by Bart Moyers brings together Dr. Tom Wadsworth and his research in first-century Christian assemblies, and Dr. Kent Smith and his decades of work with building effective Christian communities around the globe.

    Watch the interview

  • The Looking Glass

    Josh Ferrara, host of The Looking Glass podcast in Australia, interviews Dr. Tom Wadsworth about his popular video series, "How We Got Worship Wrong."

    Watch "The Looking Glass"
Inquire about Podcast Appearances

Literature

  • Προσκυνέω Does Not Mean "Worship”

    (Paper read at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, November 2023)

    Using extensive evidence in the Septuagint and New Testament, this paper challenges the common notion that προσκυνέω should be translated as “worship,” contending instead that it should be translated as “to prostrate oneself.”

    Download Literature

  • The Shift: How the Early Church Evolved from House Meetings to Temple Worship

    (Paper read at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, November 2021)

    This paper explains how the early church, after the first century, began to view the Lord’s Supper as a sacrifice. From that core shift, Dr. Wadsworth chronicles how the church gradually adopted altars, priests, and temples, which resulted in the church viewing its assemblies as “worship.”

    Download Literature

  • Divine Christology: Where It Stands, Where It Should Go

    (Paper read at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, November 2017)

    Dr. Wadsworth traces the latest developments in the study of “Divine Christology,” identifying key issues and offering recommendations on new issues to be researched.

    Download Literature

 Answers to Questions

Browse the categories below to find frequently asked questions about Dr. Tom Wadsworth's research on the Christian assembly, along with links to his comprehensive answers and insights.

  • Read Dr. Wadsworth’s response to the questions below:

    1. You say that the New Testament does not use “worship” language to refer to the Christian assembly. What about Acts 13:2? It says, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”

    2. Vine’s, Strong’s, and other lexicons include “worship” as a definition of προσκυνέω. Why do you think these lexicons are wrong?

    3. “Worship” is mentioned frequently in the book of Revelation. How does the worship portrayed in Revelation inform our meetings?

  • Read Dr. Wadsworth’s response to the questions below:

    1. I think that there is a bias somewhere in your research. What’s your church background?

    2. In which theological camp do you belong? Are you Calvinist? Trinitarian? Premillennial? Cessationist? Inerrantist? Egalitarian?

    3. You’re just like so many others who are trying to convince people that we’ve gotten Christianity wrong and that everyone should join your movement.

  • Read Dr. Wadsworth’s response to the question below:

    I watched your entire series of videos and found them very refreshing. But are we required to do church exactly like they did in the first century? Are the New Testament verses prescriptive or descriptive?

  • Read Dr. Wadsworth’s response to the question below:

    1. I have been searching for a local house church … or for a body of believers that operates in the way you describe. Any suggestions?

    2. Does your research logically lead to the home church movement?

    3. How do I find a house church in my area?

    4. Frank Viola also pushes house churches. Are you saying the same thing that Frank Viola said in the book, Pagan Christianity?

  • Read Dr. Wadsworth’s response to the question below:

    1. You’re wrong. The early Christians worshipped. Their worship was directly based on Jewish synagogue worship, which is well documented historically.

    2. You say that the early Christians met in homes. But didn’t the early Christians meet daily in the temple? What about Peter and John going to the temple in Acts 3?

  • Read Dr. Wadsworth’s response to this reaction:

    I disagree with your conclusions. If we want to see how Christians in the first century worshipped, the Didache gives us an answer that is completely contrary to your video.

A book is in the works!

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