Modern worship music — a mix of Christian pop, rock and praise choruses — is the norm for the youth-oriented service he attends at Asbury United Methodist Church.

“I like the harder stuff,” said Woods, 18, who will be a freshman this fall at Sterling College in Kansas. “For me, you can really get into it. You can let yourself go.”

Contemporary worship music began in the early 1970s with the Jesus movement and the rise of charismatic churches. It paralleled the growth in contemporary Christian rock and pop music but remained separate until several years ago.

Modern worship music is a blending of the two music styles that opened up contemporary worship music to a greater variety of instruments and sounds.

Christian bands such as Sonicflood and deliriousfi have been at the forefront of sparking interest in this upbeat kind of music.

And the interest isn’t limited to churches.

Nearly half of the top 20 Christian and gospel albums sold through the first half of this year are modern praise and worship, according to John Styll, president of the 4,500-member Gospel Music Association. The organization is the top promoter of the Christian music industry and hands out the annual Dove Awards for outstanding work.

“People want to connect to God in a way that is culturally powerful to them,” he said. “For some people, choirs and organ music are not the stuff in their ordinary life. It doesn’t make God personal to them.”

As a result, the praise songs are moving from major recording studios to church worship services quicker than ever before, he said.

Modern praise and worship music “has better rhythm and a better beat,” said Dawn Cook, a member of Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Wichita.

“I’m in my 20s, and that’s what I need. When I listen to other Christian music, I fall asleep.”

Internet companies, online networking, worship magazines and conferences for worship leaders have promoted this style of music.

Worship Leader magazine, which has a circulation of 50,000, sends bimonthly CDs with mostly unpublished worship songs to subscribers.

Worshiptogether.com, one of dozens of Internet sites of its kind, offers free downloads of worship songs, online discussion groups and instructional software.

Using these resources, church leaders from a variety of denominations now have more songs to review and better ability to see what’s effective in worship services worldwide.

The interest in this music also reflects the gradual shift among many denominations from traditional music to more culturally relevant songs.

Eight-year-old Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Wichita stands out in its denomination for its entirely contemporary worship services.

Although the Lutheran tradition has a heritage of hymns and liturgical songs, Risen Savior offers a praise band of about 10 members who lead the congregation in energetic worship choruses, including some modern worship tunes.

Hymns are not usually part of Sunday worship except for a guitar-and-drums version of the 16th-century Lutheran standard “A Mighty Fortress,” said church pastor Tom Harmon.

“We’re a younger congregation, and we’re looking for more upbeat things,” he said.

Modern praise and worship music is getting better because of more songs to choose from and more substance to them, he said. “There’s more meat to them.”

Because of the popularity of this music, young people are aspiring to form praise and worship bands. The music combines the style they like with an uplifting gospel message, said Andy Williamson, 23, a local worship leader who sings at a variety of churches and youth events.

He formed the praise band Nameless Faces in Wichita about five months ago. Originally from the Nashville, Tenn., area, he considers praise and worship music to be his divine calling.

“When I’m leading worship and see people responding to it, I’m like, ‘God, I can’t believe I’m a part of this,’ ” he said.

Although the growth in praise and worship music has produced a new excitement, Styll said he doesn’t think all the new songs will endure.

Sales will eventually taper off as individuals and churches reach a saturation point. The result will be a collection of praise and worship songs that have stood the test of time, he said.

“People are going to be left with the gold,” Styll said, “and the dross is going to go away.”

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.