Who Dictates Your Worship Music Style?
It was a few years ago when the church where I currently serve was deciding to add a third service. At the time I was part-time (there is no such thing as a part time job at any church just part time pay) but heavily involved in the worship on Sundays. We kicked around a number of ideas for a 3rd service from a Saturday night modern service to a Sunday morning traditional service. I have to admit at the time I was chomping at the bit for any type of modern service that I would get a chance to play the type of worship that connects with me, the type that I wanted to play and hear.
At the same time a friend of mine was experiencing the same type of situation at a nearby church. We were able to share experiences thoughts and ideas around the whole idea. Sitting at his pastors house one afternoon we got to talking about the options of the new services. By that time we had pretty much decided to add another identical – to the other two – blended service (which by the way a sucessful blended service is a myth but in the words of Alton Brown “that’s another show” or in this case post). What they had decided to do was to add a modern service because that was what my friend was also good at and was his preference.
As we talked my friends pastor, upon hearing that I would be leading a blended type service, suggested to me that we were making a mistake and should just “do what I do.” Which I have to admit, I loved the idea that he was progressive enough to take that chance and suggest that adding a modern service was in my best interest and the best interest of our congregation (even though we realized that it would basically be as successful as adding another service in another language being that it was worship that they weren’t accustom too).
We decided for a few reasons to add another identical service. The first reason was because we just didn’t like the idea of segregating people by music preference when what we really aim for is one larger community split between services. The second was that, in all honesty, we felt people wouldn’t have responded in the way we would want because they were unfamiliar with that style of worship. So we had two choices, basically go for it with a cut the steeple off mentality – make waves, let those who don’t like it either leave or adjust, full steam ahead get onboard or not – or in the same way you learn a language you grow together teaching and learning in smaller doses. Our staff all like the direction we were heading but knew that a slower approach would work for our congregation rather than the cut and run approach.
My response to my friend when suggested the more brash approach was not that I should dictate as much as serve. The number one rule in comedy is one that should translate to worship leaders as well – know your audience. I felt my responsibility was to serve my congregation and grow with them rather than expect them to just follow. I am in no way suggesting that a congregation dictates the worship but in the same way a worship leader shouldn’t just dictate the worship either.
As worship leaders, we are called to serve and we are all called to lead. And we need to be aware of the difference and when to be the needed description. At that time in my life and the life of the church I served it was obvious that someone serving the people while leading them was what was needed. The pastor had set forth a vision but just jumping to the end goal would have neglected some of the growing, teaching, and learning that both the congregation and myself took part of.
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Great post! I was going to say “your community, your body, must dictate the worship style” but you nailed it already. One other thing, I do feel that as worship leaders we can (with the help of Pastors, senior leadership) help steer the body. We have to get past being in an environment that “reacts” to culture to a place where we INFLUENCE culture. Peace dude. Good read!
I completely agree with you – in fact i think that it is a defining job description that we help steer the body. Excellent points man thanks.
Nate, you waded into the deep end with this one. As someone who spent many years on church boards, I have been involved in many worship style (i.e. “music style”) discussions. Let me add my two cents worth.
Most discussions that I was involved in centered on people advocating for a music style that they personally liked. What was usually missing was a discussion of how to best help people focus on worship of God. I believe that the purpose of music in a church service is to facilitate worship of God. At one time, I too was inclined to advocate for music I liked until God helped me realized that the church did not exist to accommodate my personal musical tastes but to help people worship God. I think most people will agree with this goal, but it still doesn’t help when trying to pick a musical style. So here are a few thoughts on that issue.
Anything that distracts from the goal of worshiping God should be avoided. Distractions are anything that is out of the normal frame of reference for a given audience. As you well stated, you must know your audience and stick to their norms. If the audience is familiar with a particular style of worship and that style is suddenly changed, their focus will be on the changes and not on God.
Worship of God is primarily about a message. The worship service should prepare people to receive the spoken word. Music conveys a message, with or without words, and that message should be the primary reason for including it in a worship service. If a piece of music has words but they are drowned out by instrumentalists, the message is largely lost.
The only legitimate reason to change a worship style is to reach a different audience. Changing the style to accommodate someone’s individual taste is not a good enough reason to change, even if that person is the music director or senior pastor. Because different audiences like different styles, you are probably right about the impossibility of creating a satisfactory blended style. I think that is why some churches do separate services and satellite locations to accommodate styles. We want to reach all people for Christ, but that is difficult to do if we only have one way of doing worship. So maybe it is OK if we have different churches focusing on different people.
I’m out of time at the moment, so let me conclude by saying, I don’t think God has a particular worship style. We should spend less time trying to implement a style we like, and more time finding one that works for the people we are trying to lead in worshiping God.
Paul thanks for the comments, and yes i have been known to just jump on in to the deep end – at times I swim and others i need a lifeguard to pull me from the depths before i drown. I appreciate your wisdom and perspective that not many get to share – serving on church boards as part of and through worship transitions and as a congregant as well.
I agree that many times, and probably in some ways all, worship style discussions are more focused on the “me” rather than the “we.” You hit the nail on the head when you wrote: God helped me realized that the church did not exist to accommodate my personal musical tastes but to help people worship God. I am wise enough to admit that i lean this way more than i should.
I disagree (in part) with the idea that worship of God is primarily about the message. Your examples make perfect sense and i agree there but I also feel that worship is more than just what we say or what’s being said. Worship is our response: giving back to God what has been given to us – a first fruits. There are many things liturgically included as worship – passing of the peace and tithes and offering – that include no direct message but are acts of worship within the worship service.
I also think that we can respond without words: Found on the wall of a German Opera House was: “Bach gave us God’s word,
Beethoven gave us God’s fire,
Mozart gave us God’s laughter,
God gave us music so that we may pray without words.”
Worship in the church for a good period of time lacked lyrical support (baroque) – but at the same time a good portion of worship included just words with no instrumentation (gregorian chant and more).
But that is really neither here nor there in the overall discussion of style.
If style change is a result of taste I completely agree that it is not good enough reason to change. If style is changed to truly grow a church and help a larger community connect with God then I feel it is warranted. But it is important to not disregard the way people have worshiped. It is a strange line to walk and maybe it is better to separate services in order to effectively reach more people. I just dislike the idea of segregating a selection of people but also realize that we may not worship in the same way or connect in the same way.
Thank you for adding to the discussion. While I don’t claim to have the answers I do understand that the more discussions like this can take place the more we all will benefit.
I would love like to see Christians to take our singing and playing craft more seriously. We seem to have fallen in to a rutt of “campfire music / singing” and thought there is nothing wrong with that (for people 16 and under) this seems to keep getting spoonfed to the church as “great modern worship.” Paul said when I was a child I spoke as a child I reasoned as a child etc. but when I became older, I put away childish things. I wish we could do that. Also: David played skillfully before the Lord. Old testament singers & musicians were hand picked by by their talents first and then weeded out by their dedication to God (because they had so many people “trying out that were skillfull, they could afford to do that). Noadays what we do is we pull in anyone “who’s heart is right” and leave out the talent part altogether. Paul said to run the race for the victor’s crown. The bible instructs us to study to show ourselves approved. Yes of course it means to study scripture but also to strive for excellence in all we do. I would so love to see the church take God seriously as though they are playing before a King, rather than it be “just good enough.”
-KT
Ken, I agree completely. Too many times i find myself just comfortable with what i am doing and how things are. And that is a dangerous place to be. Apathy sets in and truly hinders our worship. Dan Wilt (http://www.danwilt.com/) has some great posts on this very idea. What are we doing as worship leaders and worshippers to continually better ourselves and our worship?
thanks for you comments.